The TCU Horned Frogs and their Surprising 13-0 start

Don’t look now, but the TCU Horned Frogs are off to a surprising 13-0 start to their 2014-15 season after beating Tennessee State last night. The same team that managed to put up a big ol’ goose egg in their conference wins column last season – going 0-18 in Big 12 play – is surging early under 3rd year head coach Trent Johnson. As Kansas, Texas and Iowa State will inevitably hog all the Big 12 headlines this season, let’s take a brief look at how TCU is the only undefeated Big 12 team at this early juncture in the season.

First and foremost, I boldly picked TCU to finish dead last in the Big 12 before the season started, and I have to admit that the Horned Frogs might be serving me a nice, hearty plate of crow come March. As well, the fact that TCU has won all of their games thus far might not mean much to some, as conference play has yet to start and early season schedules are usually full of a fair amount of so-called easier, “cupcake” teams. TCU has played their fair share of these perceived “easy wins,” but plenty of other schools have struggled with an easier schedule than TCU’s. That they have yet to have a slip up this early in the season says a lot about the Horned Frogs, more specifically their head coach Trent Jonhson.

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In just his third season with TCU, Johnson has lead the Horned Frogs out of the perennial Big 12 cellar. A lot of that has to do with TCU’s defense on the season thus far. The Horned Frogs allow a mere 53.2 points per game, good enough for 6th in the country at the moment. That’s a nearly 20 point improvement from last season’s 72.5 points allowed per game. Yes, it’s still early in the season and TCU has defeated such teams as Prairie View, Mississippi Valley State and Furman, but those defensive numbers are plenty enough to give TCU fans hope that 2014-15 will not be repeat of last season.

TCU has played three teams from Power 5 conferences this season – Washington State, Mississippi State and Ole Miss. Their average margin of victory in those three games is 12.6 points, so not only are they beating their best competition, but they are beating them handily. TCU is averaging a solid 75.2 points per game, good enough for 48th in the country right now. Their closest game was a 57-49 victory over Bradley back on Nov. 28th, and that game shows that while TCU might struggle offensively at times, their defense has helped them win close games.

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TCU is one of seven remaining undefeated teams in Division I. To put into perspective just what TCU has accomplished already this season, let’s look at how they ended their 2013-14 season. The Horned Frogs finished 0-18 in Big 12 conference play and lost their first round Big 12 conference tournament game to Baylor. That means over their last 32 games, TCU is 13-19, including the unique situation of having a 19-game losing streak combined with a 13-game winning streak. Only a team like TCU, given how they finished last season, could accomplish something so bizarre at this point in the season.

TCU got the benefit of the doubt last week from the AP voters, earning them enough points to hold down the no. 25 spot, if not for just one week. Yet that brief appearance in the AP poll should be a point of pride for Trent Johnson and company as they head into Big 12 play. The Horned Frogs host West Virginia at home this Saturday Jan. 3. Home, it should be noted, is the nearby Wilkerson-Greines Activity Center as work is being done on the beloved Daniel-Meyer Coliseum, known to most as simply “DMC.” Not matter the venue, this Saturday’s game will prove if this undefeated Horned Frogs team is ready to play with the big boys in the Big 12 or if they are doomed for yet another lackluster conference effort.

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