TCU may have just landed the kind of late surprise that can change the feel of a season.
Robbie Avila, the 6-foot-10 big man who has piled up 132 career starts at Indiana State and Saint Louis, is reportedly finalizing a deal to play for the Horned Frogs this year. Pete Thamel reported Thursday that the sides are “close” to finishing the deal and that Avila is expected to head to campus this week. Avila has 1,990 career points and was the A-10 Player of the Year after averaging 12.8 points, 4.5 rebounds and 4.1 assists last season.
Avila’s path to TCU came after a messy eligibility situation. He had been working through the courts in search of a fifth year, and the assumption had been that he would simply return to Saint Louis.
Once he was granted an injunction to play, that seemed to be the plan. But the Billikens already had a full 15-man roster, and because of a prior settlement agreement, they could not add him officially.
That opened the door for TCU.
The Horned Frogs are 3-0 to start the 2026-27 season and just survived a double-overtime scare against Louisiana Monroe. They already have some size up front, with returning forward Xavier Edmonds putting up 13 points and 8.3 rebounds per game and freshman forward DJ Thomas averaging 13.3 points.
Even so, this is not a huge roster. Backup center Ryan Hunt is the only player in the rotation taller than 6-foot-9.
That’s where Avila could matter right away.
He would give TCU another frontcourt body, but the bigger value might come on the offensive end. Avila and starting guard Brock Harding, who is averaging 8.3 points, could form a strong passing connection, and the Horned Frogs have enough shooters to benefit from that kind of playmaking on the perimeter. Through three games, TCU is hitting about 42% from three, though that number has come against weaker competition.
Still, this is not a plug-and-play move without some risk.
Avila was on Saint Louis’ sidelines for its last game and has not spent any time with TCU, so there will be a transition period. He also won’t be asked to be the centerpiece of the offense the way he has been before. And defensively, he’ll have to handle Big 12 big men, which is a different level of physical challenge than what he saw in the MVC and A-10.
The schedule stiffens quickly, with Notre Dame, Miami and Texas A&M coming up in non-conference play. Whether Avila is ready to suit up for those games remains to be seen. But for TCU, the upside is obvious enough to justify the gamble, even if the downside is real too.
In Other News...
TCU Just Landed A Frontcourt Answer Jamie Dixon Really Needed
TCU has found a timely frontcourt boost in Robbie Avila, the reigning A-10 Player of the Year from Saint Louis University, who is set to transfer to the Horned Frogs after being blocked from playing for the Billikens because of roster limits. The move gives Jamie Dixon a much-needed answer inside, and it comes with a built-in advantage for TCU, which has a roster exemption that lets the program add Avila without running into the 15-player cap.
Avilas path to Fort Worth has been shaped by more than just roster math. A preliminary injunction opened the door for him to pursue a fifth year of eligibility, and that makes his arrival especially valuable for a TCU team looking to address a clear positional need. For Dixon, it is the kind of addition that can change the feel of a frontcourt quickly, even if the full impact of the move will only become clear once Avila gets on the floor. [Read more 🡒]
TCU Could Get A Huge Midseason Boost If One Thing Breaks Right
TCUs basketball outlook could get a notable midseason jolt if Robbie Avila gets through the enrollment process in time. The former Saint Louis guard is expected to join the Horned Frogs after a legal fight over NCAA eligibility rules, and his path to Fort Worth has already been shaped by a Missouri state court ruling that gave him a permanent injunction to play despite roster limits.
The timing still matters, though, because Avilas debut hinges on when he officially enrolls in the academic calendar. If everything lines up, TCU could have him available as soon as November 19, giving the Horned Frogs a possible boost right as the season starts to take shape. [Read more 🡒]
TCU Let Another Cathartic Win Slip Away Under Sonny Dykes
TCU has been living through a string of losses that have cut deeper than the usual bumps of a college football season, and the frustration around Sonny Dykes tenure has only grown with each one. The Horned Frogs have taken their share of bruises against Colorado, SMU, Arizona State, Kansas State and Georgia, a run of defeats that has left fans alternating between anger and exhaustion while the program keeps trying to push forward.
The latest gut punch came against Arizona, where TCU played well enough to feel like it had a cathartic win in hand before letting it slip late. Those are the kinds of losses that linger, because they do not just show up in the standings, they hang over everything else, from the way the team is judged to the way every future close game is viewed. [Read more 🡒]