TCU Men's Basketball: Way Too Early Top 25 2022-23 Predictions
The TCU men's basketball team took the program to a level it had not been at in 35 years - the team won their First Round game of the NCAA Tournament and moved on to the Second Round. Had it not been for a blown non-call at the end of regulation, the team very well could have advanced to their first-ever Sweet Sixteen. It truly would have been March Madness around Fort Worth had that happened. We know Mike Miles was fouled, and we know he would have made his free throw.
But that's behind us now, and it's time to look to next season. Miles has already announced his intentions to enter the NBA Draft this summer. Francisco Farabello, the junior guard from Argentina, has entered the transfer portal. And fan-favorite Harrison Young was the only team member who participated in Senior Night at the Schollmaier last month.
Eddie Lampkin Jr., the team and the fans' hype man and another fan favorite, has already indicated he plans to be back. This past season's remaining core scoring group all came to TCU through the transfer portal either this year or the year before. That's good news for the Frogs, as the NCAA rules on the transfer portal allow players to only go through it once if they want to play immediately. That means if any of this group does plan to leave the team and enter the portal, they will have to sit out the 2022-23 season before they can play.
This group includes:
- Damion Baugh - 6'4" guard; transferred from Memphis
- Emanuel Miller - 6'7" forward; transferred from Texas A&M
- Chuck O'Bannon - 6'6" forward; transferred from USC. (He was a senior this year but does have one more year of eligibility remaining and may decide to stay one more year with the Frogs.)
- Micah Peavy - 6'7" guard; transferred from Texas Tech
If all five of these players do return to the Frogs, the team will be a great team on both sides of the ball. And because of that, they are getting noticed by the national media. Hours after Kansas won their national championship earlier this week, several media outlets released their "Way Too Early Top 25" for the 2022-23 season.
TCU appeared in these polls rankings anywhere from No. 11 to No. 16.
Mike DeCourcy, Sporting News
DeCourcy has the Frogs the highest, coming in at No. 11. His top three are Kentucky, UCLA, and Kansas. TCU is the second-highest Big 12 school on this list, with 2021 National Champion Baylor coming in at No. 14. No other Big 12 school is on this list.
Jon Rothstein, CBS Sports
Rothstein has the Frogs coming in at No. 14. His top three are Kentucky, UCLA, and North Carolina. He has Baylor at No. 7 and Kansas at No. 11. His list actually goes to the Top 45. Other Big 12 schools include Oklahoma State at No. 28, Oklahoma at No. 32, Texas Tech at No. 35, Texas at No. 37, and Iowa State at No. 44. Frogs fans will rejoice to see that he has TCU one slot above Arizona at No. 15.
247Sports
247Sports has the Frogs coming in at No. 15. Their top three include Arkansas, Kentucky, and UCLA. They have Kansas at No. 7 and Baylor at No. 9. No other Big 12 school is on this list.
Here's what they had to say about TCU in the 2022-23 season:
Mike Miles heading to the NBA Draft is far from ideal; he was the Horned Frogs’ biggest star. But TCU looks ready to bring back at least three starters and potentially four if Chuck O’Bannon takes his extra year. Most teams will struggle to match up with Eddie Lampkin inside (remember: he was just a freshman this year), and TCU’s swagger and work on defense produced a top-20 unit. Get another point guard and scorer in the transfer portal and look out.
Gary Parrish, CBS Sports
Parrish has the Frogs the lowest of these four rankings, coming in at No. 16. His top three include UCLA, North Carolina, and Kentucky. He has Baylor at No. 4, Kansas at No. 8. and Oklahoma State at No. 25. No other Big 12 school is on this list.
Here's what he had to say about TCU:
The Horned Frogs' ranking is based on TCU returning four of the top six scorers from a team that played in the Round of 32 of the NCAA Tournament - among them double-digit scorers Damian Baugh and Emanuel Miller. That experienced core could allow the Horned Frogs to finish in the top three of the Big 12 standings for the first time in history.
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