The TCU Horned Frogs men's basketball team represents Texas Christian University, located in Fort Worth, Texas, in NCAA Division I men's basketball competition. Since 2016,[3] the Horned Frogs have been led by TCU Lettermen's Hall of Fame member,[4] head coach Jamie Dixon.[5] TCU has competed in the Big 12 Conference since 2012, and previously competed in the Mountain West Conference (2005β2012), Conference USA (2001β2005), Western Athletic Conference (1996β2001) and Southwest Conference (1923β1996). The Horned Frogs play their home games on campus at Ed & Rae Schollmaier Arena, formerly known as DanielβMeyer Coliseum, which reopened in December 2015 after a $72 million renovation.[6]
History
Early years
The Horned Frogs began varsity intercollegiate competition in men's basketball in 1908, when the university was located in Waco, Texas.[7] In their first recorded game, the Frogs faced then-cross-town rival Baylor in a 6β37 loss; the Frogs notched their first recorded program win that same season versus the Waco YMCA.[7] TCU moved its campus from Waco to Fort Worth, Texas, after a fire destroyed the central Texas' school's main building in 1910. TCU competed as an independent and as part of the Texas Intercollegiate Athletic Association until joining Southwest Conference competition for the 1923β24 season, where the Frogs won their first-ever SWC game in a January 9, 1924, game at Rice University.[7] During the early, independent and TIAA years, TCU was led by at least six different coaches from 1908 through 1923, and played five or fewer games or did not field teams in 7 of those 15 seasons.[7]
1920sβ1970s Southwest Conference era
The Horned Frogs were led into the Southwest Conference in 1923 by a new basketball and football coach, Fort Worth native Matty Bell. Bell transformed the program, accruing a 71β41 (49β30 SWC) record over his six seasons at TCU and leading the Horned Frogs to second, third and fourth-place finishes during his tenure.[7] Bell was succeeded by Francis Schmidt, who left the Arkansas Razorbacks to coach TCU basketball and football. On the gridiron, Schmidt led the Frogs to their first SWC title and the gridiron in 1932, and on the hardwood, Schmidt led the Frogs to a combined 72β24 (41β19 SWC) record over five seasons and Southwest Conference championships in 1931 and 1934.[7] The 1931 SWC championship was the Frogs' first league title in men's basketball. Schmidt departed Fort Worth after five seasons to become the head football coach at Ohio State.
Coach Schmidt's departure after the 1934 SWC championship season was followed by a 16-year drought for TCU basketball. TCU football coach Dutch Meyer fared far better leading the Frogs' football team, where he claimed two national championships, in 1935 and 1938, and three SWC football titles over his 19-year football-coaching tenure, than he did in his three seasons at the helm of TCU basketball. Meyer's basketball record from 1934 through 1937 totaled on 10β37 (5β31 SWC).[7] Meyer was replaced by former TCU basketball and football player Mike Brumbelow, who had two SWC wins over the following four seasons, with an overall record of 22β64 (2β46 SWC). Brumbelow was quickly replaced by Hub McQuillan, who led the Frogs to middle-of-the-league finishes in the first 5 of his 7 years as head coach of TCU basketball.[7]
Buster Brannon, a former TCU player under Francis Scmidt, led Horned Frogs basketball for nearly two decades, from 1948 through 1967. Brannon amassed a 205β259 (104β144 SWC) record over 19 seasons and led the Frogs to four Southwest Conference championships in 1951, 1952, 1953 and 1959, and the program's first three NCAA tournament appearances in 1952, 1953 and 1959.[7] Brannon's recorded faded in the 1960s, when the Frogs finished near the bottom of the league almost every year until Brannon's retirement from coaching in 1967. The Brannon era saw the opening of DanielβMeyer Coliseum (now Schollmaier Arena) in 1961.[7] Johnny Swaim, a former player for Brannon, coached the Frogs from 1967 through 1977. Swaim led the Frogs to Southwest Conference titles and the NCAA tournament in 1967, his first season at the helm, and in 1971.[7] The Frogs' 1967 NCAA tournament appearance saw the Frogs' first-ever tournament win and the program's only appearance in what is now known as the Elite Eight.[7] Swaim abruptly retired from coaching after the 1977 season, remaining in Fort Worth as a businessman until his death in 1995. After Swaim's retirement, Tim Somerville led the Frogs for the following two seasons, notching only a 10β43 (3β29 SWC) record.[7]
Jamie Dixon era
On March 21, 2016, TCU hired Pitt head coach and former Horned Frogs' letterman Jamie Dixon as the Frogs' next head basketball coach.[8] Prior to his return to Fort Worth as the 22nd head coach of TCU basketball, Dixon spent 13 years as the head coach at Pitt, won four national coach of the year awards, and ranked as the 9th winningest, active Division I head coach.[7] Dixon's impact at TCU was immediate, where in his first season he landed Jaylen Fisher, the highest-rated recruit in TCU history, led the Frogs to their best conference record and finish, best overall record, and first postseason tournament since joining the Big 12 in 2012, and knocked off the No. 1 ranked Kansas Jayhawks in the 2017 Big 12 Tournament in Kansas Cityβmarking the program's first-ever win over a #1 ranked team. The Horned Frogs won the 2017 NIT Championship on March 30, to cap off Dixon's first season with a 24β15 record. The Horned Frogs qualified as an at-large bid for the 2018 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, snapping a 20-year drought.
TCU made the NCAA tournament in 2022. They defeated Seton Hall 69β42 in the first round winning an NCAA tournament game for the first time in 35 years.
