No longer the underdog, TCU men’s basketball is expect to make run for this season’s Big 12 Championship.

The 2022-2023 Preseason AP Top 25 Poll ranked the Frogs 14th overall, their highest preseason ranking to date. The roster has lots of familiar names, including guard Mike Miles, the Big 12 Preseason Player of the Year.

Miles said he’d “never been ranked high in anything,” and had a “great feeling” about being selected as the Big 12 Preseason Player of the Year.

“I’ve been proving people wrong all my life, now I have to go prove people right,” said Miles.

Miles was the only Big 12 player last season to finish in the top six for points (15.2) and assists (3.8) and had eight 20-point games.

This marks TCU’s first time a player was selected for Big 12 Preseason Player of the Year. Miles was one of three unanimous selections on the Preseason All-Big 12 Team and was also named to the Bob Cousy Award Watch List, which is given annually to the best point guard in the nation.

Forward Emanuel Miller joined Miles in preseason honors as he was voted preseason All-Big 12 honorable mention. Miller enters his senior season following a year where he ranked 10th in rebounds within the Big 12, averaging 6.2 per game along with 2.4 offensive boards, which ranked seventh.

Another bright spot for the Frogs, is the return of Shahada Wells who only played in seven games last year before he was shut down due to a knee injury. Playing for UT Arlington the season prior, he averaged 16.8 points (ranked fourth in the Sun Belt Conference), 3.4 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game on a blistering 39.7 percent from 3-point range.

“I think we knew we could improve ourselves with him coming back this year,” said head coach Jamie Dixon during the Big 12 Basketball Media Day. “The guards is where we thought we had to get better and him being healthy, playing for us this year is a big part of that.”

As if fans weren’t already excited, TCU hoops (mens and women’s teams) hosted the inaugural Schollmaier Live on Friday night with Grammy-award winning special guest, Ludacris. The event included a series of competitions such as the 3-point challenge, hot shot, and knockout. The highlight of the night came when center Souleymane Doumbia proposed to his girlfriend with their daughter in her arms.

UP NEXT

Fresh off a scrimmage victory against Alabama on Oct. 16, the Frogs will look to carry over the momentum into the season-opening exhibition game against Paul Quinn on Oct. 30 at Schollmaier Arena at 4 p.m.