A 13-18 record isn't something you want tattooed on your arm or engraved on your steering wheel.

Not after being surrounded by winners in high school, prep school and junior college like Greg Hill was.

But the current basketball season at Texas Christian University, to say the least, has been a test of patience and perseverance for the 6-foot-2 shooting guard from Gary and a graduate of Merrillville High School.

Hill's Horned Frogs are seeded No. 7 in the Mountain West Conference Tournament and face second-seeded BYU later this week in Las Vegas. Forget that BYU crushed TCU last Saturday night, 107-77. Hill already has.

"Our big drawback is figuring each other out. Everybody, sometimes, is on different pages," Hill said. "When we're on the same page, we're great."

TCU gave host and New Mexico -- ranked No. 8 nationally and the top seed in the MWC tournament -- a scare at the infamous Pit last Wednesday night, losing 73-66 before a crowd of 14,586. And the Horned Frogs were shorthanded, too, with only seven players available.

In their blowout loss to BYU, they held an early 14-point lead.

"People who help us by coming off the bench and giving a lot of minutes have been injured," said Hill, who averaged eight points per game for the regular season and 10 ppg in conference play. "(Subbing) is no ego thing for me. I prefer coming off the bench and bringing a spark. Everybody already knows I can play."

That being on the same page, by the way, has nothing to do with five TCU teammates coming from Croatia, Serbia, Lithuania and Africa. All speak English. All attended prep school or junior college in the states.

Communication is not a problem. Fundamentals are.

"Turnovers kills us," Hill said. "They're silly mistakes."

Thank heaven for conference tournaments, right? If TCU comes in relatively healthy, Hill sees no reason the Horned Frogs can't make headlines and go dancing. After all, six of their losses are by nine points or less.

"It's the perfect time to turn the season around now," he said. "No one on our team feels that we can't. We've been in every game. With us, it comes down to the last five minutes."

Hill signed a letter of intent in 2007 to play at Purdue, but failed to qualify academically on two ACT tests. So he spent a year at Bridgton Prep in Maine and then two seasons at Midland Junior College in Texas as the Chaparrals won 61-of-69 ballgames.

At TCU, there's no time to rest on your laurels. Not if you want to see the floor.

"Everything needs to be fine-tuned. I'm not where I should be, where I want to be," Hill said.

Coach Jim East stresses defense at Merrillville. Happy with your defense now?

"I will be this week," Hill said. "I get to guard one of the top guards in our league -- Jimmer Fredette. He won the (first two meetings) but this is the one that really counts. It all starts over."

The fearless Hill is a SportsCenter highlight in the making. He loves to take a charge, make a steal and dive after loose balls as if a $50 gas card were taped to each.

"There's been games when I'd fly into the stands. I got the bruises," Hill said.

Any crowd surfing moments this season that stand out?

"Too many to remember," he chuckled.

This column solely represents the writer's opinion. Reach him at al.hamnik@nwi.com.