TCU
New Orleans
Preview: New Orleans
11/1/2025 7:46:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Season-opener to take place Monday at 7 p.m.
FORT WORTH – TCU will open its 115th season of men's basketball on Monday with a 7 p.m. game against New Orleans. The game in Schollmaier Arena will air on ESPN+. Radio coverage of all games this season will be on Talk Radio 1190 AM KFXF and streamed on GoFrogs.com, the Riff Ram App, Varsity App, TuneIn and iHeart.
NOTES
- The Horned Frogs are 77-37 all-time in season openers and have won 18 of their last 19, including their last 11.
- TCU lost 73.1 percent of its scoring and 68.6 percent of its rebounding among eight players last season.
- TCU returns nine players and welcome seven newcomers as well as two others who redshirted last season.
- TCU returns six "scholarship" players from last season, the second most in the Big 12 only to Houston's nine.
- Of TCU's returning players, four averaged over 10 minutes per game last season with David Punch (20.4), Micah Robinson (14.1), Jace Posey (12.8) and Malick Diallo (10.9).
- Punch is the team's leading returning scorer and rebounder at 6.4 points and 4.4 rebounds per game.
- Making up the bulk of the backcourt are newcomers Brock Harding (Iowa) and Jayden Pierre (Providence).
- Harding ranked fourth in the Big Ten with 5.3 assists last season and averaged 8.8 points.
- Pierre averaged 12.3 points and a team-best 3.2 assists last season.
- Newcomers on the wing are Oregon State transfer Liutauras Lelevicius and Utah Valley transfer Tanner Toolson.
- TCU will have three players at the center position with Diallo, Salt Lake Community College transfer Xavier Edmonds and FIU transfer Vianney Salatchoum.
- When RJ Jones enters the game, it will have been 595 days since his last game played on March 19, 2024 as a Kansas State Wildcat at Iowa when Harding was a freshman there.
- Jones redshirted last season at TCU along Ashton Simmons as both will add depth to the TCU backcourt.
- On the roster are four of TCU's top nine recruits since 247Sports began tracking in 2000. Freshman and Fort Worth native Kayden Edwards is the third-best recruit TCU has had.
- The only freshman on the team, Edwards led Duncanville High School to a Class 6A State Championship last season and was named tournament MVP.
- TCU's schedule consists of five teams currently in the Preseason AP Top 10 and eight in the Top 25.
- For the second-straight year, TCU was picked 10th in the Big 12 Preseason Poll, voted on by the league's coaches.
- It is Jamie Dixon's 10th season with the Horned Frogs. His 504 career wins ranks 21st among active coaches.
- Dixon was inducted into the Southwest Conference Hall of Fame in August.
- Dixon is one of just 11 active head coaches who have made at least 15 appearances in the NCAA Tournament.
SERIES HISTORY
- TCU is 2-0 all-time against New Orleans with the last meeting taking place on Nov. 20, 2014, an 86-71 win by the Horned Frogs in Fort Worth. Brandon Parrish led TCU with 22 points. Kenrich Williams came off the bench to score 10 points in his first season with the Horned Frogs.
- TCU assistant coach Jamie McNeilly played for New Orleans in 2003-07, earning a degree in interdisciplinary studies.
ABOUT THE OPPONENT
- New Orleans went 4-27 last season, 2-18 in the Southland Conference.
- The Privateers are led by Stacy Hollowell in his first season as the head coach.
- New Orleans defeated Sacramento State, 89-76, in an exhibition game on Oct. 18. All-Southland Conference guard Jakevion Buckley scored a team-high 25 points on 7-of-11 shooting from the floor and added eight assists.
- On staff is Percy Miller, also known as Master P. he serves as President of Basketball Operations, Assistant Coach.
LAST TIME OUT
- TCU downed Tarleton State, 88-54, in an exhibition on Oct. 19 in Stephenville.
- David Punch had a team-high 15 points and six rebounds. Liutauras Lelevicius had 11 points and Kayden Edawrds scored 10 points in under 10 minutes of play.
UP NEXT
- TCU will host Saint Francis on Thursday at 7 p.m. The game will air on TNT and will be preceded by the TCU women's basketball game at 4 p.m.
