TCU Basketball Season Opener: How to Watch TCU vs. Lindenwood

TCU begins its 116th season of men’s basketball on Monday, hosting Lindenwood. The Frogs look to build on last season's NCAA March Madness appearance and Round of 64 victory.

Can TCU start the 2026 season with a win, or will the Lindenwood Lions pull off an opening night upset in Fort Worth?

This matchup is scheduled for 7 p.m. CT on ESPN+. Below are the kickoff time, television coverage, radio information, and game-day details for tonight’s Fort Worth matchup.

How to Watch TCU vs. Lindenwood

Matchup: Lindenwood Lions at TCU Horned Frogs

Records: Lindenwood 0-0, 0-0 OVC; TCU 0-0, 0-0 Big 12

Date: Monday, Nov. 2, 2026

Tip-off: 7 p.m. CT / 8 p.m. ET

Location: Ed and Rae Schollmaier Arena in Fort Worth, Texas

TV/Streaming: ESPN+

TCU Radio: Talk Radio 1190 AM (KFXR)

TCU Audio Streaming: GoFrogs.com, Riff Ram App, Varsity App, TuneIn, iHeart SiriusXM 263, or on the SiriusXM App.

What Can TCU Prove Tonight?

The Frogs’ performance tonight can set the tone for the early portion of the season. Flashing back to last year's season opener, TCU lost to New Orleans 78-74. Most fans thought the sky was falling and the team wouldn’t accomplish much.

In hindsight, it was a complete overreaction, but a year later, the weight of the first game remains. TCU enters the night 77-38 in season openers and 63-14 when tipping off the season at home. The Frogs thrive on opening night; if that trend continues, fans will be feeling completely different than last year.

Our First Chance to See New and Familiar Faces

TCU is returning 50.8% of its scoring, all from Xavier Edmonds, Brock Harding, Micah Robinson, and Tanner Toolson. These guys were the main building blocks of last year’s success, and tonight will be the first chance to see their improvement over the offseason.

More interesting are the new faces making their TCU debuts. A projected starter, Luke Bamgboye, transferred from Texas Tech this offseason. The 6-10 forward from London averaged 4.5 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 1.7 blocks at Texas Tech last season and started the last eight games, including both NCAA Tournament games.

Bamgboye earned Atlantic 10 Conference All-Defensive Team honors at VCU. He will look to anchor this Horned Frog defense.

Some other notable players who could make their TCU debuts tonight: guard Trent Lincoln, the nation's No. 1-ranked JUCO recruit.

Guard Gavin Sykes transferred from Long Beach State, where he earned Big West Freshman of the Year and second-team All-Big West honors.

Finally, the sophomore forward DJ Thomas transferred from West Virginia. Thomas scored a season-high 25 points against Lafayette, the most by a Mountaineer freshman since 2019.

Can Lindenwood Pull Off the Upset?

The Lions, led by head coach Kyle Cerdeman, finished 18-15 and 11-9 in the Ohio Valley Conference.

Tonight marks the first meeting between TCU and Lindenwood. The Frogs are 2-0 all-time against members of the Ohio Valley Conference, with wins over Tennessee State and UT Martin.

ESPN’s matchup predictor gives the Frogs a 98.1 percent chance to win.

Who do I expect to win?

Head coach Jamie Dixon will have the players ready for tonight, and we should see the returning players lead the way early. I’d expect TCU to run up and down the court, keeping the pace of play up and controlling the first half.

In the second, I’d expect to see some of the new faces make an impact. Whether it's Bamgboye, Lincoln, or Thomas, I’d like to see some highlights from them.

Overall, I think TCU is a more connected team than last year’s unit at this time, so I will pick the Horned Frogs to win 88-61.

Are you picking the Frogs to Win?

Follow KillerFrogs on TCU On SI for more Horned Frogs basketball coverage throughout the season, and join fellow fans on the KillerFrogs Fan Forum to discuss the opener against Lindenwood.

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