TCU

TCU women installed as massive underdogs against No. 1 seed

By Jim Barnes

Updated March 30, 2026 9:44 AM

TCU women’s basketball has been favored in every game of the NCAA Tournament so far, but that won’t be the case in the Elite Eight on Monday.

Top-seeded South Carolina (34-3) is an early 13.5-point favorite over No. 3 TCU (32-5) in the Sacramento 4 regional final at 8 p.m. Monday in Sacramento, California.

South Carolina is -1000 on the money line — a bet on who will win the game regardless of the point spread — which implies a 91% chance of victory. The total — the combined points scored by both teams — is set at 132,5.

The Gamecocks crushed No. 4 Oklahoma 94-68 in the Sweet 16 on Saturday, while TCU pulled away for a 79-69 win over No. 10 Virginia.

⚡ Full coverage of TCU women in Sacramento regional:

→Frogs fall short against No. 1 South Carolina in Elite Eight: three takeaways

→What TCU has to do to become a program like South Carolina

→PHOTO GALLERY: Images from loss to South Carolina

→Battle with No. 1 South Carolina will show how far TCU program has come

→Three things Horned Frogs must do to upset Gamecocks

→How TCU's culture of joy helped Olivia Miles reach new heights

→Elite again: Horned Frogs pull away from Virginia in Sweet 16

→PHOTO GALLERY: Check out images from Sweet 16

→Regional is homecoming for TCU coach

→These two non-stars could hold key to TCU's fate

South Carolina has gone to five straight Final Fours, winning two championships during that run, under coach Dawn Staley. The Gamecocks also won the national title under Staley in 2017.

TCU has reached its second straight Elite Eight in the two best seasons in program history.

The Horned Frogs have been strongly favored in the first three rounds of the NCAA Tournament and are 2-1 against the point spread:

— Covering -34.5 in an 86-40 victory over UC San Diego in the first round

— Failing to cover -10.5 in a 62-59 overtime victory over Washington

— Covering -7.5 in Saturday’s 10-point win over Virginia

The Gamecocks have covered all three of their NCAA Tournament games by wide margins:

— Covering -52.5 in a 103-34 victory over Southern

— Covering -24.5 in a 101-61 victory over USC

— Covering -17.5 in the 26-point win over Oklahoma

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Jan. 9 or 10 at Washington, TBA

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This story was originally published March 29, 2026 at 12:02 AM.

Jim Barnes

Fort Worth Star-Telegram

Jim Barnes is the Star-Telegram’s sports editor. A Fort Worth native and graduate of Castleberry High School, he returned to Texas after 13 years at the Las Vegas Review-Journal. He previously was sports editor of the Waco Tribune-Herald and a freelance high school sports reporter for The Dallas Morning News.

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