After a slew of firsts in 2018, TCU aims for seconds and thirds in 2019
The season didn't end how the players and coach genuinely thought it would, with a run in the NCAA Tournament, but TCU basketball undoubtedly turned a huge corner in 2018.
The team's success (including its NIT championship a year ago) has altered the perception of the program on the outside and invigorated the expectations, excitement and most importantly the interest on the inside with the student body.
The accomplishments and firsts started piling up early. The Horned Frogs won their first 12 games and were ranked in The Associated Press Top 25 for eight consecutive weeks, including an all-time high ranking of No. 10.
They beat Baylor for the first time since 2002, and later swept them for the first time since 1989.
They beat West Virginia in the first Big Monday game at Schollmaier Arena in front of 7,368 in attendance, the third-largest crowd to ever see a TCU home game. It was the Frogs' first win over the Mountaineers.
They won in Stillwater, Okla., for the first time since 1925, and swept Oklahoma State for the first time ever.
They swept Iowa State for the first time ever and won in Ames, Iowa, for the first time since 1982.
And, of course, TCU earned its first NCAA tournament berth in 20 years.
No. 11 Syracuse, which ended the Frogs' season, did it to No. 3 Michigan State on Sunday to reach the Sweet 16.
For coach Jamie Dixon, the most impressive aspect of the season was the roster makeup of the team. When Jaylen Fisher went down in early January, it left the Frogs with just eight scholarship players in their rotation. Minor injuries to Ahmed Hamdy and Shawn Olden left the Frogs with a two-man bench for a few games.
Going back even further, TCU was unable to practice with a full squad of scholarship players because of NCAA entanglements and injuries to five scholarship players. Those issues (knock on wood for Dixon) won't exist next season.
"We were fighting through adversity," Dixon said. "We didn’t at all have the team we anticipated having and still did something that hadn’t been done in 20 years. We saw a glimpse of practice the way we wanted to practice to some degree in late January. They got a taste of the competition and intensity in practice to make us better in games."
The lack of numbers also forced Dixon to use players in different roles. The defense, which struggled to find ways to get stops late in Big 12 games early in conference play, improved drastically down the stretch.
The team, especially the seniors who helped turn around the program, is keenly aware of the giant step forward.
"We’re just getting it over the hump and setting it up for the future," said senior Kenrich Williams, who leaves as one of the Frogs' all-time greatest players.
"Of course it hurts right now," Williams said moments after the Frogs' 57-52 loss Friday night. "But knowing that we made history, went to the tournament for the first time in 20 years, it's big for us, and for the program moving forward."
This story was originally published March 18, 2018 at 6:58 PM with the headline "After a slew of firsts in 2018, TCU aims for seconds and thirds in 2019."