Game Thread: TCU vs. Gonzaga in NCAA Tournament Second-Round

The Horned Frogs are back in the Round of 32 after taking down 11-seed Arizona State in the First Round, thanks to a heroic floater from JaKobe Coles in the final seconds. TCU gets rewarded with a showdown with perhaps the most consistent top-level program in College Basketball as 3-seed Gonzaga Bulldogs made easy work of Grand Canyon in its opening contest. The Bulldogs have reached the Sweet 16 in seven consecutive seasons, a feat the Frogs have not done in the modern era of the NCAA Tournament, as TCU has never won multiple games in a single Tournament.

The Zags sport the nation’s best offense, #1 overall in adjusted offensive efficiency at KenPom, leading the nation in effective field goal percentage (58.5%) and 2-point field goal percentage (58.9%) while Top-10 in three-point percentage (38.5%). Mark Few’s squad is also elite at preventing turnovers, which will make life difficult for a TCU team leading the country in fast break scoring. Outside of fast break and interior scoring, the Frogs struggle to make shots, ranking 334th in 3FG% (30.8%) while also shooting a paltry 32.9% on mid-range shots.

The Zags are led by Richardson Pearce grad Drew Timme, the 6’10” three-time Consensus All-American Forward averages over 20 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 assists per game and has been one of the most dominant players in college basketball for what feels like an eternity. But it’s not all Timme, he’s joined by former McDonald’s All-American guards Nolan Hickman and Hunter Sallis and elite-level play from experienced upperclassmen like Julian Strawther, Anton Watson, Malachi Smith, and Rasir Bolton. While Gonzaga has not broken through to win a National Championship, despite making the finals twice, this is a modern blue blood of the sport and will serve as a challenging hurdle in the Horned Frogs quest for a spot in the Sweet 16.

Which team will advance to the Sweet 16? Read our Game Preview & join us in the comments section below as we follow today’s action.

NCAA TOURNAMENT SECOND ROUND VS. GONZAGA BULLDOGS

MAR. 19 | BALL ARENA (19,099) | DENVER, CO | 8:40 PM

How to watch & listen:

TV Broadcast: TBS
Online Streaming: NCAA.com; NCAA March Madness Live App
Play-By-Play: Lisa Byington Analyst: Steve Smith, Avery Johnson Reporter: Andy Katz National Radio: Westwood One SiriusXM 135 or 203 | SXM App : 966
Play-By-Play: Dave Pasch Analyst: Fran Fraschilla
TCU Radio: AM 570 KLIF | Varsity, TuneIn
Play-By-Play: Brian Estridge Analyst: John Denton

Series History:

Series: Tied 1-1
Neutral: GU leads 1-0
First Meeting: GU won 68-60 (12/28/74) in San Francisco
Last Meeting: TCU won 90-87 (12/30/98) in Fort Worth
Winning Streak: TCU, W1
Dixon vs. Gonzaga: First Meeting

Rankings:

TCU
AP: 22
Coaches: 23
KenPom: 26
NET: 28
NET SOS: 11

GONZAGA:
AP: 9
Coaches: 9
KenPom: 7
NET: 6
NET SOS: 56

Draftkings Sportsbook Odds:

Moneyline: TCU: +170; Gonzaga: -200
Spread: Gonzaga: -4.5
Point Total: 153.5

PrizePicks Player Props:

GAME NOTES:

• Six-seed TCU will attempt to win multiple games in the NCAA Tournament for the first time ever when it faces three-seed Gonzaga on Sunday at 8:40 a.m. CT at Ball Arena in Denver, Colo. It will be shown on TBS.
• TCU’s 72-70 opening round win over Arizona State was its fourth win this season after trailing by 10 or more. The Horned Frogs trailed by 11 with 16:34 remaining.
• TCU is making its 10th overall and third NCAA Tournament appearance in the last five seasons that a postseason took place. The Frogs are also making back-to-back appearances for the first time since 1953.
• Last season, No. 8 TCU defeated No. 9 seed Seton Hall before falling to top seed Arizona in overtime.
• TCU had been to one NCAA Tournament in the 30 years prior to Jamie Dixon’s arrival in 2016-17.
• In his 20th season as a head coach, Jamie Dixon is making his 14th NCAA Tournament appearance and is 14-13 overall and 3-6 in second round games. Dixon has three Sweet 16 appearances, last coming in 2009 (Elite Eight).
• TCU is 7-9 all-time in the NCAA Tournament. Its best finish came in 1968 when the Frogs made it to the finals of the Midwest Regional.
• TCU tied for fifth place in the Big 12 with nine wins, both matching its best-ever in the conference.
• TCU reached 20 wins for the fifth time in the last seven seasons after going 11 seasons without any.
• TCU is ranked in the AP Top 25 Poll for the 15th consecutive week at No. 22, extending its program record.
• TCU has a program-best six wins against AP Top 25 teams this season (6-6).
• TCU is 8-11 against NET Q1 opponents, matching a program best for Q1 wins. TCU is 5-0 against NET Q2.
• Of TCU’s 34 wins over AP Top 25 teams in its history, 19 have come in the seven seasons under Dixon.
• Damion Baugh (2nd team), Mike Miles Jr. (2nd team) and Emanuel Miller (HM) were named All-Big 12 Conference.
• Miles became the first Horned Frog to be named a three-time All-Big 12 Conference player.
• Miles ranks 15th on TCU’s all-time scoring list with 1,272 career points. He had 26 points against ASU.
• Miles, whose 17.6 points per game is third in the Big 12, was named to the John R. Wooden Award Final Ballot.
• Emanuel Miller ranks 18th in the Big 12 with 12.3 points per game and ranks sixth with 6.6 rebounds per game.
• Miller ranks second in the Big 12, shooting 50.8 percent. He’s shooting a team-best 20-of-50 (40.0%) from three.
• Damion Baugh has led/tied the Frogs in assists in 17-straight games and in 25 of the last 28.
• Baugh’s 5.9 assists per game rank third in the Big 12. He had eight assists against ASU Friday.
• Baugh is one of 12 players nationally averaging at least 12 points, five assists, four rebounds and one steal.
• TCU leads the nation with 17.7 fastbreak points per game. Last season, TCU’s fastbreak average was 10.6.
• TCU ranks tied for first in the Big 12 with 11.5 offensive rebounds per game. The Frogs had 14 against ASU.
• TCU has improved its assist/turnover radio this season (1.35/2nd in Big 12) from a year ago (0.94/8th).
• TCU ranks third in the Big 12 and 19th nationally with a +3.6 turnover margin.
• TCU tied a season-low with five turnovers vs. Arizona State. Ø TCU forces 15.8 turnovers per game, which ranks third in the Big 12.
• TCU led the Big 12 in shooting percentage in conference games only (47.0).
• TCU is shooting 39.4 percent from 3-point range over its last six games, better than its season average of 30.8.
• TCU ranks 23rd nationally in adjusted defensive efficiency (94.6).
• TCU ranks second in the Big 12 and 29th nationally with 4.7 blocked shots per game.
• TCU is 6-1 this season and 28-12 under Jamie Dixon in games at neutral sites.
• Under Dixon, TCU is 8-2 in games played in an arena where an NBA team calls home.

UP NEXT
TCU would play No. 2 UCLA in the Sweet 16 on Thursday in Las Vegas, NV