NCAA Basketball: 10 sleeper teams to watch heading into 2023-24 season

TCU Horned Frogs

Jamie Dixon has quietly assembled a highly accomplished coaching resume throughout his years at Pittsburgh and TCU. Although his Frogs haven’t necessarily been a dominant force in the Big 12, they have certainly been a competitive force throughout the Dixon era, yielding three NCAA Tournament appearances — including their first NCAA Tournament win since 1987 in 2022 — five 20+ win seasons and two consecutive Round of 32 appearances in 2022 and 2023.

In 2024? Expect the Horned Frogs to make their fourth NCAA Tournament appearance.

Although TCU loses two All-Conference starters in Mike Miles and Damion Baugh alongside the ultimate high-energy big man Eddie Lampkin to Colorado, they retain a healthy core of last year’s squad in Emmanuel Miller, Chuck O’Bannon, JaKobe Coles, Micah Peavy and Xavier Cork.

Replacing the role of Mike Miles is the high-scoring George Washington/Delaware transfer Jameer Nelson Jr., who averaged an impressive 20.6 PPG, per Sports Reference. Nelson Jr. can be one of the Big 12’s most talented and critical transfer portal pieces.

In addition, Dixon was also able to expand guard depth with Oklahoma State transfer Avery Anderson III and Texas A&M Corpus Christi transfer Trevian Tennyson. This gets Dixon three/four-deep at the guard spot which will be crucial if all can stay healthy.

One potential breakout player could be lying at the center spot in Kansas transfer Ernest Udeh. The former McDonald’s All-American did not play a major role for Bill Self last year, only mustering 8.3 MPG on 2.6 PPG. With a likely possibility of having an expanded role alongside JaKobe Coles, Udeh’s rim-to-rim running and lob-catching talents will be a treat to watch in Fort Worth.

Don’t expect the TCU Horned Frogs to take any step back this year. Although the Big 12 will (yet again) be immensely talented, TCU stacks right there amidst other NCAA Tournament-caliber teams.