{"id":214037,"date":"2026-03-21T05:54:12","date_gmt":"2026-03-21T05:54:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/214037\/"},"modified":"2026-03-21T05:54:12","modified_gmt":"2026-03-21T05:54:12","slug":"three-keys-for-tcu-to-upset-duke-in-the-ncaa-tournament","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/214037\/","title":{"rendered":"Three keys for TCU to upset Duke in the NCAA Tournament"},"content":{"rendered":"

With No. 1 seed Duke avoiding a historic upset<\/a> to Siena on Thursday, the stage is now set for a massive showdown between No. 9 seed TCU and the Blue Devils.<\/p>\n

The Horned Frogs defeated No. 8 seed Ohio State<\/a> 66-64 on Thursday in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. TCU and Duke will tip off in the second round at 4:15 p.m. Saturday<\/a> in Greenville, South Carolina.<\/p>\n

The Horned Frogs are aiming to make the program\u2019s first Sweet 16 appearance<\/a> since the tournament field expanded. TCU made the final eight in 1968, but that NCAA Tournament only had 23 teams.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Duke is looking to get to the second weekend of the tournament for the third straight season after making the Final Four last year and the Elite Eight in 2024. Duke did fall in the second round in coach Jon Scheyer\u2019s first season in 2023.<\/p>\n

The Blue Devils are massive 11.5-point favorites<\/a>, but a battle-tested TCU team that has already played against the other three No. 1 seeds<\/a> is capable of pulling off the upset.<\/p>\n

Here are three things TCU needs to do to secure a historic win for the program:<\/p>\n

Avoid foul trouble<\/p>\n

The Horned Frogs\u2019 primary task will be to limit the impact of Duke power forward Cameron Boozer. The ACC Player of the Year is in the running for National Player of the Year and to become the No. 1 pick in the upcoming NBA draft. The son of former NBA All-Star Carlos Boozer, the freshman is averaging 22.5 points, 10.3 rebounds and 4.2 assists.<\/p>\n

However, TCU will have two things working for it when it sees Boozer: sophomore David Punch<\/a> and junior Xavier Edmonds. The Horned Frogs\u2019 frontcourt members have the exact type of games that can bother Boozer and match his production. Punch is one of the best post defenders in the country, and with Boozer only being listed at 6-foot-9, he won\u2019t be quite as tall as some of the other frontlines TCU has faced.<\/p>\n

But for Punch and Edmonds to outduel Boozer, they must remain on the court. Punch missed most of the first half against Ohio State with a foul trouble, while Edmonds dealt with foul trouble against Kansas in the Big 12 Tournament quarterfinals. TCU doesn\u2019t have much depth behind them, and if they\u2019re on the bench, Boozer could feast.<\/p>\n

Exploit the missing point guard<\/p>\n

Duke suffered a major blow in its regular-season finale when point guard Caleb Foster went down with a season-ending injury in the Blue Devils\u2019 win over North Carolina. The junior excelled in his role as a veteran ball handler alongside Boozer and his twin brother, Cayden.<\/p>\n

Since Foster\u2019s injury, the Blue Devils haven\u2019t quite looked like the same machine that mostly rolled through the regular season. Duke was nearly upset by Florida State in the ACC Tournament and went down to the wire with Virginia in the ACC Tournament final.<\/p>\n

Foster\u2019s absence was notable on Thursday as Duke trailed by double digits against Siena in the first half before making a push in the second. TCU\u2019s aggressive, blitzing style of defense on ball screens gave Ohio State fits, and the Horned Frogs will need to be even better defensively with their game plan against Duke.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t forget about Isaiah Evans<\/p>\n

The Boozer twins attract most of the headlines for obvious reasons, but TCU can\u2019t forget about sophomore guard Isaiah Evans. The 6-6 wing is another potential draft pick and has been the Blue Devils\u2019 primary scoring threat on the perimeter.<\/p>\n

Over the past four games, Evans is averaging 18.5 points and 7.0 rebounds, including a 32-point performance against Florida State to avoid the upset. Duke has needed both Evans\u2019 scoring presence and for him to crash the glass, as the Blue Devils have also been without 6-11 center Patrick Ngongba since March 2. Ngnongba averaged 10.7 points and 6.0 rebounds and was the Blue Devils\u2019 best rim protector.<\/p>\n

Evans will be the X-factor for Duke, especially if TCU can find a way to minimize Boozer\u2019s impact. Dame Sarr, a 6-8 freshman, is another name to watch, and the Horned Frogs should try to make him beat them from outside. Sarr is just 2-of-17 from 3 since postseason play began.<\/p>\n

Game schedule dates, times, locations March 12 Mavericks 120, Memphis 112 March 13 Cleveland 138, Mavericks 105 March 15 Mavericks 130, Cleveland 120 March 16 New Orleans 129, Mavericks 111 March 18 Atlanta 135, Mavericks 120 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 March 27 at Portland, 9 p.m., KFAA, MavsTV, NBA TV March 30 vs. Minnesota, 7:30 p.m., KFAA, MavsTV 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 No. 9 TCU 66, No. 8 Ohio State 64 (at Greenville, S.C.) March 21 vs. No. 1 Duke (at Greenville, S.C.), 4:15 p.m., CBS 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 No. 3 TCU 86, No. 14 UC San Diego 40 March 22 vs. No. 6 Washington (at Schollmaier Arena), 9 p.m., ESPN March 26 at Philadelphia, 3:15 p.m., RSN March 28 at Philadelphia, 3:05 p.m., RSN March 29 at Philadelphia, 12:35 p.m., RSN March 30 at Baltimore, 5:35 p.m., RSN March 31 at Baltimore, 5:35 p.m., RSN April 1 at Baltimore, 11:35 a.m., RSN March 13 TCU 5, Arizona State 4 March 14 Arizona State 15, TCU 8 March 15 Arizona State 4, TCU 0 March 17 TCU 16, New Mexico State 6 (7 innings) March 20 Central Florida 18, TCU 7 March 21 vs. Central Florida, 5 p.m., ESPN+ March 22 vs. Central Florida, 1 p.m., ESPN+ March 24 at Dallas Baptist, 6 p.m., ESPN+ March 27 vs. Texas Tech, 6 p.m., ESPN+ March 28 vs. Texas Tech, 2 p.m., ESPN+ March 29 vs. Texas Tech, 1 p.m., ESPN+ March 10 Stars 2, Vegas 1 March 12 Stars 7, Edmonton 2 March 14 Stars 3, Detroit 2 (OT) March 16 Utah 6, Stars 3 March 18 Stars 2, Colorado 1 (SO) 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+ March 26 at N.Y. Islanders, 6 p.m., Victory+ March 28 at Pittsburgh, 4 p.m., 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 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
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