Drew’s Desk: TCU WBB goes 2-0 to stay tied for first in the Big 12

The Frogs picked up two double digit wins this past week over BYU and Arizona.

TCU Women’s Basketball picked up two solid wins this week with a victory in Fort Worth over BYU by a score of 79-47 and a gutsy win on the road over Arizona by a score of 85-73. The Frogs beat two teams they needed to beat to stay in the race for a Big 12 regular season title and have the easiest remaining schedule of the teams tied for first. The number 10 ranked Frogs moved to 24-3 on the year and 12-2 in Big 12 play this year with the wins this week.

Poise

At first glance, TCU’s double-digit margin of victory win over a 15-12 Arizona team that is just 6-8 in Big 12 play this season seems like an inconsequential game that the Frogs should have won. However, this win is more impressive than a simple victory over an unranked team. Arizona is very much on the bubble for March Madness and could have used a win over a highly ranked opponent to strengthen the resume. Wildcat fans were well aware of the stakes of the game and packed the McKale Memorial Center, creating a daunting atmosphere for the Frogs to walk into. If that wasn’t enough, the Wildcats were on fire from beyond the three-point line, knocking down 12-18 attempts from three as a team, good for a percentage of 66.7. Arizona also played an aggressive style of defense, trapping ball screens and working in a full-court press. Up against all of that pressure, the Frogs displayed tremendous poise to build a lead, withstand multiple Arizona runs, and close the game strong. Both Hailey Van Lith and Madison Connor did a great job of making smart decisions with the basketball against traps from Arizona. TCU guards found Sedona Prince on the short roll leading to a numbers advantage for the Frogs and easy buckets in the paint. The Frogs handled the pressure very well, limiting turnovers and making 88.9% of their free throws as a team. TCU’s two conference losses came on the road in hostile environments and the win over Arizona was a sign that the Frogs have learned and grown from previous losses on the road.

Team Rebounding

The Frogs are excellent at many aspects of the game, but one aspect that is often underrated is their willingness to battle for rebounds. The Frogs average 39 rebounds per game as a team and have an average rebounding margin of +7.7 per game which ranks 24th in the nation. The Frogs outrebounded BYU by a tally of 43-31 and Arizona 30-23. Prince is a big reason for the Frogs’ success on the boards as she averages 9.0 rebounds per game which ranks towards the top in the country. That said, the rest of the roster does a great job of battling for both offensive and defensive rebounds. Agnes Emma-Nnopu collected four offensive rebounds against BYU and two offensive rebounds against Arizona. Donovyn Hunter grabbed five rebounds against BYU and three rebounds against Arizona from her guard spot off the bench. TCU’s willingness to hustle and fight for extra possessions via rebounding has been an underrated key to success this season.

Press Break

One area for improvement for the Frogs is their press break as both Kansas State and Arizona were able to force turnovers by running a full-court press against the Frogs. Once the regular season comes to a close, teams will start running more full-court press, especially in late-game scenarios and TCU needs to do a better job breaking the press. One quick adjustment for the Frogs to make is to stop inbounding the ball into the corner as much as they did against Arizona. The goal of a full-court press is to create a trap on the ball in an awkward position to cut off passing lanes and force turnovers. Passing the ball into the corner sets the defense up for a perfect trap where the ball handler has nowhere to dribble or pass. TCU needs to draw up inbounds plays on their press break that gets the basketball to the middle of the floor.

Highlight of the Week

It was very fun to watch Madison Connor knock down threes all game against her former team.

Looking Ahead

The Frogs have an important two-game stretch this week with a road game at Arizona State on Wednesday at 7:30 pm and a huge home game against number 18 ranked West Virginia next Sunday at 11:00 am.