Must-Win Contest At Utah Looms For TCU Men’s Basketball

The TCU men’s basketball team emerged from its past three games in rough shape. Losses to Kansas, Arizona, and BYU — all tough opponents that the Horned Frogs (11-6, 1-3 Big 12) fought until the bitter end — have left the team in a position where it must pick up a victory at all costs. If all goes right, then that win will come against the Utah Utes on Jan. 17.

There’s no doubt that this matchup with Utah in Salt Lake City is a must-win contest for Jamie Dixon’s Horned Frogs. The team cannot afford to drop to 1-4 in Big 12 play, especially against this Utah (8-9, 0-4) squad. While taking down programs like Kansas, Arizona and BYU was going to take a Herculean effort, all TCU needs to do against the Utes is play complementary basketball, and it should walk onto the plane at SLC with a win in its back pocket.

A Two-Headed Monster of Guards

Jan 7, 2026; Boulder, Colorado, USA; Utah Utes guard Don McHenry (3) during the first half against the Colorado Buffaloes at CU Events Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

If TCU wishes to beat the Utes, it’ll need to stymie two players’ offensive production: junior guard Terrence Brown and senior guard Don McHenry. It’s that duo that’s fueled Utah’s operation up to this point. Brown, who transferred in from Fairleigh Dickinson prior to the season — the same program that took down No. 1 Purdue in the 2023 NCAA Tournament — is averaging a career-high 21.4 points per game so far this season. His backcourt counterpart, McHenry, a transfer from Western Kentucky, is putting up 18.6 points per game, which is also a career high for him. They’re obviously a good pair, but can they get it done on their own?

Other than those two, there isn’t much for Utah in the scoring department. Junior forward Keanu Dawes provides some length in the interior and is the only other player averaging double-digit points for the team. Seydou Traore, a junior forward from the Bronx, can also put up some points, albeit just 8.6 a game. Needless to say, it’s the Brown and McHenry show; stop them, and the Frogs should be in good shape.

A Rough Start to Conference Play

BYU Cougars forward Keba Keita and TCU Horned Frogs forward David Punc — Jan 14, 2026; Provo, Utah, USA; BYU Cougars forward Keba Keita (13) and TCU Horned Frogs forward David Punch (15) battle for a loose ball during the first half at Marriott Center. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Baker-Imagn Images | Aaron Baker-Imagn Images

Both the Horned Frogs and the Utes have found themselves on the wrong side of just about every one of their conference games up to this point. In the case of Utah, it has yet to win a Big 12 game.

Granted, just like TCU, Utah’s opening conference slate was absolutely brutal. It opened with a home bout against No. 1 Arizona, which it lost by 19 points. Against Colorado the next time out, Utah fell in disappointing fashion, despite 24 points from McHenry. Two more losses followed against BYU and Texas Tech, two teams that are poised to compete for a conference title. Yes, the Utes have struggled, but the quality of competition as of late certainly hasn’t helped matters.

TCU should still be able to come away with a victory. The Horned Frogs have the talent edge, with quality scorers like David Punch and Xavier Edmonds leading the charge, which has enabled them to be competitive with some of the teams that Utah struggled with — like Arizona, for instance. Add in the team’s fantastic performances against Michigan, Florida, and Wisconsin, and this should be a slam-dunk finish for the Frogs. Of course, that’s been said before — and this is the same team that fell to New Orleans in the opening game of the year — so anything can happen.

At the end of the day, though, any statistics or analytics are null and void because TCU just needs to win. It’s all that matters in Utah on Jan. 17. The game will tip off at 1 p.m. CDT at Jon M. Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. It’ll be televised on TNT and truTV.

A Two-Headed Monster of Guards

A Rough Start to Conference Play

Recommended Articles