Tough road awaits TCU men's basketball team . . .
January 24, Stephen Francis

The TCU Horned Frog men's basketball team is hanging in there. They've had a tough road so far and things look to become even more difficult as the Mountain West Conference schedule progresses. How they play between now and March 6 will help determine whether the Horned Frogs are destined for "March Madness" or "March Sadness."

A veritable gauntlet awaits TCU over the next month or so, which features road games against the best teams the conference has to offer. Colorado State, their next opponent isn't exactly a slouch of a team at 11-8 overall. They're currently tied in conference play with the Horned Frogs at 2-3 and are just one of the teams that sits between them and first place. Sure, the conference season is still young, but this is exactly the time that TCU needs to strike.

The Frogs travel to Fort Collins, Colorado for a Wednesday night showdown as the regular season draws to a close and teams jockey for position to determine seeding for the Conference Tournament. Three nights later, TCU comes home but that's where the good news stops. Awaiting them at Daniel Meyer Coliseum will be the Lobos of New Mexico and their 4-2 record (18-3 overall). The difficult stretch continues with stops in Provo, Utah to face the BYU Cougars (currently in the MWC drivers' seat) and then onto Colorado Springs to face the Air Force Academy. Once they complete that stretch, three road games and four home games remain before the MWC Tournament begins. During that final stretch, the Frogs will face UNLV, Colorado State, Utah and New Mexico a second time each and must come out with guns blazing in order to have a legitimate shot at an NCAA Tournament invitation.

Nobody can be exactly sure what will happen during that time, but one thing is for certain: it will be an interesting stretch to watch for the Horned Frogs. The Conference Tournament carries an automatic bid for the champion, and it looks like it may be the only hope for TCU. Now its up to the players to bring substance to that hope.