TCU Basketball: Horned Frogs opens up tournament play against Syracuse
TCU plays their first game of the NCAA Tournament on Friday. What can be expected of them in their first round match-up?
TCU is six seed in this year’s NCAA Tournament. Playing in the Midwest Region, the Horned Frogs are making their eighth appearance in the Tournament and their first since 1998. They are coached by Jamie Dixon who is in his second season with TCU. What should you know as they approach their first game against Syracuse?
How They Got Here
TCU made the tournament as an at-large team going 21-11 on the season and finishing fifth in the Big XII. In the Big XII tournament, the Horned Frogs as the fifth seed lost their opening game to Kansas State 66-64.
Top Players
Kenrich Williams. Williams was the Horned Frogs leading rebounder with 9.3 per contest. He was also the teams second leading scorer and third in assists. Williams was named to the ALL-Big XII second team.
Vladimir Brodziansky. Brodziansky was named the to the ALL-Big XII third team this season. He was TCU’s leading scorer with 15.2 per game. He additionally was second on the team in rebounding.
Alex Robinson. Robinson was the Horned Frogs top assist man. The Junior, who started his career at Texas A&M, finished with 6.1 assists per game. However, as good as he was at dishing, he was just as good at turnovers, leading the team with 3.3 per contest.
Biggest Question
How Far can the Horned Frogs go without Jaylen Fisher?
Fisher, who was averaging 15 points and five assists, was injured in the team’s overtime loss at Oklahoma on January 13th. At the time the Horned Frogs were 13-4 overall and a top 25 squad.
After his injury, TCU finished the season 8-6 and limped into the tournament, though they did win five straight before the tourney loss to the Wildcats.
If the Horned Frogs can find ways to win, they may have a chance to get to the sweet sixteen for just the fifth time in school history (and the first time since 1968). If not they could be looking at an early upset and a lot of what if’s.
Next: Top 100 impact players of the 2018 NCAA Tournament
Prediction
TCU 83, Syracuse 79. The Horned Frogs break through the vaunted Syracuse zone and send the Orange back home after inexplicably sneaking in the tourney this season.