Analysis: Sedona Prince shows why she’s key to deep March Madness run for TCU women’s basketball
Hailey Van Lith may be TCU’s best women’s basketball player, but when it comes to most valuable, that title belongs to Sedona Prince.
Prince was the difference maker in the Horned Frogs’ 73-51 NCAA tournament-opening win over 15th-seeded Fairleigh Dickinson with 16 points, 10 rebounds and three blocks. Prince’s ability to impact the game on both ends is why she’ll be the biggest key if the Horned Frogs make a deep run in March Madness.
The Horned Frogs struggled early against the feisty Knights as FDU made a game plan to get around Prince’ shot-blocking ability. The Knights lived in the mid-range and were able to get Prince in early foul trouble.
Without her on the court, FDU shot 50% in the first quarter led by center Teneisia Brown. Brown scored 10 points in the opening quarter, all of them in the paint as she was a mismatch for anybody besides Prince.
Brown started the game 5-of-6 from the floor, but once Prince checked back in the game at the 8:28 mark, she showed why she made the Big 12 All-Defense team.
Brown went 4-of-16 the rest of the way with multiple attempts being blocked by Prince. The matchup against Brown was a good opening test for Prince as Brown is the exact type of player that the Horned Frogs could face the deeper they get in the tournament, beginning with Sunday’s matchup against Louisville in the Round of 32.
She was more athletic than many of the centers Prince faced in the Big 12 and also had the ability to step out and hit mid-range shots. But when Prince locked in she was able to neutralize her and that’s when the game began to change in TCU’s favor.
“She’s a super athletic kid, I just didn’t want to let her get anything easy,” Prince said. “I wanted to take away her outside shot, which I struggled with early in the beginning, but down the stretch I just put my hands up and made shots hard for her. Just giving her nothing easy in the paint.”
The Knights struggled to maintain their early efficiency with Prince avoiding foul trouble in the second half.
FDU shot just 28% in the second half and only scored 10 points in the paint in the final 20 minutes. It was the type of performance defensively by Prince that only a few players in the country can match.
“Sedona is so gifted as a post defender,” head coach Mark Campbell said. “She can dictate shots without getting in foul trouble. I think she’s the best defensive player in the country, she leads the country in blocked shots, but that doesn’t count all the shots that are altered.
“You’ve got kids throwing shots at the basket because of her presence. It’s really hard to get easy buckets around the rim and it kind of negates post players around the rim.”
Offensively Prince started slow, but as the game wore on her size and touch was too much for the smaller FDU frontline. Prince scored eight in the third to help break the game open and most of her points were layups at the rim.
She’s instant offense once she gets settled in the post and provides balance for a team that shoots a lot of jumpers
Van Lith is spectacular and dazzled the crowd in the second half with an eight point flurry in the fourth quarter. Madison Conner may be the best shooter in the nation and she nailed four 3-points and scored 23 points in the win over the Knights.
The two are as dynamic a backcourt duo as any in the country, but it’s the 6-foot-7 Prince that gives TCU a limitless ceiling in March Madness.
“We’ve built our defensive scheme around her gifts and talents,” Campbell said. “She cleans up a lot of errors on blow bys and poor closeouts. She’s 6-7 and she’s long, but her mind and her spacing and her ability to challenge shots and stay out of foul trouble is incredible.”
She’s the best shot blocker in the country and also able to produce 20 and 10 on a given night. Prince is one of the most unique players in the country and gives TCU a great chance to reach the program’s first Sweet Sixteen.
This story was originally published March 21, 2025 at 5:33 PM.
