TCU Insider: What the Horned Frogs must do to go on a March run
March Madness is finally upon us and now TCU will aim to make history in one of the most anticipated NCAA Tournaments in program history.
The Horned Frogs haven’t advanced to the second week of the tournament since the late 1960s under Johnny Swaim, but the current roster has all the pieces on paper to reach the Sweet Sixteen or better.
But as we know, games aren’t played on paper, it’s about what TCU does on the court that will decide if the Horned Frogs can really live up to the preseason expectations.
While the Horned Frogs were defeated in the Big 12 tournament semifinals by eventual champion Texas, TCU left Kansas City with some positive developments and one big question.
Let’s dive into those and what else TCU needs to do to thrive in the Big Dance:
Miles and more Miles
There’s nothing more valuable in the postseason than an experienced, talented lead guard and TCU has one of the best in the country with Mike Miles Jr. Miles was named to the Big 12 All-Tournament team for the second straight season and scored 22 points in TCU’s win over Kansas State in the Big 12 tournament quarterfinals.
At 17.3 points per game, Miles is TCU’s No. 1 option on offense and the leader of the team. When he’s on the court the Horned Frogs play with more confidence and Miles limitless arsenal of offensive moves gives TCU a much-needed answer when in the half court.
If TCU is going to go far in the NCAA Tournament, it’ll take some big time performances from Miles, who has more than shown he’s capable of it.
3-point shooting improvement?
The Horned Frogs’ 3-point shooting has been their biggest weakness, ranked among the worst in the country in 3-point percentage. But something happened in Kansas City that the Horned Frogs must hope carries over into the NCAA tournanment.
The Horned Frogs knocked down 44% of their 3-pointers against Kansas State and 42% against a stingy Texas defense. Those lights-out performances finally brought TCU’s season average above 30%. If TCU is just average from the 3-point line, the Horned Frogs become an even more formidable team.
X must rise
With Eddie Lampkin Jr. away from the program, TCU has had to lean on Xavier Cork to man the center spot. His two games in Kansas City were uneven. Cork was solid in 21 minutes vs. Kansas State, but was scoreless against Texas as the Longhorns dominated in the paint.
Cork has given TCU good moments like a 15-point outing in a win over West Virginia on Jan. 31. TCU won’t need that type of production consistently as the offense will run through Miles, Damion Baugh and Emanuel Miller, but the Horned Frogs will need Cork to be able to stay on the floor and avoid foul trouble.
Teams will see the success Texas had inside against TCU and try to replicate that if they have the personnel. JaKobe Coles has also continued to step up and play well when at the 5 spot, so Cork won’t have to do it by himself.
Remember the Big 12
Coaches across the league are likely relieved to finally get a break from the gauntlet that was the Big 12. Widely viewed as the best conference in America, there were no easy games for anybody in the league. The worst team, Oklahoma, knocked off numerous ranked opponents including Alabama.
Why does that matter for the NCAA Tournament? Because TCU has to rely on those lessons going forward. The Horned Frogs have won in some of the toughest environments including Lawrence against Kansas and a thrilling comeback win Waco vs. Baylor.
The thinking has to be if you can win there, you can win anywhere. If you can beat a Kansas or Texas, then there’s certainly no team TCU should feel it couldn’t be. The Horned Frogs collected non-conference wins over likely tournament teams Iowa and Providence as well. Few teams will be battle-tested to the extent TCU and the rest of its Big 12 brethren are.
Mr. Postseason is back
The promising development from Kansas City was the emergence of Chuck O’Bannon, who coach Jamie Dixon called TCU’s ‘Mr. Postseason.’ After scoring a season-high 22 points against Kansas State, O’Bannon scored 12 more against Texas.
It was the first time O’Bannon’s scored in double figures in back-to-back games since early December. Going back to last year, in the last five postseason games O’Bannon is averaging 15.2 points per game with 14 3-pointers in that timespan. Having another player that can score in bunches will stress out opposing defenses who will already have their hands full with TCU’s backcourt.
Pressure-packed situations can bring the best out of certain players and it’s clear O’Bannon is one of those guys. His timely emergence gives TCU yet another option on offense to turn to.