Season-by-season results
TCU Horned Frogs Basketball Season by Season Results[7] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1900β1909
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1910β1919
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1920β1929
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1930β1939
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1940β1949
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1950β1959
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1960β1969
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1970β1979
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1980β1989
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1990β1999
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2000β2009
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2010β2019
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2020βpresent
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Legend:
|
Postseason
NCAA tournament
The Horned Frogs have appeared in 11 NCAA tournaments. Their combined record is 7β11.
The NCAA began seeding the tournament with the 1978 edition.
Year | Seed | Round | Opponent | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
1952 | Sweet Sixteen Regional 3rd-place game |
Kansas New Mexico State |
L 64β68 W 61β44 | |
1953 | Sweet Sixteen Regional 3rd-place game |
Oklahoma A&M Oklahoma City |
L 54β71 W 58β56 | |
1959 | Sweet Sixteen Regional 3rd-place game |
Cincinnati DePaul |
L 73β77 W 71β65 | |
1968 | Sweet Sixteen Elite Eight |
Kansas State Houston |
W 77β72 L 68β103 | |
1971 | First round | Notre Dame | L 94β102 | |
1987 | No. 4 | First round Second round |
No. 13 Marshall No. 5 Notre Dame |
W 76β60 L 57β58 |
1998 | No. 5 | First round | No. 12 Florida State | L 87β96 |
2018 | No. 6 | First round | No. 11 Syracuse | L 52β57 |
2022 | No. 9 | First round Second round |
No. 8 Seton Hall No. 1 Arizona |
W 69β42 L 80β85 OT |
2023 | No. 6 | First round Second round |
No. 11 Arizona State No. 3 Gonzaga |
W 72β70 L 81β84 |
2024 | No. 9 | First round | No. 8 Utah State | L 72β88 |
NIT
The Horned Frogs have appeared in eight National Invitation Tournaments (NIT). Their combined record is 17β7. They were NIT champions in 2017.
Year | Round | Opponent | Result |
---|---|---|---|
1983 | First round Second round Quarterfinals |
Tulsa Arizona State Nebraska |
W 64β62 W 78β76 L 57β67 |
1986 | First round Second round |
Montana Florida |
W 76β69 L 75β77 |
1992 | First round Second round |
Long Beach State Purdue |
W 73β61 L 51β67 |
1997 | First round Second round |
UAB Notre Dame |
W 85β62 L 72β82 |
1999 | First round Second round Quarterfinals |
Kansas State Nebraska Oregon |
W 72β71 W 101β89 L 68β77 |
2005 | First round Second round Quarterfinals |
Miami (OH) Western Michigan Maryland |
W 60β58 W 78β68 L 73β85 |
2017 | First round Second round Quarterfinals Semifinals Championship |
Fresno State Iowa Richmond UCF Georgia Tech |
W 66β59 W 94β92OT W 86β68 W 68β53 W 88β56 |
2019 | First round Second round Quarterfinals Semifinals |
Sam Houston State Nebraska Creighton Texas |
W 80β76 W 88β72 W 71β58 L 44β58 |
CBI
The Horned Frogs have appeared in one College Basketball Invitational (CBI). Their record is 1β1.
Year | Round | Opponent | Result |
---|---|---|---|
2012 | First round Quarterfinals |
Milwaukee Oregon State |
W 83β73 L 81β101 |
Retired numbers
TCU has retired five numbers.
TCU Horned Frogs retired jerseys | |||||
No. | Player | Pos. | Career | Ref. | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
24 | Darrell Browder | G | 1979β1983 | [9] | |
28 | Dick O'Neal | PF | 1954β1957 | [9] | |
34 | Kenrich Williams | SG/SF | 2014β2018 | [10] | |
40 | Kurt Thomas | PF | 1990β1995 | [9] | |
54 | James Cash Jr. [n1 1] | C | 1966β1969 | [9] |
- Notes
NBA/ABA players
- Desmond Bane
- Scott Brooks
- Goo Kennedy
- George McLeod
- Lee Nailon
- R.J. Nembhard
- Dennis Nutt
- Reggie Smith
- Kurt Thomas
- Gary Turner
- Kenrich Williams
References
- ^ "Quick Facts 2016β17 TCU Men's Basketball" (PDF). TCU Athletics. Retrieved March 20, 2017.
- ^ "Texas Christian University Logo Identity Standards". Retrieved June 1, 2017.
- ^ "Jamie Dixon leaves Pitt to become TCU's next head coach". Sports Illustrated. March 21, 2016. Retrieved March 20, 2017.
- ^ "TCU announces 2007 Lettermen's Hall of Fame class". June 20, 2007. Retrieved March 20, 2017.
- ^ "Why the opportunity to recruit in Texas drew Jamie Dixon back to TCU". DallasNews.com. 25 March 2016.
- ^ "Ed and Rae Schollmaier Arena". TCU Athletics. Retrieved March 20, 2017.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o "2016 TCU Basketball Fact Book". TCU Athletics. 26 October 2016. Retrieved March 20, 2017.
- ^ "Pitt's Jamie Dixon accepts job as TCU's next coach". CBS Sports. March 21, 2016.
- ^ a b c d "2019β20 TCU Horned Frogs media guide, page 153" (PDF). GoFrogs.com. Retrieved May 10, 2020.
- ^ "TCU to Retire Williams' Jersey". 10 January 2024.
- ^ TCU Honors James Cash β69 with Statue, Honorary Doctorate at TCU, November 11, 2022
Recent Comments