TCU-Xavier is Frogs’ biggest basketball game to date. Why no one will be watching.
TCU’s appearance in the first Big 12-Big East Challenge features its top nonconference opponent this season, and when Xavier comes to Fort Worth expect dozens of eyeballs to lock in.
There are terrible decisions, and then there is horrible timing. On special occasions, there is both.
TCU’s game with Xavier will start at 4 p.m. on Sunday — a good 30 minutes after the Dallas Cowboys kick off for what is essentially the NFC East title in Philadelphia against the Eagles. TCU’s game will be carried on ESPN2.
There is simply no better way to kill an event in DFW than to schedule it against the Cowboys. The pope could host a free concert with Elvis Presley and Michael Jackson and it would be blown away by Cowboys-Eagles.
To make the atmosphere even better, the Frogs’ game against Xavier is also the same week TCU’s semester ends, meaning the student turnout at Schollmaier Arena will be low.
“This is out of our hands,” said Julie Austin, TCU athletics marketing director.
The decision was made deliberately but not maliciously. It doesn’t help a college program trying to gain visibility and establish credibility. You’ll notice Duke, Kansas, Kentucky and Michigan State aren’t picked for The Deuce against the Dallas Cowboys.
This is an ESPN decision. It has slots to fill on multiple platforms, and nearly every college program prefers ESPN as the network of choice.
And there is no way for TCU to move it.
This is how this goes: When the schedule is made TCU makes it first available to ESPN. By the time the basketball schedules are set the NFL has announced its fall lineup, complete with kickoff times.
Everyone knows when the monster is playing, and the hope is to schedule around the NFL game.
ESPN’s programming people look at the schedules, see that Xavier/TCU is a decent matchup, and line up “counter programming.”
Could the Big 12 have leaned on ESPN? Possibly, but this particular window is tight.
TCU and Xavier have been slated to play each other in Fort Worth, but the duo had only a limited number of opportunities to make the game fit for their schedules. TCU’s fall graduation is Saturday, which also effectively eliminated Friday.
It was Sunday or nothing.
And while TCU could have said no to ESPN, and opted for a Fox Sports Southwest alternative, this is the higher profile platform.
So this is why TCU and Xavier will play at 4 on Sunday, when the Cowboys are knee deep into saving Jason Garrett’s job in Philadelphia.
