TCU Basketball Home Opener Revealed

It was revealed this week that TCU will open the 2015-2016 season against the Southeastern Louisiana Lions on Friday, November 13 in Fort Worth. The tipoff time and television information have yet to be released. While it is expected that the contest will take place inside the newly renovated, $72-million Daniel-Meyer Coliseum, contingency plans are believed to be in place for a short return to the Wilkerson-Greines Activity Center, in the event that the DMC is not yet finished. Earlier this summer, Trent Johnson alluded to potential construction delays caused by the weather.

In addition to the home opener against Southeastern Louisiana, Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports is reporting that the Frogs will begin a home-and-home series with the Washington Huskies this year. TCU will travel to Seattle on December 8, then Washington will visit Fort Worth during the 2016-2017 season.

TCU will also compete in the Cancun Challenge this year, beginning with a November 19th home game against the Houston Baptist Huskies. Following that contest, the Frogs will travel to Cancun, Mexico to face Rhode Island on November 24. The next evening, TCU will face either Illinois State or Maryland. The Cancun Challenge will be broadcast on the CBS Sports Network.

After the Frogs' trip to Mexico, the team will return home to host SMU on December 2. TCU will also host Tennessee on January 30 as part of the Big 12/SEC Challenge. The contest, which will likely be the first return trip to the Lone Star State for former Texas and current Tennessee Head Coach Rick Barnes, will be televised nationally on either ESPN, ESPN2, or ESPNU. The Frogs will also host Prairie View A&M at some point during the non-conference season. TCU knocked off Prairie View A&M 71-54 to open the 2014-2015 season.

TCU appears to be upgrading its non-conference slate after missing the cut for the NIT last season. Both Maryland and SMU played in the NCAA Tournament last year, while Illinois State and Rhode Island appeared in the NIT. The Frogs started the season 13-0 in 2014, thanks in part to a weak non-conference slate. TCU's non-conference opponents finished the season with a combined record of 157-255. Only Mississippi, who lost in the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament, and Radford, who lost in the Quarterfinals of the College Basketball Invitational, finished their seasons with winning records.

The full TCU non-conference schedule is expected to be released in the coming weeks. Frog fans can expect four or five more games to be added to the list above. It is likely that at least one more future contest will be against an opponent from the Southwestern Athletic Conference, as the Frogs have hosted at least two SWAC foes in each of the last five seasons.

The Big 12 Conference schedule is expected to be released next week. Stay tuned as the 2015-2016 TCU Basketball schedule continues to take shape.