TCU Horned Frogs Stats at Insiders Betting Digest

NCAAB – BIG 12

Arena: Schollmaier Arena
Coach: Jamie Dixon

TCU Horned Frogs

Team Leaders

TCU Horned Frogs Team Summary

Formally Texas Christian University, the Horned Frogs only recently joined the Big 12 conference in 2012. TCU’s program was a draw to the league for football with very little men’s basketball success. Though former player and current coach Jamie Dixon is tasked with changing the narrative, and has found success doing so.

Under his guidance, the Horned Frogs won the 2017 National Invitational Tournament (NIT) and earned a bid to the 2018 NCAA Tournament, the program’s eighth overall and first since 1998. They have as many NIT appearances with two semifinal appearances coming under Dixon in 2017 and 2019.

This year’s team is off to a solid 10-1 start ahead of conference play, giving the Horned Frogs hope for potential second NCAA Tournament appearance under Dixon. The latest bracketology has TCU as one of the first four teams out, according to ESPN’s Joe Lunardi, but a strong conference season could have them in. Either way, a coveted postseason appearance seems within reach.

TCU Horned Frogs Standings

TCU Horned Frogs Betting Trends

TCU Horned Frogs Team History

TCU has moved through more conferences than it has conference championships since it last one the Western Athletic Conference regular-season title in 1998. The Horned Frogs’ success in football has since moved them from the WAC to Conference USA (2001-05) to the Mountain West Conference (2005-12) before joining the Big 12.

The program totes a measly 1,261-1,432 record winning 46.8% of their games across 109 seasons. Though there were some successful periods, especially during the Great Depression era. From 1923-34 the Horned Frogs were 143-65 under a pair of head coaches and won their first two Southwestern Conference championships in 1931 and 1934. That success wasn’t sustained, not winning another conference title until adding four to their total in the 1950s alone. The Horned Frogs competed in the SWC from 1923 through 1996.

Key Stats

A 10-1 start is great for a TCU program looking to rebound under Dixon. The non-conference schedule hasn’t been easy, either, with wins over expected tournament team Oral Roberts, Texas A&M, Georgetown and Utah. The Horned Frogs have to turn the page to a tough Big 12 league, which has eight of its teams with double-digit wins already.

Mike Miles has been a do-it-all guard for TCU, leading the team in points (16.9) and assists (4.6) per game. Forward Emanuel Miller is the only other player in double figures, scoring 11.3 points per contest. Dixon likes to run his teams nine or 10 deep in the rotation, spreading minutes out.

TCU is the country’s best rebounding team, pulling in 41.5 per game. The Horned Frogs hang their hats on the defensive end, ranking 43rd in opponents’ points per game, giving up 61.7 per contest. On their end, they score 73.1 points per game – 137th nationally – but are one of the least efficient teams in field goal (234th) and 3-point percentage (281st).

This year’s squad is 5-4-2 against the spread and 5-5 on over/unders. Taking a national championship future flier would net a significant reward. Books have the Horned Frogs as low as +20,000 (PointsBet and Bet River) or as high as +100,000 Caesars. Easy to say they could win this March Madness.

Championships Won by the Team

While TCU hasn’t won a national championship, their NIT team laid the foundation for Jamie Dixon’s tenure. The six top players on that 2016-17 team were all underclassmen and featured a pair of future NBA players in Kenrich Williams and Desmond Bane. It also had Jaylen Fisher, the highest-rated recruit in program history.

Alongside those three, the team’s top three scorers were Vladimir Brodziansky (14.1) Williams (11.4) and Alex Robinson (11.2). Williams pulled in a team-best 9.7 rebounds per game and Brodziansky, at 6-foot-10, averaging 5.7 per. Robinson was best in assists at 5.8 per game with Fisher behind him at 4.0 per contest.

As a program, there are only 11 conference championships and 10 of those came in the Southwestern Conference (1931, 1934, 1951, 1952, 1953, 1959, 1968, 1971, 1986 and 1987) and then the one WA title.

Important Team Events

Hiring Jamie Dixon is an important development for the Horned Frogs. He is elevating the program to heights not seen since Billy Tubbs led the program 1994-2002. Dixon had three straight 20-win seasons to begin his TCU tenure and with 10 league wins this year his Frogs would hit that mark for the fourth time in six seasons. While it hasn’t translated into a Big 12 title, the Horned Frogs did win the NIT in 2017 and made the NCAA Tournament the following year.

Moving to the Big 12 helps the revenue stream of the athletic department, which should give the Horned Frogs more resources to sustain success.

Top Players

Kurt Thomas went on to have a lengthy NBA career and is the highest draft pick (10th overall) in program history. He elevated his game each year in college, averaging 20.7 points and 9.7 rebounds per game as a junior and then 28.9 points and 14.6 rebounds per game as a senior.

Recent success has led to Desmond Bane being selected in the first round – 30th overall in 2020 – and becoming the only other Horned Frog selected in the first round of the NBA Draft. He’s averaging 17.4 points per game for the Memphis Grizzlies this season.

Kenrich Williams is a rotational player for the Oklahoma City Thunder after being important in Jamie Dixon’s rebuild at TCU.

Scott Brooks played 13 NBA seasons as a reserve point guard and turned that into a professional coaching career, 12 seasons as a head coach compiling a 521-414 record between the Oklahoma City Thunder and Washington Wizards.

Top Coaches

Matty Bell jump-started the program in the roaring 20s compiling a 71-41 record before giving way to Francis Schmidt, who went 72-24 and won two SWC titles while also coaching the football program.

Buster Brannon has the most wins in program history and led the Horned Frogs to prominence in the 1950s with four SWC championships and three NCAA Tournament appearances. He was 204-259 all-time from 1948-67.

Billy Tubbs took over from 1994-2002 and led TCU to a 156-95 record. Dixon is 106-72 so far as the 2022 Horned Frogs enter Big 12 play.

Other coaches to win conference championships include Johnny Swaim and Jim Killingsworth. Swaim went 102-151 from 1967-77 with two SWC titles and NCAA Tournament appearances. Killingsworth was 130-106 with two SWC regular-season titles and a NCAA Tournament appearance.