TCU men’s basketball coach Jamie Dixon says he likes the idea of a nonconference game in January, which the Horned Frogs will play Saturday against Auburn as part of the Big 12-SEC Challenge, to break up a stretch of 18 conference games to conclude the regular season.
Dixon said a win by the Horned Frogs (14-6) over Auburn (13-7) in Schollmaier Arena could benefit the team in efforts to land an at-large berth in the NCAA Tournament because it should boost the team’s RPI rating.
“At first, the coaches didn’t like it being during conference play. I actually like it being in the conference season,” Dixon said, noting that a strong showing by Big 12 teams during Saturday’s 10 games might move the league past the ACC in this year’s rankings of the nation’s top conferences.