March Madness 2024 – The 2024 NCAA Tournament is just around the corner, and teams across the country are scrambling to strengthen their resumes and secure a spot in March Madness on reputable betting platforms. One team sitting squarely on the bubble is the TCU Horned Frogs, who had a big opportunity to improve their seeding with a two-game road trip last week on these platforms.
Horned Frogs Falter in Lubbock
TCU headed into last week’s road trip with a chance to really bolster their tournament profile, beginning with a thriller over Kansas State before faltering late against Texas Tech. The win against the Wildcats keeps TCU comfortably above the bubble cut line for now, but the loss to the Red Raiders was a big missed opportunity.
The Horned Frogs dominated for most of the game in Lubbock, holding double-digit leads deep into the second half. But a string of costly turnovers and missed free throws allowed Texas Tech to mount a late comeback and hand TCU a disheartening defeat. Despite missing starting center Ernest Udeh Jr., the Horned Frogs won the rebounding battle and controlled the paint thanks to a monster performance from Essam Mostafa. However, their Achilles heel of costly late-game errors once again reared its ugly head.
March Madness 2024: Huge Rematch Looms Against Cincinnati
Following the loss at Texas Tech, TCU returns home for a massive bubble battle against Cincinnati on February 29th. The Bearcats are teetering on the cut line after an atrocious home loss to Oklahoma State earlier in the week. Cincinnati will come in desperate, knowing their tournament hopes are slowly slipping away.
TCU already owns a win over Cincy from earlier this season and can complete the season sweep on Saturday. But they’ll need to shake off their late-game issues that have cost them recently. The Horned Frogs will be favored playing at home, where they are 15-2 this season.
Winning this bubble battle would bolster TCU’s case while delivering a likely fatal blow to Cincinnati’s hopes. It also sets up another enormous opportunity when Baylor visits next week. The Bears sit comfortably in the Top 15 of the rankings, so a win in that Big Monday showdown could be the signature victory that finally lifts the Horned Frogs to a stronger seed position.
ACC Bubble Bloodbath
The middle tier of the Atlantic Coast Conference has devolved into a murky quagmire, with as many as seven teams still battling for an at-large bid. Syracuse, Wake Forest, and Pittsburgh highlight the group just above the cut line, while Virginia Tech and Virginia surge after big wins this week.
Virginia Tech convincingly dismantled rival Virginia, likely popping the Cavaliers’ bubble in the process. It was an enormous win for the Hokies, who looked left for dead after a loss to Notre Dame two weeks ago. The 34-point drubbing exposed Virginia’s recent struggles and has them hurtling toward the wrong side of the bubble.
After being firmly entrenched as a Top 32 team just 10 days ago, Virginia now needs to pull off an upset of either UNC or Duke to keep their faint March Madness hopes alive. For Virginia Tech, they emerged from the clutter of the ACC bubble a bit more safely, but still have work left to do. The Hokies will need to take care of business against the ACC’s bottom-feeders and potentially spring one more upset to feel fully safe.
Recent Risers and Fallers on the Bubble
Aside from Virginia Tech’s rise, Nebraska and Washington State were two other teams that helped their cause over the past week. The Cornhuskers firmly entrenched themselves above the cut line with dominant wins over Minnesota and Indiana. Nebraska is now likely to end a 10-year NCAA Tournament drought if they can avoid any hiccups down the stretch.
Washington State has been even more impressive, grabbing a share of the Pac-12 lead with a season sweep of Arizona. Winners of eight straight, the Cougars seem destined to make their first Big Dance since 2008.
On the flip side, Texas A&M and UCF suffered bad losses that have them tumbling back toward the wrong side of the bubble. The Aggies followed up a marquee win over Tennessee with embarrassing defeats to Vanderbilt and Arkansas. The Knights have dropped four straight, including a dreadful Quad 3 loss at West Virginia that leaves them below a 1% chance at an at-large bid.
Horned Frogs In Precarious Position
Entering the home stretch before Selection Sunday, TCU sits in a very tenuous position. Their NET rank in the mid-30s has them right on the cut line according to most Bracketologists. While some breathing room exists over the most desperate bubble teams, the Horned Frogs likely need to win at least three of their final four regular season games to maintain their projected standing.
Despite 22 wins already banked, TCU’s profile lacks a signature victory over an elite opponent. The January win over Iowa State remains their only Top 25 victory. For a team that has been exceptionally tough to beat at home, the Horned Frogs need to translate that success to more true road wins.
March Madness latest picks today offer several golden opportunities, beginning with the visit from Cincinnati. TCU also has a very reasonable chance to be favored in each remaining game, so the path to a potential Big 12 Tournament double-bye is apparent. But the Horned Frogs have repeatedly faltered in crunch time and will need to exercise their late-game demons.
