NCAA Basketball: Gonzaga, Houston lead in updated way-too-early top 25 ranking
By Joey Loose
13. TCU
Last year, TCU nearly upset top-seeded Arizona in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. This Horned Frogs team did finish the season under .500 in Big 12 play, but were playing some of their best basketball when it mattered most. With most of this roster returning for next season, there’s plenty of optimism that coach Jamie Dixon is going to lead the Horned Frogs to one of the program’s best years.
After averaging 15.4 points per game and leading this unit, Mike Miles is returning for another year at TCU. Miles has the potential to be one of the best players in the Big 12 and will be joined by talented guards in Emanuel Miller and Damion Baugh. The Horned Frogs will also add Rondel Walker, a former Oklahoma State guard who provides important depth, and will depend more on center Eddie Lampkin, hoping the talented young big takes a big step forward in his sophomore season.
Let’s be clear here, TCU may have high expectations this season, but the Big 12 is still an extremely difficult and talented conference. There’s a very high possibility that the Horned Frogs could lose a string of conference games and be seen as a disappointment, much like Iowa State this past season. We know how that story ended, with the Cyclones in the Sweet Sixteen. If things come together for the Horned Frogs, don’t be surprised to see them contending for this conference title.