One player. Out of the 17 players on the Texas Christian University men’s basketball team for the upcoming season, that’s how many suited up for the Horned Frogs last season. While there’s four other players from the 2023-24 roster, none saw the court. This one figure is vital to understanding the potential outcome for this team. The range of outcomes for this group is extremely volatile. So volatile that a blind dart throw to determine its final standing might be more accurate and use less energy than research and analysis. However, here we are anyway, so let’s jump right into the pieces of TCU.
Jamie Dixon is entering his ninth season as the head coach, and what he has been able to do so far has been impressive. He has amassed a record of 160-110. He is now looking to lead the team to its third straight season appearing in the AP top 25 poll. If he accomplishes this, it would be for the first time in school history. Dixon also hopes to lead this bunch back to the NCAA tournament for the fourth straight year. This would also be a first for TCU. Sustaining this success won’t be easy though, as the aforementioned loss of all but one player from last year’s team looms large. Fortunately, the program brought in a lot of talent. They have the 18th best freshman recruiting class in the nation and 28th best transfer class according to 247 Sports. These classes added10 new players in total, along with two walk-ons.
The transfers will make or break how this season, as four of their five starters are coming from other schools. Two key pieces off the bench are transfers as well. Jamie Dixon and his staff did an excellent job bringing in a wide range of talent that can accomplish a lot on a basketball court. They prioritized what all teams that want to go deep into March Madness need. They went out and got experience, especially in the backcourt.
They did this through acquiring senior guards Frankie Collins and Noah Reynolds who will play point guard and shooting guard, respectively. Collins has power 5 (now 4, sorry Pac-12 fans) experience playing for Arizona State last year. He is projected to be the primary ball handler but is also capable of scoring, averaging 13.5 points a game last season. He will also spearhead the defensive attack after averaging 2.6 steals a game last year, the most in the Pac-12 conference. Collins and the lone returning player, center Ernest Udeh Jr., figure to be the two most important defensive players. They will look to give the team a strong defensive presence. Noah Reynolds will compliment Collins in the backcourt slashing for shots at the rim. He can also distribute the ball as evidenced by his 4.5 assists a game last year. This will be another key ingredient to a deep tournament run.
Senior small forward Brendan Wenzel and senior power forward Trazerian White also figure to play key roles as efficient three-point shooters. Wenzel shot almost 38 percent from beyond the arc last year at Wyoming and White shot 39 percent at UNC Wilmington. White, a prized acquisition in the transfer portal too, averaged 19.8 points a game last year and figures to be a main source of offense for the Frogs. The last key piece to look out for on this team is Sophomore guard Vasean Allette. The explosive shooter from Old Dominion averaged 17.4 points a game last year and figures to be one of the primary sources of offense off the bench. With his quick first step and ability to get downhill to the rim, he’ll do a lot of damage against other team’s backup units.
When it comes to projecting how these intriguing pieces will gel on a basketball court, your guess is as good as mine. There’s a world where chemistry is an issue with 16 new players on the team, and it’s tough for them to string together wins in the ferocious Big 12. The conference looks to be, yet again, the strongest conference in Division 1. But there’s a path to success for this team if they can use the early season schedule to gel and work out the kinks before jumping into Big 12 conference play.
As I stated before, I think Jamie Dixon did a fantastic job in the transfer portal and brought in most of the elements a team needs for a successful season. However, defense was a problem for the team last year and I’m not sure where that defensive production will come from with this roster. This could be the aspect of the team that holds them back from the top of the conference. I believe they will thrive in non-conference play and they will lean on their experience. This should be enough to lead them into the tournament. If the Frogs are able to find themselves in the NCAA tournament again this would be considered another successful season for Jamie Dixon and the TCU Men’s basketball program. While there isn’t as much buzz surrounding this squad as last year, there is potential for them to perform just as well as last year’s group, if not better.
My final projection
Big 12 play: 10-10 record, 8th in the conference
Tournament outcome: Last 4 in. Win first 4 game, first round exit in the round of 64.
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