TCU Men’s Basketball Set For Tough Matchup vs. No. 1 Arizona

There was a universe where the TCU men’s basketball team would be welcoming the No. 1 team in the land into its home on the heels of two extremely impressive wins over programs that have won national championships in the past five years. That world, which was just six seconds from occurring on the floor of Allen Fieldhouse, does not exist. The reality that does is one that sees the Horned Frogs in need of a pick-me-up. Unfortunately for them, obtaining such a thing will be no easy task.

Given the No. 1 overall ranking that the AP has doled out to the Arizona Wildcats, it’s clear that Jamie Dixon’s squad will have its hands full at Schollmaier Arena on Jan. 10. After all, no team has risen up to beat the Wildcats so far this season, meaning that if TCU can pull off the upset, it would be making a little bit of history. Some say that it requires a miracle. Others say all one needs is a little belief. We’ll see which one is needed most when Arizona and its nation’s best basketball team arrive at the gates of “Fort Dixon.”

The Best Team in the Land

Jan 7, 2026; Tucson, Arizona, USA; Arizona Wildcats forward Koa Peat (10) sticks out his tongue during the second half of the game against the Kansas State Wildcats at McKale Memorial Center. Mandatory Credit: Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images | Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images

It’s hard to find holes in the operation that Arizona head coach Tommy Lloyd has built. The team is dominant in just about every phase of the game, which means that TCU is going to have to put up perhaps its best performance of the season to take it down, and it will have to do it for the full 40 minutes.

Led by the freshman duo of guard Brayden Burries and forward Koa Peat, the Wildcats don’t have any trouble scoring. Burries on his own averages 15.1 points per game, while Peat puts up 14.4. As a team, Arizona averages 91.5 points a game, which is the eighth-best mark in all of Division I college basketball.

Other standout players for Arizona are senior guard Jaden Bradley, junior center Motiejus Krivas, and senior forward Tobe Awaka. Bradley, a 6-foot-3 guard from Rochester, started his career at Alabama but has been with the Wildcats for the past three seasons. It’s that wealth of experience that’s enabled him to be one of the most integral leaders on the team, especially with the top two talents being freshmen. Krivas is also a key piece of the puzzle. At 7-foot-2, he towers over a good chunk of the competition. His size on the interior will be difficult for TCU, a team that likes to roll out smaller lineups, to handle.

A Resume to Die For

Nov 27, 2025; San Diego, California, USA; Florida Gators center Rueben Chinyelu (9) shoots the ball against Texas Christian University Horned Frogs during the second half at Jenny Craig Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Abe Arredondo-Imagn Images | Abe Arredondo-Imagn Images

If Arizona was preparing for a job interview, it would most certainly get hired based on its resume alone. On it are wins over No. 3 Florida, No. 15 UCLA, No. 3 UConn, No. 20 Auburn, and No. 12 Alabama. It also beat Utah and Kansas State in its first two conference games, both by 19 points or more.

All told, Arizona is the team to beat in the Big 12 right now, and that’s saying something given the competitive depth of the league. Should anybody leap up and bite the Wildcats’ heel, then that team will be hailed a hero.

TCU has the chance to do just that on Saturday afternoon, but it will take a gargantuan effort. It’s certainly not one that the Horned Frogs are foreign to, however. This season, TCU has beaten Florida, the defending national champions, and given Michigan quite a scare. It has also taken down top-ranked programs such as Houston, Kansas, Texas Tech, and Texas at Schollmaier Arena just in the past couple of years. In other words, it’s not impossible.

Tipoff is set for 3 p.m. CT at Schollmaier Arena in Fort Worth, Texas, on Jan. 10. The game will be televised on ESPN.

The Best Team in the Land

A Resume to Die For

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