TCU Men’s Tennis: NCAA Tournament Preview

TCU Men’s Tennis begins their 2022 NCAA Tournament journey tonight with a first-round matchup against the Drake Bulldogs.

The Frogs will be looking to add to their trophy case in this outdoor competition after winning the Division I Indoor Championship in February.

Aside from Drake (13-10), Ole Miss (16-12) and Utah (20-7) make up the rest of the Fort Worth Regional, hosted by the Horned Frogs at the Bayard H. Friedman Tennis Center.

The Frogs’ first matchup is set for this evening at 5 pm. The winner of Drake vs TCU will then move on to play the winner of Utah vs Ole Miss in the Regional Final on Saturday.

This is the seventh consecutive NCAA tournament appearance for the Horned Frogs and the 32nd appearance all time. Despite hosting a regional for the past three seasons, this is the first time in program history the Frogs earned a 1-seed.

“Getting the No. 1 seed, it’s really a reflection of all the hard work that these guys have put in this season,” said Head Coach David Roditi. “It shows that it’s been a great season. They did a great job in the indoor season, winning Indoor Nationals, and then taking care of business in the Big 12. So many teams could have been No. 1, it just means that results-wise, we did a really good job, but that’s all it means. Once we start playing, the seeds are all out the window.

Although navigating the tournament as a 1-seed will be a new experience for the Frogs, if history repeats itself, they’re in good shape. The Frogs have won the regional round in all six of their tournament appearances on this current streak.

Drake and potentially Utah (barring results) will give the Frogs a new look this weekend, but Ole Miss is a familiar foe. TCU beat the then-No. 15 Rebels 4-3 back in February, one of the Frogs’ 11 top-20 wins on the season.

The NCAA tournament is certainly a different beast, but the Frogs are in fantastic shape heading into game 1 tonight.

TCU posted a perfect 5-0 record through conference play this season, featuring wins over No. 3 Baylor and No. 12 Texas. Furthermore, the Frogs won their fifth Big 12 title of the past six seasons.

Not only do the Frogs have one of the best records (23-4) of the 64-team field, they’re also one of the most decorated squads.

From Roditi winning Big 12 coach of the year for the fourth time to Juan Carlos Aguilar becoming the first Horned Frog to ever take home the Newcomer of the Year award, the list goes on and on.

The top-ranked Horned Frog Tennis team will look to finish out one of the best seasons in program history in style. The Frogs’ tournament kicks off tonight at 5 pm. The game is being played at Bayard H. Friedman Tennis Center and will be live-streamed on the TennisONE app.