Not too long ago, I had an epiphany. After a late night of the usual college activities, which would eventually end with Whataburger, I came to the conclusion that when it was all said and done, the TCU men’s basketball season could give me hope.That’s right. I said “TCU men’s basketball” and “hope” in the same sentence. Contrary to popular belief around campus, the sky doesn’t fall when the two phrases are in the same sentence (but just in case, take cover).
Mind you, this was my thinking when the losing streak was at seven and since then, has spread like an infectious disease and has turned into an 11-game skid.
The date that has been circled on my calendar for a month now, Feb. 24, should give fans a hint as to whether the program can eventually become serious again. Of course, Feb. 24 is upon us, and tomorrow, Air Force, a top 15 team in the country and a team that punched its ticket to the Big Dance long ago, comes to Daniel-Meyer Coliseum for a 1 p.m. tip-off.
Enter hope.
Not convinced that head coach Neil Dougherty is capable of defeating a nationally-ranked opponent, let alone win a game, with a team in the midst of yet another losing season? Look no further than three years ago when Dougherty enjoyed what has turned out to be arguably his signature win in TCU’s 25-point embarrassment of then-No. 10 Louisville. The Frogs were 9-12 before the win, and the confidence they gained from the win undoubtedly helped springboard them to 21 wins and an NIT appearance the following season. But, this still doesn’t change the fact Dougherty has gone 20-55 in conference play in nearly five seasons.
When witnessing the postgame pandemonium at mid-court on ESPN, you could tell hope was on the way. One could tell because the fans in attendance believed it could happen. This feeling has been absent in the coliseum the past few seasons, and when a team goes 16-40 over two seasons, you’re lucky just to have players’ parents and other relatives show up.
With a 1 p.m. Saturday gametime maybe students will bring a football-type atmosphere, which has been in hibernation since December, to the coliseum for just one game.
Since the NCAA tournament selection committee doesn’t look too kindly upon 10-15 clubs in the middle of 11-game losing streaks, consider tomorrow to be our March Madness. What seems like the impossible can become reality, but they need our help.
Besides, what happens if we win? Will you be joining me as we storm the court after the game, acting as if we’ve never done that before? Now, that is hopeful thinking.
