TCU notebook: How healthy are the Horned Frogs? Who will be the X-Factor in the NCAA Tournament?

There’s no wide eyes on TCU’s roster as they prepare for yet another trip to the NCAA Tournament with a matchup against No. 8 seed Utah State on Friday.

Two years ago, the veterans of the Horned Frogs roster were just ecstatic to make the tournament and to be in the March Madness mix. Now this same core led by seniors like Emanuel Miller and fourth-year junior JaKobe Coles is headed to Indianapolis on a mission.

“We’ve got the experience of what the tournament feels like and what to look forward to,” Coles said. “Going into it, it’s about being more focused and being more locked in. We appreciate the moment, but we’ve already had this moment and it’s all about execution and going to win the game.”

On Selection Sunday, Miller said TCU had to play like its life was on the line against the Aggies to advance and while it may sound dramatic for a number of players on the roster they are playing their basketball lives as Friday could be the last game for some of them.

Miller is determined to make sure that won’t become a reality for any of his teammates.

“I told them this won’t be our last game,” Miller said. “We will not go out like that. We’re going to compete, we’re going to fight and we’re going to make it to the next round. That’s what I told them.”

Coles reiterated the same type of mentality and it’s not that either of them is overlooking the Aggies, it’s more about how determined this roster is to continue to build the TCU basketball program up.

From the battles with Gonzaga, Arizona and Arizona State the last two seasons in the NCAA Tournament, the Horned Frogs have a much better understanding of what it takes to advance in the chaotic single elimination tournament than they did in year’s past.

“I was actually talking with a friend about how TCU is becoming a new norm of playing in March Madness,” Miller said. “The experience me and my group have, now we have the jitters out the way and we can really just focus on where we’re at, at that moment.”

Here’s a few more takeaways pre-tournament takeaways:

A Great challenge

The Horned Frogs didn’t know a lot about Utah State on Selection Sunday. But as a few days passed, TCU has a better understanding of what awaits. The Aggies aren’t a one-man team, but TCU will come into the contest with its top priority being to slow down Great Osobor. A key reserve at Montana State last season, Osobor followed coach Danny Sprinkle to Utah State and took his game to another level to become a first team All-Mountain West Conference selection.

“His name is Great, so what else do you need to know?” coach Jamie Dixon joked. “He’s lived up to his name, he’s gotten better. Didn’t play a lot at Montana State, (Sprinkle) brought him with him, so that’s unique. He’s a way better player than he was at Montana State, they play through him. He can face and drive it, he’s a playmaker, somewhat undersized, but doesn’t play like it.”

Listed at 6-foot-8, 250 pounds Osobor can be a load to handle in the paint. However, TCU has seen its fair share of talented big men from Kansas’ Hunter Dickinson, Baylor’s Yves Missi and Houston’s J’Wan Roberts among others. Osobor may not be naturally talented as that trio, but he’s just as productive at 18.0 points, 9.2 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game on 58 percent shooting.

Osobor has been held to single digits just three times this season and will come into Friday having scored 19 or more in three straight contests. The Horned Frogs will try to make his supporting cast beat them, so you can expect a steady dose of double teams and traps. If Osobor can be slowed down then TCU’s chances of victory increase.

Avery the X-factor?

If there’s one player TCU needs a boost from it’s Avery Anderson. The Oklahoma State transfer started the season strong with his speed in transition being a catalyst for the Horned Frogs’ high-powered fast break offense, but since the month of February Anderson has struggled with his shot and on defense at times.

Anderson has scored in double figures just twice in the last 12 games and had multiple games where had more turnovers than assists. Despite the last season slump, Dixon hasn’t lost any confidence in the senior guard and is still encouraging him to be aggressive.

“He’s a great kid, he’s going to play his 20-25 minutes like he has the whole time,” Dixon said. “He’s coming off the bench right now, but we’ve always thought we had six or seven starters between those guys. We talked to Avery in practice yesterday, we thought there were some times he passed up a catch and shoot 3 which he needs to take. Sometimes he tends to over-penetrate, but I think his defense continues to improve along with Jameer’s.”

Regardless if Anderson’s shot is falling, Dixon just wants him to see him defend at a high level. If he does it should lead to more run outs where he’s at his best. TCU will need somebody to step in the back court with Utah State having a quality guard in Darius Brown.

Injury update

TCU won’t be 100 percent healthy in Indianapolis, but the Horned Frogs will have everybody on the roster available. Miller didn’t practice on Monday and said his ankle was still swollen after hurting it against Houston in the Big 12 tournament, but the all-conference forward said there was no way he wouldn’t play on Friday.

“I’ll force myself to play,” Miller said. Ernest Udeh is another player still dealing with a nagging injury after missing six games in the late stretch of the season.

“We’re banged up a bit, Ernest hasn’t been the same,” Dixon said. “We’re better with him on the floor defensively. He misses games down the stretch, didn’t practice before the Big 12 tournament, we’re doing some things he shouldn’t be doing, but we’re in that position. I wish it was a perfect world.”

Reserve big man Essam Mostafa also took a hard hit to the face that impacted his teeth and kept him out of both games at the Big 12 tournament. With Osobor’s size it’ll be all hands on deck, so TCU will need Miller, Udeh and Mostafa to be ready for a physical battle inside.