Is TCU basketball a March Madness contender? Saturday will be telling
TCU basketball is among the first teams out of the NCAA Tournament in the latest bracketology fields released by ESPN and CBS Sports.
But the Horned Frogs believe they have a team capable of making it to the Big Dance, going 10-1 in nonconference play and starting off 1-1 in Big 12 play. It wasn’t pretty, but the Frogs got a much-needed victory at Kansas State on Wednesday night.
The Frogs prevailed despite a poor shooting night and blowing a 10-point lead in the second half.
“We have work to do,” TCU coach Jamie Dixon said. “We have to get ready for Oklahoma.”
TCU and Oklahoma are set to meet Saturday at Schollmaier Arena. Tip-off is set for 3 p.m. and there is already buzz on campus for this game. Students are hosting a tailgate beforehand on the Kelly Center lawn and new football coach Sonny Dykes is expected to address the crowd during halftime.
Yes, this game should provide an indication of how realistic TCU’s March Madness dreams are. No, a postseason berth isn’t hinging on a mid-January game but these are the games that TCU can’t afford to lose at home.
Dixon has said that he believes an 8-10 record in Big 12 play should be enough to get an at-large bid. A 9-9 record is a virtual lock.
So TCU must find at least seven more wins in league play to feel good about its chances. There isn’t an “easy win” in the Big 12, but a home game against Oklahoma would qualify as one of the more winnable games on the slate.
Easier said than done, of course.
TCU has lost its last eight games to OU. The last victory came in the 2017 Big 12 tournament in Kansas City. The Frogs split the regular-season series with the Sooners that year, too.
OU has since swept the regular-season series the last four seasons. So Dixon likely didn’t mind seeing longtime OU coach Lon Kruger retire last offseason.
But the Sooners brought in another well-respected coach in Porter Moser, who looks to have a tournament-caliber team in his first season. Oklahoma is ranked No. 34 in the NCAA’s NET, but it has lost its first two Big 12 road games to No. 1 Baylor (84-74) and at No. 21 Texas (66-52).
TCU wants to extend those road woes for OU. If not, then TCU will have to steal another win on the road but from a higher-rated team than K-State.
This story was originally published January 14, 2022 at 5:00 AM.
