TCU’s Baylor Breakthrough Signals Bigger Possibilities

The Big 12 is one of, if not the most well-rounded conferences in all of college basketball. With historic power programs like Kansas and Arizona, as well as other formidable squads like Houston, BYU, Iowa State, Baylor, Texas Tech and so many others, navigating through the conference schedule unscathed is almost impossible.

That’s particularly true for a team such as TCU, which hasn’t historically been able to go pound-for-pound with the best of the best. After all, it just takes one glance at the Horned Frogs’ schedule to open conference play exudes why Harding’s sentiment surrounding starting out Big 12 competition on the right foot is so important.

On Jan. 6, TCU travels to Lawrence to play No. 17 Kansas in what’s always a tough environment. Then the No. 1 team in the land, the Arizona Wildcats, grace the floor of Schollmaier Arena on Jan. 10. After that, the Horned Frogs will travel out west to face No. 10 BYU, which is armed with future NBA talents like AJ Dybantsa, on Jan. 14 and Utah on Jan. 17. Other tough bouts on the schedule include a trip to Waco on Jan. 24, a battle with No. 8 Houston on Jan. 28, and games versus No. 3 Iowa State and No. 15 Texas Tech on Feb. 10 and March 3, respectively.

Can TCU Compete in the Big 12?

It’s safe to say that success won’t come easy for Jamie Dixon’s team, but if its performance against Baylor is any indication of how this season will go, then perhaps the Horned Frogs could be in line to shock the college basketball universe and go toe-to-toe with some of the beasts of the Big 12. After all, TCU performed quite well in nonconference competition, with the loss to New Orleans being the glaring exception.

So, while it’s definitely not a certainty that TCU will be a tournament team come season’s end, one can ascertain from the win versus the Bears that the Horned Frogs will be a team that will always be ready for the fight, despite what some might call impossible odds. And at the end of the day, that's all one can really ask for.

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