No. 23 TCU hopes to continue historic winning streak in Big 12 play
TCU women’s basketball expected to show improvement in Mark Campbell’s first season, but the Horned Frogs haven’t just improved, they’ve reset expectations.
TCU set a new program record with 13 straight victories and an undefeated record in the non-conference that earned the Horned Frogs a spot in the Associated Press Top 25 poll. The Horned Frogs currently sit at No. 23 ahead of their Big 12 opener against BYU at 4 p.m. Saturday.
Before taking a deeper look at the Cougars, it’s important to remember just how impressive the quick turnaround has been under Campbell.
In the last two seasons of the Raegan Pebley era, the Horned Frogs combined for just two 14 wins. Now TCU is in a position to potentially win 20 games for the first time since pre-COVID.
The most impressive thing about the turnaround is how quickly the collection of transfers Campbell brought in have gelled and taken to their roles. It was expected that Sedona Prince could have a big year as she’s a WNBA type of talent and was productive with Oregon when Campbell was on the staff.
The two-time Big 12 Player of the Week is averaging 21 points, 10.7 rebounds and 3.3 blocks a night. Prince has been playing at an All-American level which isn’t a surprise.
The breakout year of Arizona transfer Madison Conner is a surprise and is a big reason TCU has been able to take the country by surprise. Conner is averaging 22.5 points and 6.2 rebounds per game while shooting nearly 43 percent from 3.
Conner averaged less than six points in her last two seasons at Tucson. Campbell believed she was capable of producing so much more and his eye for talent and development helped him discover one of the top transfer portal prospects.
Stanford transfer Agnes Emma-Nnopu is another that had a smaller role at her previous school and has now become a double-digit scorer with 10.1 points per game and over seven rebounds per contest.
In many ways Campbell and this group have already achieved most of the goals they set to accomplish in year one, but the opportunity to reach the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2010 is a real possibility.
The Horned Frogs already secured a marquee win over Nebraska on a neutral court. A few more wins like that in conference play and the Horned Frogs will be dancing in March.
Here’s an early look at BYU and how TCU can continue its historic winning streak:
Deep shots
Both teams will enter Saturday’s contest with two of the best 3-point shooting offenses in the country. The Cougars (10-3) are shooting nearly 40 percent behind the arc as a team. At 39 percent BYU leads the Big 12 in 3-point percentage and is currently 11th nationally.
Kailey Woolston and Kaylee Smiler have been the catalysts with both shooting over 50 percent from 3. Woolston is second on the team in scoring at 14.5 points per game while averages 7.5 while hitting 58 percent of her 3-point attempts.
TCU’s 3-point defense has been elite so far with teams only shooting 21 percent including the Horned Frogs limited Nebraska to just 27 percent in their 88-81 win in late November. If TCU can keep BYU under 30 percent, then it should pave the way for win No. 14.
Battle of the bigs
Two of the conference’s best bigs will square off when Prince meets BYU’s Lauren Gustin. Through 13 games, Gustin leads the nation in total rebounds (202), rebounding average (15.5), defensive rebounds per game (10.8) and double-doubles (11).
She’s a few games away from breaking BYU’s all-time rebounding record and is also averaging 16.9 points while shooting 56.2 percent from the field. Prince has the advantage as a rim protector and Gustin also struggles from the free throw line as she’s only making 41 percent of her attempts.
Gustin is also only 6-foot-1, so Prince will have the side advantage at 6’7. Gustin will be a formidable challenge, but if Prince keeps doing what she’s been doing then she has what it takes to neutralize BYU’s best player.
Ball security
One recurring theme in BYU’s losses is the Cougars’ tendency to give the ball up to the opposition. In a disappointing loss to Missouri State, the Cougars turned it over 25 times in an ugly 56-55 defeat. It’s not just in losses either, as a team BYU is averaging over 18 turnovers a game.
The Cougars have struggled without a standout point guard which has been the exact opposite for TCU. Baylor transfer Jaden Owens has been the floor general Campbell envisioned as she averages 7.6 assists per game. In the month of December Owens had 50 assists, no player on BYU has more than 50 for the season.
As long as TCU takes care of the ball, BYU should give the Horned Frogs ample opportunities to seize control of the game.
