{"id":209375,"date":"2026-03-18T05:29:12","date_gmt":"2026-03-18T05:29:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/209375\/"},"modified":"2026-03-18T05:29:12","modified_gmt":"2026-03-18T05:29:12","slug":"tcu-basketball-milestone-fuels-jamie-dixons-bigger-goals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/209375\/","title":{"rendered":"TCU basketball milestone fuels Jamie Dixon\u2019s bigger goals"},"content":{"rendered":"

Sunday was a celebration for most people associated with TCU men\u2019s basketball, as the Horned Frogs reached the NCAA Tournament<\/a> for fourth time in five seasons.<\/p>\n

The Horned Frogs (22-11) got a No. 9 seed in the East region and will face No. 8 seed Ohio State (21-12)<\/a> in the first round at 11:15 a.m. Thursday in Greenville, South Carolina, on CBS.<\/p>\n

This continues to be the best stretch in program history and is further confirmation of how good of a job coach Jamie Dixon has done at his alma mater. The Horned Frogs have remained competitive even in the name, image and likeness era \u2014 and now the revenue-sharing era.<\/p>\n

TCU has been able to compete<\/a> in the toughest conference in America despite being one of the smallest programs in the Power Four. For many it would be a cause for celebration, but as Dixon reflected on the recent success, he had one question he wanted to ask the fan base and administration.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve got to figure out how we can do more,\u201d Dixon said. \u201cDo we always want to be the team punching above our weight [class], or do it the other way?\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a question that comes from Dixon\u2019s desire to continue to elevate TCU and his belief that the program has yet to hit its ceiling despite how far the program has come since he took over in 2016.<\/p>\n

TCU had little NCAA Tournament success before Jamie Dixon<\/p>\n

Before Dixon arrived, TCU\u2019s last NCAA Tournament appearance was in 1998, and the previous trip before that was in 1987. Dixon has taken a program from earning one tournament bid per decade to now one with the expectation of reaching March Madness every season.<\/p>\n

But Dixon doesn\u2019t just want to make the tournament. He wants the Horned Frogs to be capable of making deep runs, and the reality is, to have that type of success takes investment and a desire to be great.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe gotta do things better. It\u2019s not where we want to be. But we\u2019re battling,\u201d Dixon said. \u201cThe rules have changed. It\u2019s become a different thing. Resources matter and they always have, but it\u2019s a new game. The reality is you can be as good as you want to be.\u201d<\/p>\n

Two big examples of that are Kentucky and BYU. The Wildcats have always been one of the biggest spenders in college basketball and reportedly paid about $22 million<\/a> for their current roster. Michigan star Yaxel Lendeborg<\/a> came out earlier this week and said he was offered more than $7 million by the Wildcats.<\/p>\n

BYU, on the other hand, has always been a solid basketball program, but since the Cougars\u2019 arrival in the Big 12, there\u2019s a clear commitment to spend to get to the top of the standings. BYU reportedly spent<\/a> $3 million to $3.5 million on Baylor transfer point guard Rob Wright and an estimated $6 million to 7 million on star freshman AJ Dybantsa.<\/p>\n

That would be roughly $10 million for two players, which is about twice as much as TCU spent on its whole roster, sources have said.<\/p>\n

Now just imagine what Arizona, Houston, Kansas and even Baylor are spending to build their rosters.<\/p>\n

TCU finding under-the-radar recruits<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a disadvantage that Dixon and his staff have been able to work around with their player development and ability to find gems that might slip under other teams\u2019 radar like junior college transfer Xavier Edmonds and former Utah Valley guard Tanner Toolson.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou have to scrape and claw for some [players], but I\u2019ve been doing that my whole life,\u201d Dixon said. \u201cSo, you know, I guess you got the right guy. … You scrape and claw and try to find little inefficiencies in the market and try to find [guys]. We\u2019ve been pretty good at that.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo that\u2019s what you gotta do, and I say this, but I don\u2019t see these things as a negative.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a challenge, but one that continues to bring the best out of Dixon as a coach and a developer of talent. Edmonds was the No. 1-ranked junior college player, but nobody would have expected he would become a third-team All-Big 12 selection<\/a> in his first season in Fort Worth.<\/p>\n

