The Sports Bank’s college basketball season previews undergo a facelift this season. Rather than counting down the top 111 teams in 111 days, we will go conference-by-conference. I’ve already counted down the Pac-12 and now we turn our attention to the Big 12.
After getting shut out last season in conference play, the TCU Horned Frogs should be much improved this season since they get a couple of key contributors back from injury and a pair of impact transfers.
TCU HORNED FROGS
Last Season: 10th, 0-18 in Big 12, 9-22 overall
Predicted Big 12 Finish: 9th
Projected Depth Chart
C: Karviar Shepard (So)/Devonta Abron (Jr)/Link Kabadyundi (Fr)
PF: Amric Fields (Sr)/Chris Washburn (So)
SF: Brandon Parrish (So)/Hudson Price (So)/Kenrich Williams (So)
SG: Trey Zeigler (Sr)/Charles Hill (Jr)
PG: Kyan Anderson (Sr)/Christian Gore (Jr)/Michael Williams (So)/Chauncey Collins (Fr)
Gone: SG-Jarvis Ray, G-Thomas Montigel, SG-Clyde Smith III
2014-2015 Outlook:
Devonta Abron missed all of last season with a torn Achilles while Amric Fields battled injury throughout the year that sidelined him for 13 games. Combine those two players with Karviar Shepherd who started all 30 games as a freshman and UTEP transfer, Chris Washburn and the Horned Frogs have a deep, experienced frontline.
Like Shepherd, Brandon Parrish started 30 games as a freshman and returns to bring some versatility on the wing. Three-year starter Kyan Anderson was the team’s leading scorer a year ago and can fill it up from the point guard position. Pitt transfer Trey Zeigler becomes eligible and tries to salvage what has been a rather disappointing and well-traveled collegiate career this far.
Charles Hill, Christian Gore, Michael Williams, and Hudson Price all saw decent minutes off the bench last season and provide Trent Johnson with an equally impressive amount of depth at guard and on the wing. The depth is there as TCU could end up using an 11-man rotation but is the talent enough for the Horned Frogs to make a significant leap in a Big 12 rich with talented teams?
Key Non-Conference Games:
11/17 vs. Washington State
11/28 vs. Bradley (Corpus Christi Challenge)
11/29 vs. St. Louis/Mississippi State (Corpus Christi Challenge)
12/4 at Ole Miss (SEC/Big 12 Challenge)
OTHER BIG 12 PREVIEWS:
#10 TEXAS TECH RED RAIDERS
PAC-12 PREVIEWS:
#1 ARIZONA WILDCATS
#4 UCLA BRUINS
David Kay is a senior feature NBA Draft, NBA, and college basketball writer for the Sports Bank. He also heads up the NBA and college basketball material at Walter Football.com and is a former contributor at The Washington Times Communities. David has appeared on numerous national radio programs spanning from Cleveland to New Orleans to Milwaukee to Honolulu. He also had the most accurate 2011 NBA Mock Draft and the most accurate 2012 NBA Mock Draft on the internet (Yup, repeat champ… #humblebrag), and finished with the second most accurate 2013 NBA Mock Draft (nearly a three-peat.) You can follow him on Twitter at David_Kmiecik.