TCU basketball had arguably its best season under Jamie Dixon. Can they build off of that and make a second weekend for the first time under their head coach?
The tradition continues! It’s another year of our countdown of the top 100 preseason teams in college basketball until the start of the season. Each day, we will reveal the next team until we reach the team slotted at number one. Up next: TCU basketball.
Jamie Dixon knows a thing or two about winning. He dominated the Big East and ACC at Pitt, and turned a TCU program that struggled to finish with 15 wins in a season into a perennial NCAA Tournament team. Last year, they went 23-12, the best winning percentage for Dixon at TCU, and won a tournament game. The 11 wins were also most in conference play, passing the previous best of nine.
They lose their top guy from last year in David Punch, who heads to Texas. However, they bring back two of their top three scorers in Xavier Edmonds and Micah Robinson, as well as a third starter in Brock Harding. Joining them in the starting lineup is Gavin Sykes, the talented freshman who averaged nearly 20 a game. While he almost certainly won’t repeat that performance, he is still a quality scorer they’ll rely on.
Luke Bamgoye will hold down the paint, giving them a massive boost defensively. He’ll have to stay healthy, which held him back last year. Edmonds can move to the five if needed, but having both on the court will be a dangerous duo. Off the bench, they’ll bring back Tanner Toolson, who can give them solid minutes.
The one player to keep an eye on, though, is Trent Lincoln. Lincoln is the number one JUCO recruit, like Edmonds was. He’ll be a true make-or-break player, like Edmonds was last year. Hopefully, for TCU, they go 2/2 in the category.
Dixon has been knocking on the door of a second weekend appearance at TCU for a while, losing in the Round of 32 three times in the last five years. Hopefully for him and TCU fandom, that comes true this season.
Head coach: Jamie Dixon (24th season overall, 11th at TCU)
2025-26 record: 23-12 (11-7)
2026 postseason finish: Lost to Duke (81-58) in second round of NCAA Tournament
Notable departures:
- David Punch (14.1 PPG, 6.8 RPG, 2.0 APG)
- Jayden Pierre (10.1 PPG, 2.1 RPG, 2.8 APG)
- Liutauras Lelevicius (8.0 PPG, 3.4 RPG, 0.7 APG)
Notable non-conference games:
- vs. Texas A&M (Nov. 19)
- vs. Miami-Fla (Nov. 24) – Players Era
- vs. Creighton OR Michigan (Nov. 26) – Players Era
- TBD (Nov. 27) – Players Era
- at Notre Dame (Dec. 5)
- vs. Clemson (Dec. 12)
Projected Rotation
PG: Brock Harding (6-0, 160, Sr.)
2025-26 stats: 8.0 PPG, 2.9 RPG, 5.6 APG, 1.7 SPG, 37.2 FG%, 64.6 FT%
SG: Gavin Sykes (6-4, 215, So.)
2025-26 stats: 19.4 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 1.5 APG, 47.3 FG%, 38.7 3P%, 79.5 FT% (Long Beach State)
SF: Micah Robinson (6-6, 230, Jr.)
2025-26 stats: 10.9 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 1.7 APG, 1.2 SPG, 39.2 FG%, 33.3 3P%, 75.9 FT%
PF: Xavier Edmonds (6-8, 252, Sr.)
2025-26 stats: 12.7 PPG, 6.5 RPG, 1.2 APG, 1.0 SPG, 0.9 BPG, 57.0 FG%, 43.6 3P%, 64.4 FT%
C: Luke Bamgboye (6-10, 223, Jr.)
2025-26 stats: 4.5 PPG, 3.4 RPG, 0.5 APG, 1.7 BPG, 50.8 FG%, 71.1 FT% (Texas Tech)
6: Trent Lincoln (6-3, 190, Jr.)
2025-26 stats: 19.4 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 6.1 APG, 33.1 3P%, 69.1 FT% (JUCO)
247Sports Composite No. 1 ranked JUCO recruit
7: Tanner Toolson (6-5, 191, Sr.)
2025-26 stats: 7.7 PPG, 3.2 RPG, 0.9 APG, 0.7 SPG, 37.0 FG%, 72.6 FT%
8: DJ Thomas (6-9, 237, So.)
2025-26 stats: 6.6 PPG, 2.1 RPG, 0.6 APG, 49.5 FG%, 62.5 FT% (West Virginia)
9: Ryan Hunt (7-0, 258, Jr.)
2025-26 stats: 14.9 PPG, 11.9 RPG, 2.1 APG, 57.5 FG%, 45.5 3P% (JUCO)
10: Ricards Aizpurs (6-6, 220, Fr.)
Played for Star Alliance in Italy last season
TCU basketball team MVP: Xavier Edmonds
Xavier Edmonds was the #1 JUCO recruit last year and decided to test his luck at TCU. He started slow as he adjusted to this level, scoring over 15 points once in the first eleven games. Then, something clicked, and in the final 24 games, he hit that mark 12 times. He also grabbed double-digit rebounds eleven times, and improved his defensive stats as well.
He shot extremely efficiently from the field, with 57-44-64 splits. Now, with a full year of what we saw in conference play, he has the potential to be one of the best players in the Big 12. His great a great build and is really good at finding the right shot. Plus, with Bamgoye playing alongside him, this will help defensively, allowing him to shine even more.
TCU basketball make-or-break player: Trent Lincoln
Like Edmonds, Lincoln earned the title of being the #1 JUCO recruit, and after seeing what Dixon was able to do with Edmonds, Lincoln made the wise decision to join him. Now, Lincoln wasn’t as good as Edmonds at the level, and as we saw, it takes a while to go from JUCO talent to Big 12. However, if he can elevate his game to this level, this team becomes very dangerous.
He can be a huge piece off the bench, and perhaps steal Sykes’ minutes, who struggles as a defender. However, we’ve seen a ton of JUCO players not be able to adjust to this level, and that could mean this team takes a huge hit from a depth standpoint. Time will tell, but hopefully for him, it’s a great relationship between himself and the program.
Key statistic: Extra chances per game
Odds are, if you’re getting extra scoring chances, you’re converting, which usually means your chance of winning is going to be favorable. In fact, the top 12 in the category made the NCAA Tournament.
TCU finished 8th in the category, with 5.3 per game. The duo of Punch and Edmonds did such a great job of crashing the glass and creating these opportunities, and those 5.3 chances a game were at times the difference between a win and a loss.
With Punch gone, they’ll need Robinson to step up and fill that role. If they can continue to win that battle, this TCU basketball team is going to have a lot of success in 2027.
TCU basketball 2026-27 projections
Projected conference finish: 7th in the Big 12
Projected postseason ceiling: NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 Exit