No. 10 TCU women seek program’s first Big 12 title against rival No. 17 Baylor
It all comes down to this.
No. 10 TCU’s final regular season game at No. 17 Baylor at 5:30 p.m. Sunday on FS1 will decide the Big 12 conference regular season title and the No. 1 seed in the upcoming women’s Big 12 Conference Tournament in Kansas City starting March 5.
It’s the ultimate winner take all game and though it’s been said countless times this season, this next game will be the biggest in program history.
“It’s what March Madness is all about,” head coach Mark Campbell said after TCU’s win over Houston on Feb. 25. “You want to be playing meaningful games in February. I believe it’s literally the last game of the league, truly the last game of the Big 12 season and they’re an elite team that’s playing high level hoops right now.”
It’s fitting that the Horned Frogs (27-3, 15-2) have to go through the Bears (25-5, 15-2) for the program’s first Big 12 title as TCU was one of the many teams that endured blowout after blowout at the rise of the Baylor dynasty under Kim Mulkey and star player Brittney Griner.
For players like Sedona Prince, it’s an opportunity to secure a championship against a program she grew up idolizing as a young basketball player in Texas.
“I grew up as a Baylor fan first before I was a Texas fan,” Prince said. “I watched Griner (a lot), it’s special, it’s going to be fun. We beat them at home here and that was an amazing win and historic for the program. But it’s just another game, just another team. I’m excited.”
Emotions will be high with the rivalry matchup and the fact TCU defeated Baylor for the first time since 1990 on Jan. 26 in Fort Worth. The Bears certainly will look to avoid the season sweep and maintain supremacy over TCU.
Here’s everything you need to know about the rematch with the Bears:
Limiting the leader
One reason TCU was able to defeat Baylor in January was the defense on leading scorer Darianna Littlepage-Buggs. The combo forward had one of her worst games of the season against the Horned Frogs, who limited her to just seven points on 1-of-8 shooting from the field — well below her season average of 14.3 points and 54% shooting from the field.
Buggs still grabbed 14 rebounds and remains one of the best rebounders in the country with an average of 10.5 per game. But if she’s off her game scoring wise, Baylor isn’t the same team. Buggs was held to single digits in four of Baylor’s five losses including being held to eight points by UCLA and five points by Indiana.
Making life difficult for Buggs should be priority No. 1 for TCU.
Guard the 3
This will be a matchup between the two of the best 3-point shooting teams in the country. Baylor ranks inside the top-25 in 3-pointers made and the top-35 in 3-point field goal percentage. TCU ranks in the top-10 in both 3-point percentage and 3-point field goals.
The primary shooter TCU must account for is Sarah Andrews. Andrews helped lead Baylor back from a 21-point deficit by knocking down five 3s in the first matchup. The rest of the Bears only combined to make three, but Baylor still has other shooters besides Andrews. Yaya Felder and Jada Walker are two more players shooting above 38% from the 3-point line.
TCU shot 60% from 3 in the first matchup while holding Baylor to just 31%. A similar showing would bode well for TCU in Waco.
Handle the pressure
If there’s one weakness TCU has shown this year, it’s been against aggressive ball pressure on defense. Kansas State shut down TCU’s vaunted offense with a full court press while Baylor forced 16 turnovers in the first matchup. That played a big part in Baylor being in the game late in the fourth quarter.
It should be expected that Baylor comes out even more aggressive trying to guard TCU guards Hailey Van Lith and Madison Conner. That’s where Donovyn Hunter comes into the mix. The sophomore guard will be a X-factor for the Horned Frogs after she was recently inserted into the starting lineup against Arizona State on Feb. 19.
Hunter’s strength as a ball handler and as another playmaker could be the difference against the Bears and her presence could allow Van Lith to focus more on scoring. Van Lith had seven turnovers in the first matchup, but Hunter’s insertion into the lineup has allowed her to play more off ball and she scored 26 points in wins over West Virginia and Houston.
Hunter could be the perfect answer to Baylor’s ball pressure.
