March Madness: Does TCU Get In?

Texas Christian University had seemingly played themselves right out of the NCAA Tournament, suffering seven straight losses to end the regular season. The Horned Frogs had golden opportunities to defeat West Virginia and Kansas State, but dropped both games by a single point.

Entering the conference tournament with a 17-14 record, TCU looked like an NIT team, but Thursday’s 85-82 victory over the Kansas Jayhawks certainly has changed things. TCU can get to 20 wins with a victory against Iowa State on Friday. A win  should clinch the deal, while a loss makes things interesting. TCU wouldn’t have as many wins as other bubble teams. But few bubble teams can match a win of the magnitude of beating Kansas. Big wins are one thing the selection committee looks for and they carry more weight than a bad loss or two.

TCU split its two regular season games with Iowa State, winning at home and losing on the road. The Big 12 Tournament is being played in Kansas City, so there’s no real advantage one way or the other. It will come down to what team shows up ready to play. Entering Thursday’s games Jeff Sagarin had Iowa State ranked No. 20 in the country. TCU was ranked No. 44, but will move up a few spots after beating Kansas. Expect the Cyclones to be small favorites.

There were plenty of other bubble teams who couldn’t have been thrilled to see the Horned Frogs get the win. If TCU sneaks in there, who is going to be left out? That will be one of the big questions for the selection committee, who don’t have an easy job this year.

The other side of the equation is how much does Kansas fall? Do Oregon or Kentucky take over the No. 1 seed the Jayhawks were believed to have locked up?