Arizona Basketball faces a huge challenge with Texas Christian

After winning their first tournament game since 2017, Arizona Basketball (32-3, 18-2) faces a tough challenge as they take on the TCU Horned Frogs (21-12, 8-10). 

The NCAA Tournament action is rolling right along, and after beating 16th seeded Wright State in round one on Friday, Arizona Basketball returns to action to take on 9th seeded TCU in what should be an even bigger challenge on Sunday evening.

Coming in, the Wildcats are the favorites here, having rattled off seven-straight wins which include their Pac-12 Tournament Championship win over conference rival, UCLA.

However, TCU is no pushover. They are a well-coached team and are one of the best defenses in the country for a reason. They do a lot of things well and have scored some big upsets this season.

Coming into Sunday’s action, this one won’t be easy by any means, and if Arizona’s not careful, this could be facing the potential of an upset.

Hopefully, Arizona cleans up some of the mistakes that they made on Friday, and Tommy Lloyd and the Wildcats are ready to roll in this one. Overall, they are going to need a better performance if they are to continue their winning ways and live to see another day!

Getting to Know the details of Arizona Basketball’s opponent, the TCU Horned Frogs.

Team: Texas Christian Horned Frogs

Conference: Big 12 Conference

2020-21 Record: Finishing the year with a 12–14 (5–11) record in 2020-21, the Horned Frogs finished in 8th place in the conference, falling to Kansas State in the conference tournament to end the season, missing the NCAA Tournament.

Head Coach: Jamie Dixon enters his 6th season with the Horned Frogs, having compiled a 117-83 (42–64) record so far. However, Jamie has been coaching at this level for quite some time as he is currently in his 19th season overall. Dixon made a previous stint with Pittsburgh (2003–16) where he compiled a 328–123 (143–81) record. He is 445–206 overall as a head coach.

Keys to the Game:

Force TCU to play to your Pace –Arizona is one of the faster teams in the country, averaging 74.8 possessions per game which currently ranks 16th overall. They like to get out in transition and make teams run.

Adversely, the Horned Frogs like to slow the game down, averaging just 68.7 possessions per game, which ranks 264th overall.

If Arizona wins this one, it means they either beat TCU at their style of play, or they got out in transition and forced them to play fast. Hopefully, it is the latter, and that the Wildcats force TCU to play at their pace.

Attack the Boards – The Horned Frogs have great length, toughness, and physicality, and this one is going to be a grind, down low. TCU attacks the boards well, and that is where they do their most damage.

For Arizona to win, they’re going to have to grind this one out and it means attacking and winning this one on the board. Should the Wildcats do that, they are going to win here.

Take Care of the Basketball – Whether it was first-game nerves or Arizona not being completely focused, the Wildcats turned the ball over a staggering 19 times.

Against Wright State that might be okay, but against better teams like TCU and others in this tournament, that won’t stand. If Arizona is going to beat the Horned Frogs on Sunday evening, they are going to have to take better care of the basketball.

Arizona Basketball versus the TCU Horned Frogs game information and details:

Date: Sunday, March 20, 2022

Time: 6:40 P.M. (Arizona Time)

Location: Viejas Arena, San Diego, Calif. (12,414)

Spread: -9.5 Arizona (Also, don’t forget to use WynnBet to enhance your overall betting experience)

Television: TBS

Radio: 107.5 FM (Tucson) / 1290AM (Tucson) | Arizona IMG Sports Network

Team Records:

No. 1 Arizona Wildcats (32-3, 18-2): Fresh off of winning their first-round matchup against Wright State, the Wildcats return to action for what should be a rather challenging matchup against 9th seeded Texas Christian.

No. 9 Texas Christian Horned Frogs (21-12, 8-10): The Horned Frogs looked good in their win against Seton Hall; however, unfortunately for them, Arizona is not Seton Hall. Returning to action on Saturday evening, TCU looks to knock off 1-seeded Arizona.

Head-to-Head Record (since 1949-50): Since 1949-50, Arizona has faced TCU just once which was back during the 1952-53 season. The Horned Frogs currently own the all-time series lead 1-0.

Last Meeting vs. Arizona: The last time the Wildcats played the Horned Frogs was in Dallas/Ft. Worth during the 1952-53 season. TCU came away with the big win, defeating Arizona 63-48.

My Prediction: Arizona 73 TCU 66 – This one is going to be a battle! TCU is a well-coached and talented basketball team, and they are one of the best defensive teams in the country for a reason. They are a stifling group that likes to slow things down and keep the game a slugfest.

I do think Arizona will just do enough to win this one, but it is going to be tough and it should be a low-scoring affair overall.