Toolson was a starter at Utah Valley, but has also exceeded expectations as a reliable contributor off the bench. There are countless stories of players like Toolson making the jump to the Power Four only to see their ability to impact winning diminish against better talent.<\/p>\n

Sophomore forward Micah Robinson has taken a leap, along with honorable mention All-Big 12 forward David Punch.<\/p>\n

There have been some bumps along the way, mainly the season-opening loss to New Orleans, but there\u2019s no doubt Dixon has gotten the most out of this roster.<\/p>\n

With guard Jayden Pierre being the only senior, TCU could be primed to have another good team next year if the Horned Frogs are able to keep Punch, Robinson and Edmonds in the fold. It\u2019ll be costly to retain each one, which is just the new way of life in the transfer portal era.<\/p>\n

A deep tournament run starting with a win over Ohio State and maybe even Duke, would be the exact type of shot in the arm that could bring in the investment Dixon desires. Just being in the tournament will bring plenty of eyes and attention to TCU that could help with recruiting.<\/p>\n

\u201cI read 100 million brackets will be made, so 100 million people are deciding if I\u2019m gonna pick TCU or Ohio State,\u201d Dixon said.<\/p>\n

Four tournament appearances in five years is a milestone that should be celebrated, but for Dixon, it feels like making the tournament is just the baseline of what his expectations are for the program.<\/p>\n

He\u2019s not satisfied with just getting in the field, but it\u2019ll take more than good coaching and scouting to elevate the Horned Frogs into the next tier of college basketball. He\u2019ll need more financial resources.<\/p>\n

