Elite Eight battle with South Carolina will show how much TCU has progressed
Dec. 8, 2024, is a notable date for TCU women’s basketball.
It was the day that the Horned Frogs suffered the worst loss of the Mark Campbell era, 85-52 to South Carolina at Dickies Arena.
It was a measuring stick for Campbell’s program, and the Horned Frogs entered that game 9-0, flying high with ranked wins over Notre Dame and North Carolina State. The big three of Hailey Van Lith, Sedona Prince and Madison Conner felt like they had arrived, but the Gamecocks quickly reminded the Horned Frogs that there are still different levels at the top of college basketball.
On Monday, TCU will be able to see how far the program has come as the No. 3 seed Horned Frogs will face the top-seeded Gamecocks at 8 p.m. on ESPN for the chance to reach the Final Four.
It’s a poetic in sense that the Gamecocks are the program TCU must go through to reach another historic milestone. The defeats to South Carolina and fellow SEC juggernaut Texas in the Elite Eight were learning experiences for Campbell, who shaped this year’s roster to be more prepared the next time it faced South Carolina.
“As we hit the portal, we did try to add some size to all different positions,” Campbell said. “That was intentional. We got the opportunity to play South Carolina at Dickies, and then playing Texas in the Elite Eight, one thing I thought we had to do to try and close that gap — one of those areas was size.
“I think we did a great job going out and building a roster, where we were a little bigger and stronger this year.”
A tall order for TCU
On his mission to find more size and toughness, Campbell was successful in signing three players listed at 6-foot-3 or taller. One of those additions was the 6-3 Marta Suarez, a versatile stretch forward who became an All-Big 12 selection and could be a first round pick in the WNBA draft.
TCU also added 6-7 centers Clara Silva from Kentucky and Kennedy Basham from Arizona State. Freshman wing Clara Bielefeld also stands at 6-4 after arriving from Germany.
The Horned Frogs aren’t just one of the oldest teams in the country, they’re also now the tallest. South Carolina and Texas were able to push TCU around last season, but Campbell is hopeful those additions will help TCU be more prepared for the physicality it will face Monday.
“Rebounding against South Carolina, you have to be able to battle them on the boards,” Campbell said. “If they punk you and can get offensive rebounds and shoot layups, you have no shot. Defensively, they have some of the best post [players] in college basketball. To be able to defend and hold your own against them, so you don’t have to double. Hopefully we can play them straight up.”
South Carolina’s leading scorer is the 6-3 Joyce Edwards, who averages 19.9 points and 6.4 rebounds, while the 6-6 Madina Okot ranks third with 13.5 points and leads the team with 10.9 rebounds.
Not only are they dominant in the post, the Gamecocks have a trio of guards who excel in the pick-and-roll and get easy shots. The matchup in the post could decide the outcome.
“Kennedy Basham is gonna have to have a huge role against these guys, and we’re gonna need both Silva and Basham in order to hold our own inside against them,” Campbell said.
The Miles effect
Adding size was necessary for TCU to close the gap, but the biggest difference is Olivia Miles. The Big 12 Player of the Year is coming off of one of her best performances as a Horned Frog with 28 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists in the win over Virginia in the Sweet 16.
It’s Miles’ first appearance in the Elite Eight, and when asked what the biggest difference is between this version of TCU and last year’s, Staley pointed to Miles.
“Olivia Miles changes things for them,” Staley said. “She’s obviously a scorer, playmaker. She can do a lot with the basketball. She definitely puts her players in positions of being able to probably do a little bit more than what they normally do because of her ability to pass the ball.”
Staley knows a thing or two about point guard after she was a two-time national Player of the Year at Virginia.
She was just as successful in the WNBA, becoming a six-time All-Star from 2001-06. To receive that type of praise meant a lot to Miles and only added to her eagerness to finally face one of the greatest coaches in the game.
“That’s awesome. Dawn is such an icon. She was just an incredible point guard,” Miles said. “I’m excited to compete against her, but I’ve always had the most utmost respect for her. I love any sort of point guard who’s touched the game in a positive way and seeing what she’s done as a player, coach, USA basketball, you name it.
“She’s just incredible, so I’m just excited to finally meet her tomorrow and play against her.”
Lessons learned
There aren’t many players on the roster who experienced the blowout to South Carolina. The big three are gone, along with key rotation players like Agnes Emma-Nnopu.
Juinor guard Donovyn Hunter is one of the few rotation players back and thinks that experience will be the key to pulling off an upset Monday.
“To be able to play them last year was definitely like a steppingstone for understanding the severity of what’s it going to be like playing them tomorrow,” Hunter said. “Dawn’s an amazing coach, and her team is also amazing.”
As for how they match up this year, Hunter also believes the influx of size could even the odds.
“We have way more size, we have another vet roster of people that have been here before,” Hunter said. “I just think the chemistry that we have of understanding the severity of the game. I think the maturity of it [will help], I’m hopeful that all of us will go into game with the right mindset.
“It’s two different teams from last year’s to this team, but I think overall all of us are just eager and excited for this game, so we’ll go into the game a lot more focused.”
The players aren’t the only ones who believe they have a different mindset.
“I am so much wiser than a year ago in understanding how to take on and attempt to take on some of these blue bloods,” Campbell said. “They’ve been here, and this what is what they do every year. I just think our preparation — I feel much better with it. Getting our players’ mindsets right, what we’re up against, how to attack it. I do believe that will help our preparation.
“It’s tall task playing these guys, they’re a 1-seed for a reason. The more you’re in this, I think the more prepared everyone is in our village. I’m thankful for last year’s experience and it’s gonna put us in a better position tomorrow.”
TCU believes it has taken strides since last season, and South Carolina will be the ultimate test of how much the program has grown.
This story was originally published March 29, 2026 at 6:15 PM.
