Our first Big 12 team of the Super Scintillation Selections. Day 9 and coming in at #22 are the TCU Horned Frogs. 18-9 overall record with a 7-7 conference record. To the naked eye both of these records are pretty average, but the Big 12 is stacked from top to bottom and this team has not been fully healthy for a while . Going .500 or better in Big 12 conference play will not only get you into the tournament, but it will earn you a decent seed as well. Right now the Horned Frogs are projected to be a 6 or 7 right now, but have plenty of chances to improve their seeding now that they are fully healthy.
TCU has played 27 games and all of their top three scorers have missed at least three games. Their best player, and Big 12 preseason POY, Mike Miles Junior has missed a total of eight games this year. Most recently, he was hurt in TCU’s five game stretch where they went 1-4 and dropped from top four in the Big 12 to now and sixth. Before Mike Miles got hurt, TCU was also #11 in the country, they now find themselves at #22 in the AP Poll. This team is scary when healthy, and that is exactly what they are now. Look no further than their game against Oklahoma State yesterday. They scored 100 points, won by 25, shot 68% from the floor, 53% from three, and had five scores in double digits.
This is a tough team to gather accurate information on because they have had so many games where they don't have all their guys, but they have them all now so I expect TCU to finish their regular season strong, and improve their ranking/status headed into the Big Dance.
So, why can TCU win the national championship?
Mike. Miles. JR. Yes, I have already talked about him a lot in this blog. But, this part is more of how he makes his whole team better when he plays. It's one thing to miss your superstar because they score a lot, it's a whole different story when the young man makes everyone around him better when he is on the floor. Just in conference play, without Miles, TCU is 1-4, averaging 67.4 ppg, shooting 47% from the floor, and 23% behind the arc. With MIles, TCU is 6-4 in the Big 12, averaging 78 ppg, shooting 49% from the floor, and 31% from behind the arc.
It takes everyone. There is no question that Mike Miles is the best player on this team, and was the missing piece when TCU was struggling these past couple weeks. But, this team has a lot of skill and coach Jamie Dixon knows it. They have eight players that contribute to this offense, and do an incredible job sharing the ball, getting it to the hot hand. The Horned Frogs are among the nations top teams at sharing the ball Averaging 16.7 assists per game, good enough for #11 in the country.
The perfect formula for this team is to have everyone healthy, and to play as one unit, sharing the ball and feeding the hot hand. All things that are happening for TCU right now.
What's holding the Horned Frogs back?
Perimeter play. #348 in threes made per game, #353 in three point percentage. There are #363 DI college basketball teams in the country. TCU is very close to being the worst three point shooting team in the country, and WILL be the worst three point shooting team in the tournament. THe good news here is they are also #331 in three point attempts, so they stray away from this weakness, but perimeter shooting is always a big part of March and for that not to be part of the game plan, will be in issue.
Injuries. Like I said before, this squad has seemed like they haven't been fully healthy all year long. Now, when they are healthy they can beat any team in the country. But, when they aren't healthy, they can lose to any team in the country. The injury bug has been biting this team all year, be sure to read up on the injury report for this team before you pick them to go on a run.
My Prediction: Sweet 16
Next Game: vs Kansas 2/20
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