For the first time in two decades, the TCU Horned Frogs are a part of March Madness. The decision to give Jamie Dixon big money to lure him away from Pittsburgh has paid off big dividends as he has completely overhauled the program in just two seasons. TCU has gone from Big 12 bottom feeder, to a contender in the conference in a very short amount of time. Dixon deserves much of the credit for that.
The Horned Frogs are now looking to win their first NCAA Tournament game in over three decades, and they will be favored to do so. TCU will face the winner of the First Four game between Arizona State and Syracuse.
This war on the floor will go down Friday, March 16, 2018, at 9:40 p.m. ET at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Michigan. The game will be televised live on CBS. We'll have NCAA basketball odds at BookMaker.eu available for this and every game throughout March Madness.
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TCU is definitely going to be favored coming into this one, the question is by how much. A No. 6 seed is typically between a four- and a six-point favorite according to the CBB betting odds.
Although the conventional wisdom is that the No. 6 seed has a leg up playing a First Four team, that hasn’t been the case over the last three tournaments. One of the No. 11 seeds that won a First Four game went on to knock off a No. 6 in each of the last three years. All three lost in the Round of 32, but getting to that point is impressive.
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Dixon has adapted his style to fit the Big 12. His team is not playing the stodgy defensive basketball that defined his time at Pittsburgh, but instead relies on its offense to take over games.
According to Ken Pomeroy, TCU has the eighth-best offense in the country. All seven of the Horned Frogs’ main rotation players are hitting at least 45 percent from the floor, and that makes it hard for defenses to lock down on any one player. The team no longer has Jaylen Fisher, but others have stepped up in his place. Five TCU players are averaging double-digits.
Potential Matchup to Watch
If TCU ends up playing Arizona State, the scoreboard operator is in for a busy night. Arizona State plays at a fast pace and likes to put up a lot of shots, and TCU likely will try to play that style. That’s the style that many teams play in the Big 12, and the Horned Frogs haven’t shied away from it all season.
It will be a completely different type of game if Syracuse knocks off Arizona State. The Orange rely on the 2-3 zone and a strong defense to win games, and they won’t want to play at any sort of pace. Syracuse has one of the worst offenses of any of the teams that made the tournament and won’t push its luck.
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Either way, I like to TCU to win and advance, but I think Arizona State will give the team more of a test. The Sun Devils can get hot and the Horned Frogs haven’t been the best on defense this year, meaning the team would have to win in a shootout.
Conversely, Dixon knows exactly how to beat Syracuse’s defense. He compiled a 15-6 record against Jim Boeheim during his time at Pittsburgh, and his teams were always much better at getting off good shots then other quality ACC opponents.
If Syracuse ends up winning, TCU will be one of the top plays of the opening weekend. Keep that in mind and root for Syracuse to pull off the upset against Arizona State.
NCAAB Basketball Betting Odds: TCU to advance
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