Five storylines to watch as TCU men’s basketball seeks return to March Madness
After taking care of Tarleton State and Texas in preseason scrimmages, the real season is almost here for TCU men’s basketball.
The Horned Frogs play New Orleans in their regular-season opener at 7 p.m. Monday at Schollmaier Arena on ESPN+.
The Horned Frogs will enter the season flying under the radar after going 16-16 last season and missing the NCAA Tournament for the first time since the 2020-21 season.
TCU was picked to finish 10th in the Big 12 preseason poll voted on by coaches around the league. While the Horned Frogs may begin the season overlooked, the team has confidence it can quickly wake the doubters up.
“We have a lot of talent. We’re a versatile team,” senior guard Jayden Pierre said. “We’re a young team for sure, but we got a lot of guys that can do a lot of different things. We’re a deep team. We have a lot of guys that can play meaningful minutes.”
Will that improved depth be enough to get TCU back in the tournament? Here are five storylines to watch for the Horned Frogs in their quest to get back into March Madness:
Impact of the new transfer players
TCU signed a five-man portal class led by Pierre (Providence) and point guard Brock Harding (Iowa), who are the most experienced players on the roster, with 87 combined starts.
Harding has already flashed his potential as a floor general with an average of 8.5 assists in the exhibition matchups against Texas and Tarleton. Pierre is coming off a junior season where he averaged a career-high 12.3 points, and he provides a scoring punch at shooting guard.
The Horned Frogs also added 6-foot-7 wing Liutauras Lelevicius (Oregon State), 6-5 guard Tanner Toolson (Utah Valley) and 6-10 center Vianney Salatchoum (Florida International). Lelevicius has carved out a starting role at small forward and brings size and scoring at the wing. Toolson and Salatchoum project to play major roles as well.
TCU prioritized finding the right fit for the roster over chasing the biggest names, and head coach Jamie Dixon said he has been pleased with the early assimilation of the new players with the returning group.
“I think we have a good fit of guys. I think we put together a good group,” Dixon said Thursday. “I think we did a good job on the guys we were able to get. With the numbers there are some challenges, but you have to do the best with what you have, and I think we’ve done a good job of putting a roster together.”
Which returning player takes the biggest leap?
One reason TCU is so optimistic it will have a bounce-back year is the return of six players from last season. Sophomores David Punch, Micah Robinson, Malick Diallo, Jace Posey and RJ Jones and redshirt freshman Ashton Simmons all opted to return to Fort Worth, giving TCU a solid foundation to build around.
The first four of the group played extensively last season, while Jones and Simmons redshirted. It’ll be imperative that at least one of the returners makes a big leap to pair with the transfer class Dixon brought in. The most obvious candidate may be Punch. The versatile forward starting 27 games last season, even playing out of position at center sometimes.
Punch ranked among the top 10 for freshmen in the Big 12 in points (6.5 points) and rebounds (4.4). He has already built a reputation as a good defender, but now his offensive game is growing as well. Punch scored a team-high 15 in the win over Tarleton and 11 against Texas as his confidence offensively continues to grow.
Posey and Robinson may have the most upside on the roster with their athletic ability, while Punch and Diallo have started in the two preseason games alongside Harding, Pierre and Lelevicius.
Simmons may still be another year away from playing regularly, but Jones could be a name to watch after he knocked down three 3s against Texas.
Tougher-than-usual nonconference schedule
Dixon has taken some criticism in the past for having light nonconference schedules, but that won’t be an issue this season, as the Horned Frogs will face at least two preseason Top 25 teams before New Year’s Day.
The first one comes against No. 7 Michigan on Nov. 14 at Schollmaier Arena. It’ll be one of the biggest nonconference games of the Dixon era and an immediate opportunity for TCU to prove itself against a team that’s supposed to be a Final Four contender.
Two games later, TCU will face defending national champion and No. 3-ranked Florida in San Diego on Thanksgiving Day in the Rady Children’s Invitational. TCU could also face No. 24 Wisconsin in that tournament depending on how the results turn out.
The Horned Frogs will also host Notre Dame on Dec. 5 and will face North Texas on Dec. 7 at Dickies Arena. The Mean Green won 27 games last season, but will have a new coach this season.
The Horned Frogs will have plenty of opportunities to secure signature wins and build their NCAA Tournament resume well before the start of Big 12 play.
More production from the center spot?
One of the biggest questions facing TCU was how the program would replace Ernest Udeh, who transferred to Miami. Udeh’s numbers (6.6 points, 7.5 rebounds, 1.3 blocks per game) weren’t overly impressive, but he was a top-tier rim protector and a lob threat who also showed good leadership during a rocky season for TCU.
The Horned Frogs have optimism they can be more productive this season at the center spot with Diallo, Salatchoum and junior college signee Xavier Edmonds. After the two preseason matchups, Dixon said he believes the frontcourt trio could be the biggest surprise this season.
“I think we’re turning that into a strength,” Dixon said. “Big guys are hard to get because there’s not a lot of them and there’s a big market for them. On paper if you look at our guys and what they’ve done, it may not stand out, but I think we’re going to get really good production. Last game we got 17 points and 11 rebounds out of that spot. We’re getting more production in the two games than we’ve gotten in recent years.”
The Horned Frogs will need strong play from their centers, as they’ll face some of the best big men in the country in the Big 12.
The lone freshman on TCU’s roster
There’s just one true freshman on TCU’s roster this year — Kayden “Bugg” Edwards, a four-star signee from local powerhouse Duncanville. Edwards is the second-highest-rated recruit to sign with TCU since at least 2003 and served as a major recruiting win for the program.
He’s already flashed his scoring potential with 10 points against Tarleton and 23 in TCU’s scrimmage at its Fan Fest on Oct. 3. Edwards rose up in the rankings due to his scoring and shooting ability, but he’s already impressed those around the program with how versatile his game already is despite his age.
“He’s unique in how he plays. He’s a shooter, but he plays well without the basketball,” Dixon said. “We think he’s a good defender— that’s usually not normal for a freshman — but he came from a good program, and he played against good people and was well-coached.”
Edwards will need to get stronger and add weight while he sits behind more experienced guards, but he could be an X-factor for TCU this season off the bench. It may prove hard to keep the freshman off the court as the season progresses.
