No. 8 TCU women’s basketball still has plenty to prove in Big 12 Tournament
The feelings from clinching the Big 12 title on Sunday are finally subsiding for TCU as the Horned Frogs’ women’s basketball team turns its focus to the Big 12 Tournament in Kansas City which begins Wednesday.
After accomplishing so much during a historic season, including likely locking up a top-16 seed in the NCAA Tournament, it would be easy for the top-seeded Horned Frogs to coast in Kansas City, but TCU still feels like it has plenty left to prove.
“This group is hungry,” head coach Mark Campbell said. “They have a chip on their shoulder, they’ve had a chip on their shoulder all season. It’s what makes this group so special. We’re going to go there and see if we can cut the nets down there.”
Even though TCU has wins over Baylor, Notre Dame and North Carolina State, the Horned Frogs don’t feel like they’ve arrived just yet on a national level with powerhouses like UConn, UCLA and South Carolina.
But winning the conference tournament would send another message nationally that the Horned Frogs are indeed Final Four contenders and that’s plenty of motivation for first All-Big 12 guard Madison Conner
“I think we always have something to prove in the back of our heads,” Conner said after the win over Baylor. “We’re doing something for the first time at TCU every time we do something. We have goals set for this team and we want to prove everybody wrong.
“This is a great thing to have under our belt and this is a great thing to have under our belt, but at the end of the day it doesn’t matter what you have on your resume. You have to win a game or go home, we definitely still have some stuff to prove.”
TCU won’t find out its first opponent until Thursday and the Horned Frogs will face either Arizona, Colorado or Houston. Here are the biggest storylines for TCU in the Big 12 Tournament:
Who will be the first opponent?
The Wildcats are the highest ranked seed among possible TCU’s opponents and Arizona should be considered the favorite to meet TCU in the quarterfinals. Houston went just 1-17 in league play while Colorado went 18-11 and 9-9 in the Big 12. The Buffaloes will be heavy favorites over the Cougars, but Colorado is just 4-9 away from Boulder.
The Horned Frogs faced all three teams in the regular season and defeated all of them by double digits including Arizona on the road. Regardless of who makes it to the quarterfinal, the Horned Frogs will be heavy favorites and it’ll be a major upset if they lose early.
Biggest challengers
Kansas State and Baylor will be TCU’s biggest hurdles in the Big 12 Tournament as both teams have qualities that the Horned Frogs struggle with. Both teams have long, athletic guards that can pester Hailey Van Lith and enough size to contend with Sedona Prince in the paint.
The Horned Frogs have shown they’re the better team than Baylor by sweeping the season series and the Horned Frogs led almost wire-to-wire in both games. Defeating a team three times is difficult, but TCU will be confident if the team faces Baylor again. The Bears are the No. 2 seed so a third game wouldn’t occur until the Big 12 championship game.
The Wildcats could be a potential opponent in the semifinals after landing as the No. 5 seed. Kansas State defeated TCU 59-50 in Manhattan behind a sound defensive strategy that made life tough on TCU’s guards. The Wildcats also defeated TCU without their best player Ayoka Lee, but Kansas State enters the tournament on a slump having lost three of their last four games. K-State will also be playing their third game in three days due to only having a single bye.
It could still be a tough matchup as K-State fans are known to travel well. West Virginia is another possible semifinal opponent, but the Mountaineers have struggled away from Morgantown
Biggest question for TCU
The biggest factor for TCU will be how well Prince plays in Kansas City. The senior earned first team All-Big 12 honors and a spot on the All-Defense team after a stellar second season with the Horned Frogs. Campbell said that TCU goes as Van Lith goes and while she was voted Player of the Year, it’s Prince that really makes TCU unique.
Prince is a 6-foot-7 center that is averaging almost 17 points, 10 rebounds and over three blocks a game. She’s also shown she can stretch the floor with a nice mid-range shot and Prince has made major strides as a finisher in the pick and roll. If she’s on her game, then there aren’t many teams in the country that can beat TCU.
Biggest X-factor?
TCU knows what it has with Conner, Prince and Van Lith, but who could have the biggest impact outside of them? One candidate is guard Donovyn Hunter, who was recently inserted into the starting lineup against Arizona State on Feb. 19. Hunter’s new role has alleviated some of the ball handling pressure on Van Lith, who began to face more double teams in league play.
Hunter has excelled at breaking the press and is another quality facilitator that has allowed Van Lith to slide to the shooting guard spot and look for her own offense. Hunter is also a quality defender and has helped TCU hold its last three opponents under 60 points.
Biggest dark horse?
Outside of TCU and Baylor, Iowa State may be the hottest team in the league with the Cyclones having won six of their last seven games including a blowout win over Kansas State. Iowa State’s frontcourt duo of Audi Crooks (23 ppg, 7.7 rpg) and Addy Brown (14.7 ppg, 7.8 rpg, 5.2 apg) is among the best in the country and they combined for 60 points while holding Prince scoreless when TCU defeated Iowa State in Ames on Feb. 2.
The Horned Frogs could face the Cyclones again in the Big 12 Tournament championship game.
This story was originally published March 5, 2025 at 8:54 AM.
