Preview: TCU Men's Basketball Will Play At Michigan Friday

The Frogs travel to Ann Arbor for their biggest test of the season thus far.

Isaiah Manning drive the ball for TCU against Florida A&M on November 4, 2024. / Brian McLean | On Assignment Photo

The soft schedule for TCU is over. The 3-0 Frogs travel to Ann Arbor to play Michigan Friday.

It will be the earliest date that TCU will play a true road game since Nov. 10, 1998 in a 79-77 win over Providence.

Huge Competition Jump

Michigan head coach Dusty May watches warm up before the season opener against Cleveland State during the first half at Crisler Center in Ann Arbor on Monday, Nov. 4, 2024. / Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

With all due respect to Florida A&M, Florida Gulf Coast University, and Texas State, Michigan is a massive step up in competition for the Frogs.

The Wolverines received an AP vote in the most recent poll, are ranked 31 in KenPom, and 25 in EvanMiya.

New head coach Dusty May brought in 11 new players and a whole new staff that look to bring a boost to a Michigan program that struggled last season under Juwan Howard.

Michigan is 1-1 on the season coming off a 70-72 semi-away loss to Wake Forest last Sunday.

With a talented group and five days of rest since their last contest, the Wolverines should be ready to play and favored in this one.

The Return of Frankie

Mar 24, 2022; San Antonio, TX, USA; Michigan Wolverines guard Frankie Collins (10) brings the ball up court against the Villanova Wildcats in the semifinals of the South regional of the men's college basketball NCAA Tournament at AT&T Center. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images / Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images

One interesting note about this contest is that TCU starting point guard Frankie Collins will be returning to Ann Arbor for the first time since he played at Michigan.

Collins played his freshman season with the Wolverines appearing in 31 games on the 2021-22 Michigan team that made the Sweet 16.

After this season, the 6-foot-2 guard played two seasons for Arizona State before finally joining the Horned Frogs prior to this season.

Collins' TCU career is off to a good start, averaging 11.3 points, 4.3 assists, 3.7 rebounds, and 1.7 steals through the first three games.

With his experience in Ann Arbor, look for Frankie Collins to share some knowledge with his teammates about what to expect and have a big game Friday.

Fix the Little Things

Noah Reynolds shoots a runner for TCU against Florida A&M on November 4, 2024. / Brian McLean | On Assignment Photo

TCU is 3-0, but the last two games were probably closer than the Frogs would have liked.

This is mainly due to self-inflicted issues like missed free throws or turnovers.

One alarming stat is that TCU is shooting 56.5% from the free throw line through three games, ranking 337 of 364 teams in the nation.

Mistakes like this will be extremely difficult to overcome against a team as talented as Michigan, so if the Frogs want to get the win, they need to minimize their own shortcomings.

TCU won their last two road non-conference games, at Hawaii and at Georgetown last season.

So, the Frogs have done this before and will look to make a statement Friday.

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