TCU Women's Basketball Faces Must-Win Test vs. No. 12 Baylor

The time is now for the TCU women’s basketball team to make its case for why it’s worthy of claiming the Big 12 crown. After some lackluster results, the Horned Frogs have tumbled down the standings, and the room for error has grown exponentially thin. Gone are the days when Mark Campbell’s squad can be comfortable that no team can catch them. The hunters are lurking — TCU (21-4, 9-3 Big 12) must find a way to escape.

TCU’s next mettle test comes in the form of the rival Baylor Bears. Baylor (21-4, 10-2), which comes into the contest ranked No. 12 in the country — the highest-ranked Big 12 team in the land — is a formidable foe that won’t be easy to pin down. That’s a fairly obvious statement, of course, as it was the Bears that gave TCU some of its toughest battles during last year’s magical run to the Elite Eight.

Should the Horned Frogs want to take home the Big 12’s grandest prize, then they’ll need to take down the Bears. As mentioned earlier, the time is now to make the TCU name known. All the team has to do is go out and seize the day.

Stopping Taliah Scott is Key for the Frogs

Baylor Bears guard Taliah Scott (0) celebrates after winning 72-70 over Iowa State in the Big-12 women’s basketball on Jan. 4, 2026, at Hilton Coliseum in Ames, Iowa. | Nirmalendu Majumdar/Ames Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Sophomore guard Taliah Scott is the heartbeat and the soul for Baylor. It’s cliché, but without her fantastic play, the Bears wouldn’t be at the top of the conference.

Through 24 games this season, Scott has put on a masterclass. She’s averaged 20.3 points per game on 39.7% shooting from the field. She’s making an impressive 34% of her shots beyond the arc as well. To cut a long story short, all she does is score. Put a basketball in her hands, and it’s most likely going into the basket. It would be in TCU’s best interest to limit those possibilities as much as humanly possible.

Scott’s not the only key piece that Baylor has to offer. Senior forward Darianna Littlepage-Buggs is also averaging double-digit points with 10.7. She’s also a star at collecting rebounds, as she’s averaging 10.8 — a career high — so far this season. Bella Fontleroy, a senior forward from Springfield, Missouri, is also a fine player for Baylor. She’s right on the cusp of double figures at 9.8 points per game, but don’t let that fool you — she’s consistently put up more than that over the past couple of weeks. She scored 17, 14, and 12 points against Houston, West Virginia, and Cincinnati, respectively, which signals that she can break out and make a team pay for doubting her at any moment.

The Bears Sport a Fine Resume

Only two Big 12 teams — Texas Tech and West Virginia — have gotten the best of the Bears. The rest have been maneuvered through like hot butter in a microwave. It’ll be the Frogs’ goal to not be another one of those victims.

In nonconference play, Baylor picked up an impressive victory over Duke but fell in its other top-25 matchups against Iowa and Texas. Other than those losses, the Bears have been flawless.

What’s Next for the Horned Frogs?

TCU’s crucial contest will start at 6 p.m. CT at Foster Pavilion in Waco, Texas. After that, it’ll take on No. 19 West Virginia at Schollmaier Arena in Fort Worth, Texas, on Feb. 15.

Stopping Taliah Scott is Key for the Frogs

The Bears Sport a Fine Resume

What’s Next for the Horned Frogs?

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