Drew’s Desk: TCU women’s basketball wins Big 12 title

The Frogs capped off an incredible regular season with a Big 12 clinching win over Baylor in Waco.

TCU Women’s Basketball clinched its first ever Big 12 regular season championship this past week with a win on the road against number 17 ranked Baylor by a score of 51-48. The Frogs also took down Houston on Senior Night in Fort Worth earlier in the week by a score of 91-56. The dream season continues for the Frogs who have broken countless program records and are well on their way to the best season in program history. TCU now sits at 28-3 on the season and 16-2 in Big 12 play with six victories over top 25 teams. This team should be a two seed in the NCAA Tournament regardless of what happens in the Big 12 Tournament.

Historical Season

Sunday’s game was arguably the biggest regular season game in TCU Women’s Basketball history. It was a road game against TCU’s biggest rival, who was ranked number 17 in the country, for the Big 12 Championship in a packed Foster Pavilion. Not everything went the Frogs’ way on Sunday either as TCU struggled on the offensive end of the floor and the officiating was far from perfect. Despite all of these factors, the Frogs still found a way to win and finish off the best regular season in school history.

A big reason why TCU was able to come away with a win was the effort on the defensive end of the floor. The Frogs held Baylor to just 27.7% shooting from the field and 16.7% shooting from three as a team. This game was more proof that even on nights when TCU is not shooting the ball super well, they still have the talent to beat great teams. With this win, the Frogs have all but clinched a top sixteen seed in the NCAA Tournament, meaning they will host the first two rounds of March Madness. Frog fans will have hopefully two more chances to see the best team in program history play in the Schollmaier and should take full advantage.

The 2024-2025 season for TCU Women’s Basketball has already been a massive success and the Frogs have a chance to further cement this season in TCU history in the Big 12 Tournament and NCAA Tournament.

Sedona Prince

Another big reason TCU was able to come away with the win in Waco was a great game from Sedona Prince. Prince put up 16 points and 19 rebounds along with two blocks and an assist. Baylor is a very physical basketball team and the Bears battle very well on the boards, making 19 rebounds from Prince even more impressive. In close games, extra possessions and offensive rebounds are even more important and Prince leading TCU to a win in the rebounding department was key to the win. This TCU team is unique in that the Frogs have won multiple games against good opponents even when jump shots aren’t falling and Prince’s post presence on both sides of the floor is a big reason the Frogs won those games.

More Off-ball Sets for Madison Connor

With the Frogs currently riding a seven-game win streak, there are not too many things to improve upon, but there is one offensive tweak that could help the Frogs kickstart the offense on slow shooting nights. TCU’s slower offensive games tend to come against teams that take away Hailey Van Lith’s ability to work in the pick and roll by blitzing ball screens, meaning two defenders are focused on forcing Van Lith to pick up her dribble.

One way to exploit this style of defense is to run off-ball screens and plays for an elite shooter like Madison Connor while the on-ball screen is happening. The defense will then have to choose between sending help to Sedona Prince on the roll, leaving Connor open, or chasing Connor off the free throw line, leaving Prince open. The Frogs do run offball sets for Connor and leaning more into that offense could take some pressure off of Prince and Van Lith to create shots via pick-and-roll.

Highlight of the Week

Big 12 Champs for the first time in program history.

Looking Ahead

With the regular season coming to an end, the Frogs will next play in the Big 12 Tournament in Kansas City as the number one seed. The Frogs have a double bye and will play their first game at 1:30 p.m. on Friday against either Arizona, Colorado, or Houston.