TCU Horned Frogs @ Kansas Jayhawks Gamethread: NCAA Tournament Bid On The Line

TCU takes on Kansas tonight with their NCAA Tournament hopes hanging by a thread. The Frogs, as high as an 8-seed in Bracketology projections just last week, now sits as one of the Last Four In, meaning they're right on the bubble.

TCU is 0-5 all-time at Allen Fieldhouse, making tonight's game a tall task, but a win on the road at Kansas would undoubtedly shore up their tournament hopes, almost regardless of what happens the final three games.

As Chris noted in his preview, TCU was outmatched in the paint the first time around with Kansas this season, so look for the Frogs to utilize Shepherd and Washburn more to try and counteract that. Beyond that, here are a few more things TCU fans can look for in tonight's game from Chris' preview.

Three Things to Watch:

1 - Stopping Limiting Frank Mason

Frank Mason has been nothing short of spectacular for Kansas in his senior season and he is the main reason so many people believe this year’s Jayhawks have a legitimate chance of winning it all this season. He is averaging a team-leading 20.3 points per game and has scored in double-digits in every game but one. He has also had 4 or more assist in all but six games. While it’ll be difficult for the Frogs to stop Mason completely, if they can limit him to about 15 points and 5 assists, they could have a chance to win. Kansas has a very deep team, but TCU needs to put pressure on others besides Mason to step up.

2 - Being Ready for the Phog

Phog Allen Fieldhouse is a special place. Regardless of who the Jayhawks are playing, the fans there show up and are loud from start to finish. There is a good reason that Kansas has one of the best home court advantages and was able to win 50+ straight games at home: the fans. Tonight’s game carries even more significance as they can clinch their 13th-straight Big 12 regular season title. This year’s Frogs have not played in any environment like Allen Fieldhouse, so it’ll be interesting to see how they respond.

3 - Controlling the Paint

One area that TCU got bullied by Kansas was the paint, especially on the defensive end. The Frogs easily could have won that game if they had kept the Jayhawks off the offensive glass a little better and limited their second chance opportunities. Kansas had 14 offensive rebounds, 7 of which were pulled down by Landen Lucas, which he then turned into easy put backs. I expect to see Dixon play Karviar Shepherd and Chris Washburn more this time around in order to compete with the Jayhawks’ physicality.