NCAA Basketball: 5 teams with the most to prove in December of 2023-24
TCU Horned Frogs
Although TCU may stand at 6-0, it is necessary to take their record with a grain of salt given that their non-conference strength of schedule ranks dead last (by a wide margin) amongst college basketball, according to KenPom.
Wins over Southern, Omaha, UT Rio Grande Valley, Mississippi Valley State, Alcorn State and Houston Christian don’t prove much, but the Frogs have gotten breakout play for JaKobe Coles, who leads the Frogs with 15.5 PPG and have seen a scoring uptick from senior Micah Peavy (13.2 PPG) as well.
It’s hard to get a full understanding of this TCU squad given the lack of competition, but it is clear that Dixon has talent and depth at his disposal to work with this season.
What I really like about this year's TCU squad is their depth.
— Cole Amundson (@playformarch) November 15, 2023
Dixon can realistically go 9-10 deep with starter-caliber players like Avery Anderson and Chuck O'Bannon Jr. coming off the bench (as of now).
In addition, JaKobe Coles has looked the part of a breakout year.
With December fully in the picture, the Frogs will have a far more challenging slate. The Horned Frogs will not play a single game on their home floor this month with a road game at Georgetown, two neutral site games against Clemson and Arizona State followed by a trip to Honolulu for the Diamond Head Classic.
It’s a crucial month for TCU to not only improve their strength-of-schedule metrics but to grab quality wins to add to their NCAA Tournament resume. Jamie Dixon has assembled a talented roster — a roster that I myself like on paper — but they first have to prove they can beat quality teams before they gather national attention.