TCU Men's Basketball: Frogs Look to Go Far in Big 12 Tournament

The Horned Frogs are dreaming of going dancing next week; a win against Texas on Thursday can make those dreams come true.

© Scott Wachter-USA TODAY Sports

No. 5 seed TCU (19-11, 8-10) will begin the Phillips 66 Big 12 Men’s Basketball Championship on Thursday against No. 4 seed and No. 22 ranked Texas (21-10, 10-8) at T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Mo. at 11:30 a.m. on ESPN2.

Going into this game everyone knows that Texas took care of business twice against TCU. How can the Frogs overcome the inevitable . In this week's press conference, Mike Miles stated, "We know what we are going up against. Texas has one toughest defenses in the nation, So we have to stay true to us. They beat us twice, but we know how hard it is for a team to beat another team 3 times. Hopefully, we can get them this one time."

TCU has matched the 2018 team’s finish of fifth in the Big 12. That was the last time the Frogs made the NCAA Tournament. A win would give TCU its fourth 20-win season under Jamie Dixon and just its 15th in program history.

TCU has 16 or more wins for the fifth time under Jamie Dixon. TCU had 16 wins just three times in the 14 seasons prior to his arrival. TCU’s eight Big 12 wins are its second-most in program history. TCU was 9-9 in 2018. TCU is 6-7 in Quadrant 1 games this season. The six wins are tied for the 10th most nationally. It is the most by TCU since the NET was first used in 2018-19. TCU is 4-4 against AP Top 25 teams this season. TCU has four Top 25 wins in a season for the first time ever.

TCU is 3-1 this season and 20-9 under Dixon in neutral site games. Coach Dixon isn't worried about neutral site playing a factor. He is trying to figure out a way to beat this well seasoned veteran Texas team.   Texas leads 7-1 in neutral site games. The last neutral site meeting was at the NIT Semifinals in New York City. Texas won 58-44. That season, TCU swept the regular season series.

"They have a lot of experience, but I trust my team and I know we can come together," said Chuck O'Bannon at the press conference this week.

The experience on the Texas team is a concern for Dixon too. There are at least four players on the Texas team that are super seniors, while TCU is the youngest team in the league. TCU is just going to have to be more scrappier than Texas to sneak win over them.

Miles led TCU with 17 points in a 70-64 loss at West Virginia on Saturday at WVU Coliseum. The Frogs trailed most of the game but led by as many as six with just over six minutes to play. It was TCU’s seventh game in 14 days.

Texas has lost its last two games, to Baylor and at Kansas. Texas it the top defensive team in the conference, allowing just 59.5 points per game, which ranks seventh nationally.

An All-Big 12 Second Team selection, Miles is the only player that ranks in the top six in the Big 12 in scoring (fifth, 15.1) and assists (sixth, 4.0). He is one of five among Power 5 conference players that is averaging at least 15.0 points, 3.5 rebounds and 4.0 assists.

Eddie Lampkin Jr. has been one of the most improved players in the Big 12 and is averaging 6.3 points and 6.0 rebounds overall and even better in conference play at 6.9 points and 6.4 rebounds. His 2.8 offensive rebounds per game overall ranks second in the Big 12.

Francisco Farabello is shooting a team-best 38.5 percent from 3-point range and 41.8 percent from three in Big 12 games. He’s made at least one 3-pointer in six-straight games and in 12 of his last 13.

An All-Big 12 Honorable Mention selection, Damion Baugh leads eight newcomers with 10.6 points per game, which ranks second on the team. He ranks fifth in the Big 12 with 4.2 assists per game.

An All-Big 12 Honorable Mention selection, Emanuel Miller is averaging 10.5 points per game and a team-leading 6.2 rebounds per game, which ranks ninth in the Big 12.

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