Dixon is ready to do the work. Is the rest of Fort Worth?<\/p>\n

Game schedule dates, times, locations March 8 Toronto 122, Mavericks 92 March 10 Atlanta 124, Mavericks 112 March 12 Mavericks 120, Memphis 112 March 13 Cleveland 138, Mavericks 105 March 15 Mavericks 130, Cleveland 120 March 16 at New Orleans, 7 p.m., KFAA, MavsTV March 18 vs. Atlanta, 7:30 p.m., KFAA, MavsTV March 21 vs. L.A. Clippers, 7:30 p.m., KFAA, MavsTV March 23 vs. Golden State, 8:30 p.m., Peacock, NBC Sports Network March 25 at Denver, 9 p.m., KFAA, MavsTV Feb. 28 TCU 77, Kansas State 68 March 3 TCU 73, Texas Tech 65 March 7 TCU 73, Cincinnati 63 Big 12 Tournament (at Kansas City, Mo.) March 11 No. 6 TCU 95, No. 14 Oklahoma State 88 (second round) March 12 No. 3 Kansas 78, No. 6 TCU 73 (quarterfinals) NCAA Tournament March 19 vs. No. 9 Ohio State (at Greenville, S.C.), 11:15 a.m., CBS Feb. 25 TCU 83, Cincinnati 70 March 1 TCU 65, Baylor 53 Big 12 Tournament (at Kansas City, Mo.) March 6 No. 1 TCU 63, No. 9 BYU 46 (quarterfinals) March 7 No. 1 TCU 74, No. 12 Kansas State 62 (semifinals) March 8 No. 2 West Virginia 62, No. 1 TCU 53 (championship) NCAA Tournament March 20 vs. UC San Diego (at Schollmaier Arena in Fort Worth), 11 a.m., ESPN March 26 at Philadelphia, 3:15 p.m., TBD March 28 at Philadelphia, 3:05 p.m., TBD March 29 at Philadelphia, 12:35 p.m., TBD March 30 at Baltimore, 5:35 p.m., TBD March 31 at Baltimore, 5:35 p.m., TBD April 1 at Baltimore, 11:35 a.m., TBD March 6 TCU 10, Tulane 2 March 8 Tulane 8, TCU 4 March 8 TCU 4, Tulane 3 (7 innings) March 10 TCU 9, Kansas 4 March 13 TCU 5, Arizona State 4 March 14 Arizona State 15, TCU 8 March 15 Arizona State 4, TCU 0 March 17 vs. New Mexico State, 2 p.m., ESPN+ March 20 vs. Central Florida, 6 p.m., ESPN+ March 21 vs. Central Florida, 5 p.m., ESPN+ March 22 vs. Central Florida, 1 p.m., ESPN+ March 6 Colorado 5, Stars 4 (SO) March 8 Stars 4, Chicago 3 (OT) March 10 Stars 2, Vegas 1 March 12 Stars 7, Edmonton 2 March 14 Stars 3, Detroit 2 (OT) March 16 vs. Utah, 7 p.m., Fox, Victory+ March 18 at Colorado, 8:30 p.m., TNT, HBO Max March 21 at Minnesota, 3 p.m., Victory+ March 22 vs. Vegas, 6 p.m., NHL Network, Victory+ March 24 vs. New Jersey, 7 p.m., KDFI 27, Victory+ 2026 season Aug. 29 vs. North Carolina (at Dublin), TBA Sept. 12 vs. Grambling State, TBA Sept. 19 vs. Arkansas State, TBA Sept. 26 at Central Florida, TBA Oct. 3 vs. BYU, TBA Oct. 17 at Baylor, TBA Oct. 24 vs. West Virginia, TBA Oct. 31 vs. Kansas, TBA Nov. 7 at Arizona, TBA Nov. 14 vs. Kansas State, TBA Nov. 21 vs. Utah, TBA Nov. 28 at Texas Tech, TBA 2026 season TBA vs. TBA (at Rio de Janeiro), TBA 2026 opponents (dates and times TBA; one home game will be in Rio) vs. N.Y Giants vs. Philadelphia vs. Washington vs. Arizona vs. San Francisco vs. Tampa Bay vs. Jacksonville vs. Tennessee vs. Baltimore at N.Y Giants at Philadelphia at Washington at L.A. Rams at Seattle at Green Bay at Houston at Indianapolis Feb. 21 FC Dallas 3, Toronto 2 Feb. 28 FC Dallas 0, Nashville 0 March 7 LAFC 1, FC Dallas 0 March 14 FC Dallas 3, San Diego 3 March 21 vs. Houston, 7:30 p.m., Apple TV April 4 at D.C. United, 6:30 p.m., Apple TV April 11 vs. St. Louis, 7:30 p.m., Apple TV April 18 vs. LA Galaxy, 7:30 p.m., Apple TV April 22 vs. Minnesota, 7:30 p.m., Apple TV March 20-21 POWRi Racing March 28 Mopar Heaven April 11 NASCAR Racing Experience April 18 Team Texas-David Starr’s Racing School April 18 Bubble Run April 23-25 Pate Swap Meet April 25 FuelFest April 30-May 2 High Limit Racing Stockyard Stampede May 1 NASCAR Truck Series: SpeedyCash.com 250 May 2 NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series: Andy’s Frozen Custard 340 May 3 NASCAR Cup Series: Wurth 400 <\/p>\n

This story was originally published March 17, 2026 at 12:58 PM.<\/p>\n

Related Stories from Fort Worth Star-Telegram<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Sunday was a celebration for most people associated with TCU men\u2019s basketball, as the Horned Frogs reached the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":209376,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[116,118,117,58326,3112,70780,82087,82086],"class_list":["post-209375","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-fort-worth","tag-fort-worth","tag-fort-worth-headlines","tag-fort-worth-news","tag-jamie-dixon","tag-ncaa-tournament","tag-tcu-mens-basketball","tag-tcu-nil","tag-tcu-vs-ohio-state"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/209375","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=209375"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/209375\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/209376"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=209375"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=209375"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=209375"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}