TCU Frogs vs. Seton Hall basketball: March Madness lineups, TV, time, score, prediction
TCU coach Jamie Dixon liked having a “thing” during his days at Pittsburgh, trying to schedule games in New York every season. At TCU, Dixon has shifted that “thing” to playing games in California.
The Frogs have played at Staples Center (now Crypto.com Arena) multiple times under Dixon. They were part of the inaugural SoCal Challenge earlier this season. And now they’re in San Diego for the NCAA Tournament.
Dixon didn’t have much say in drawing this location, but he had no complaints about it.
“This is the spot we wanted to go,” Dixon said. “We’re excited to be here. We’ll have a big contingent, got some alumni events set up already. So we’re looking forward to it.”
As Dixon said, TCU should have a stronger fan presence than its first-round opponent Seton Hall. TCU has 1,605 students from California, which is 13.4% of its 11,938 enrollment. And, of 96,000 living alumni, the Frogs have 2,400 residing in the Southern California area.
Seton Hall, meanwhile, is traveling the furthest of any tournament team.
None of that should matter come tip, of course.
“We don’t have no choice but to be locked in,” TCU sophomore guard Mike Miles said. “This is the biggest game of our life coming up. We’ve got to take it as serious as anything. That’s what we’re doing.
“We want to win the whole thing, but we can’t do it without beating Seton Hall.”
Here’s everything else you need to know going into the game:
The Details
When/where: 8:57 p.m. Friday, Viejas Arena, San Diego
TV/radio: truTV (Lisa Byington, Steve Smith, Avery Johnson, Lauren Shehadi); Westwood One (Dave Pasch, PJ Carlesimo); KLIF (570 AM) with Brian Estridge and John Denton.
Records: TCU 20-12; Seton Hall 21-10.
Line: Seton Hall favored by 1.5 points, over/under 130.5, per VegasInsider.com on Thursday
Series: First meeting between the programs
About TCU: Frogs coach Jamie Dixon is 7-4 all-time against Seton Hall, going back to his Big East days as Pitt’s head coach. ... TCU is making its ninth all-time NCAA Tournament, and has record of 5-8. ... Dixon is 12-12 all-time in the NCAA Tournament. ... The Frogs have reached the 20-win mark in four of Dixon’s six seasons. ... The Frogs have not won a NCAA Tournament game since 1987 when Dixon was a player on the team. ... TCU has lost three of its last four going into the tournament. But it’s also had three victories over ranked teams in the last three weeks against Texas Tech, Kansas and Texas. ... TCU has won one game in its history at Viejas Arena, defeating San Diego State, 91-69, on Feb. 14, 1998, when both teams were members of the Western Athletic Conference (WAC).
About Seton Hall: The Pirates are making their 14th appearance in the NCAA Tournament. They are 16-13 all-time, including a Final Four run in 1989. ... Seton Hall was 7-8 against NCAA Tournament teams this season. ... The Pirates lost starting guard Bryce Aiken to a season-ending injury. ... Seton Hall is traveling the furthest of any team in the tournament. Its campus in South Orange, New Jersey, is 2,414 miles from San Diego. ... The Pirates have held their last seven opponents to 68 points or less.
Projected lineups
TCU: Mike Miles, Damion Baugh, Chuck O’Bannon Jr., Emanuel Miller, Eddie Lampkin Jr.
Seton Hall: Kadary Richmond, Tray Jackson, Jared Rhoden, Ike Obiagu, Myles Cale
Prediction
Oddsmakers are viewing this game as essentially a pick ‘em. Count on a low-scoring, defensive affair with a “first to 60 wins it” kind of feel. The Frogs have to hope the game is called tighter where Seton Hall can’t be as physical guarding Mike Miles as Big 12 teams were during the regular season. TCU also needs to contain Seton Hall’s Jared Rhoden, who is averaging 15.9 points per game.
In the end, this should be a close game throughout and we’ll give the edge to TCU. The Frogs should have a better home-court advantage, too, with a strong fan base in Southern California compared to the Pirates’ being located outside the New York metro area. TCU 55, Seton Hall 50.
