Big 12 Basketball: Ranking all 16 programs after adding Arizona, ASU, Colorado and Utah

7. TCU

When TCU joined the Big 12 in 2012 it was clearly a football move. It paid off, as the Horned Frogs played in the CFP National Championship game this past January, but it was a bit of a head scratcher on the basketball side. In fact, the Horned Frogs were just 8-64 in conference play in their first four seasons in the Big 12.

Hiring alum Jamie Dixon changed things for this program and he’s a major reason for both their success and bright future. Dixon has recruited better and built success at TCU. The Horned Frogs were already in the NCAA Tournament in his second season, making their first trip to the Big Dance in thirty years. They’ve also been selected for each of the last two Tournaments, with this most recent season being their first to end the season in the AP Top 25 since 1998 when they were in the WAC.

It’s more than just bringing great recruits and transfers to Fort Worth, Dixon understands this program and he’s almost entirely the reason they have this bright future. He was a major winner as head coach at Pittsburgh and has had comparable success at his alma mater. The only issue is that TCU has yet to finish above .500 in conference play, winning a decent amount of Big 12 games but never exactly establishing themselves as a potential champion.

The Big 12 is a deeper league than it was a few years ago, but it’s also got several programs just like TCU in it. Based on their recent results, Dixon and the Horned Frogs provide a more attractive landing spot than programs like Utah or BYU. The biggest question here is how long this success can continue in a future after Dixon’s departure from the program.