UC Irvine (3-2) vs. TCU (3-0)
Ed & Rae Schollmaier Arena, Fort Worth, Texas; Thursday, 8 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: TCU squares off against UC Irvine in an early season matchup. UC Irvine fell 69-53 at Colorado in its last outing. TCU is coming off a 65-54 home win over Air Force in its most recent game.
TEAM LEADERSHIP: The Anteaters have been led by Eyassu Worku and Collin Welp. Worku has averaged 13.4 points while Welp has recorded 12 points and 5.6 rebounds per game. The Horned Frogs have been led by Desmond Bane and Kevin Samuel. Bane has averaged 19.3 points, 5.3 rebounds and two steals while Samuel has put up 16 points, 11.7 rebounds and 3.7 blocks per game.EFFECTIVE EYASSU: Worku has connected on 60 percent of the 15 3-pointers he's attempted and has made 6 of 9 over the last three games. He's also made 80 percent of his foul shots this season.
STREAK STATS: TCU has scored 82 points per game and allowed 60.3 over a three-game home winning streak.
DID YOU KNOW: The TCU defense has forced opponents into turnovers on an impressive 28.4 percent of all possessions, which is the 13th-highest rate in the country. UC Irvine has turned the ball over on 23.4 percent of its possessions (ranked 312th among Division I teams).
