TCU News: Basketball An 8 Seed?

Football:

Analytics site says TCU’s Kenny Hill led nation in dropped balls | The Star-Telegram

According to Pro Football Focus, TCU receivers dropped 38 balls in 2016. It will be an open competition come fall camp.

“We threw too many interceptions,” TCU coach Gary Patterson said last week at his National Signing Day press conference, referring to the quarterback group as a whole. “We all know that. And we were last in the NCAA in drops. So if we want to get better, we’ve got to do a better job of catching it and we’ve got to do a better job of throwing it to us. There’s no secret of the things we’ve got to get better at.”

TCU smartly goes the Saban route in tabbing Dykes as an analyst | 247 Sports

While he’s not likely to stay in Fort Worth for long, getting Sonny Dykes to sign on as a consultant is an absolutely coup for Gary Patterson and the Frogs.

TCU lost co-offensive coordinator Doug Meacham to Kansas this offseason, leaving Cumbie to run the Horned Frogs offense on his own. Cumbie has been long thought ready for that role, but bringing in someone like Dykes as a guide only assists in that transition.

This type of hire is also rather en vogue in the Power Five, at the moment.

Alabama is the most notable example. No staff is larger or more expensive than Saban’s. Last year, he had Sarkisian and Mike Locksley, both former FBS head coaches, serve as offensive analysts.

These staffers are essentially additional coaching manpower – you can read a general listing of their responsibilities here, thanks to a Michigan application – and are a boon to programs that can afford the extra help on the payroll.

Basketball:

TCU women shake off poor start, then shake off Texas Tech | The Star-Telegram

After a slow start, the Lady Frogs find themselves in fifth place in the Big 12, which puts them squarely on the NCAA Tournament bubble. The mini-run has started on the defensive end.

“Toree’s contribution is a lot lately because she’s diversified her role for us,” TCU coach Raegan Pebley said. “We’ve counted on her to guard some of the better players in the league these last five, six games, and being a more dependable defender has breathed life into our offense as a whole.”

TCU projected as No. 8 seed in NCAA Tournament field | The Star-Telegram

Is this real life?

Frogs will have a chance to continue to make a statement with games at Baylor and against Oklahoma State over the course of the next week.

A lot can happen between now and Selection Sunday in the college basketball world.

But if the NCAA Tournament bracket was released today, TCU would be a part of it based on projections released Wednesday by USA Today. The publication projects the Horned Frogs (17-7, 6-5 in Big 12) as the No. 8 seed in the West Region, with a March Madness matchup against No. 9 seed Minnesota (16-7, 4-6) in San Jose, Calif.

It's Time to Start Talking About TCU Basketball | Hero Sports

There are holes in the roster in year one of the Jamie Dixon era, but the pieces are there to earn an at-large bid.

Like all mid-level at-large contenders, TCU has their share of weaknesses. They shoot 34 percent from three, 69 percent from the line and have an average turnover margin (plus-0.5), among other things. However, they do have great depth (eight players averaging 13 or more minutes), block nearly five shots per game and record assists on 63 percent of their made field goals.