Pepperdine Waves (2-4) vs TCU Horned Frogs (3-1)
Game Info: Wednesday, November 24, 2021 at 10:30 pm (JSerra Pavilion)
Betting Odds: Pepperdine Waves +10 -- Over/Under: 137.5 Click Here for the Latest Odds
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The Pepperdine Waves & TCU Horned Frogs will square off at JSerra Pavilion to take on the TCU Horned Frogs this Wednesday night in the SoCal Challenge.
The Pepperdine Waves lost their 2nd straight game and dropped to 2-4 on the season after being defeated by the Fresno State Bulldogs, 70-63, this past Monday night. Pepperdine struggled with turnovers and could not fight back after Fresno State took a 65-58 lead with :58 seconds left in regulation. Pepperdine shot 54.5% from the field & 60.0% from beyond the arc while allowing Fresno State to shoot 42.6% from the field & 38.5% from beyond the arc. Pepperdine was outrebounded by Fresno State by a 27-25 margin and lost the turnover battle by a 20-10 margin in the loss. Leading the way for the Waves was Jan Zidek who had 20 points & 3 rebounds.
On the season, Pepperdine is averaging 64.2 ppg on 41.6% shooting from the field. The Waves are averaging 7.0 three-pointers per game on 36.2% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Pepperdine has been led by Houston Mallette (12.5 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 2.0 apg, 1.2 spg), Jan Zidek (11.8 ppg, 4.2 rpg), Jade’ Smith (10.5 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 3.5 apg), &Mike Mitchell Jr. (9.3 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 3.8 apg, 1.3 spg).
Defensively, Pepperdine is allowing their opponents to average 74.5 ppg on 46.5% shooting from the field. The Waves have a rebound margin of -0.7 and a turnover margin of -4.0.
The TCU Horned Frogs dropped to 3-1 on the season after being defeated by the Santa Clara Broncos, 85-66, this past Saturday. TCU had no answers on the defensive end for Santa Clara and could not fight back after the Broncos took a 57-29 lead with 15:36 left in regulation. TCU shot 40.6% from the field & 35.0% from beyond the arc while allowing Santa Clara to shoot 61.2% from the field & 68.8% from beyond the arc. TCU won the turnover battle by a 17-9 margin, however, was outrebounded by TCU by a 39-24 margin in the loss. Leading the way for the Horned Frogs was Mike Miles who had 10 points, 5 rebounds, 7 assists, & 1 steal.
On the season, TCU is averaging 72.2 ppg o 41.0% shooting from the field. The Horned Frogs are averaging 6.5 three-pointers per game on 31.7% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, TCU has been led by Mike Miles (17.0 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 5.0 apg, 1.8 spg), Emanuel Miller (10.5 ppg, 8.3 rpg, 1.8 spg), Micah Peavy (9.0 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 1.5 apg, 1.0 spg), & Chuck O’Bannon Jr. (63 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 2.0 apg).
Defensively, TCU is holding their opponents to an average of 61.8 ppg on 39.3% shooting from the field. The Horned Frogs have a rebound margin of 8.2 and a turnover margin of 2.8.
The Waves are 6-1 ATS in their last 7 games following a ATS loss and 16-5-2 ATS in their last 23 neutral site games. The Horned Frogs are 4-17 ATS in their last 21 games vs. a team with a losing straight up record & 1-5 ATS in their last 6 games overall.
TCU might be 3-1 on the season, however, they played an easy schedule to start their season and was exposed a bit by an underrated Santa Clara team. TCU will need to be solid defensively to have a solid season as the offense doesn’t have many weapons, however, it was concerning to see the Horned Frogs struggle so much on the end of the court in their 19-point loss to the Broncos. Pepperdine has had an up and down start to their season and although the Waves have some talent, they still come into this game ranked just 290th in scoring offense & t-273rd in scoring defense. TCU is the better team in this one, however, the Horned Frogs just aren’t the strongest team offensively and as I think Pepperdine can keep this game somewhat competitive, I’m taking the Waves and the points. Good Luck!
Brett’s Pick Pepperdine Waves +10
AUTHOR: Brett Nault
Follow Brett Nault on Twitter @BrettCU05