TCU Women's Basketball Hits Road For Top-25 Test

No. 12 TCU will visit No. 21 Texas Tech for a key game in the Big 12 title race.

TCU head coach Mark Campbell and his squad will play at Texas Tech on Sunday. | Brian McLean - On Assignment Photo/KillerFrogs.com for TCU On SI

Pressure is starting to build in the Big 12 title race as No. 12 TCU women’s basketball (20-2 overall, 8-1 Big 12) heads to Lubbock on Sunday to face No. 21 Texas Tech (20-3, 7-3). 

The matchup looked like a potential battle for first place in the conference standings 10 days ago, but has taken on a new look following a couple of losses by Texas Tech. Still, there is plenty at stake in this meeting between two high-level Big 12 teams.

If the Horned Frogs can pull out the road win, that would create more separation in the Big 12 title race between them and the Red Raiders and bolster their NCAA Tournament resume. For Texas Tech, a win keeps them in the conference title hunt. The Red Raiders would need help along the way to reach the top spot (namely, losses by TCU and Baylor, also 8-1 in the Big 12), and holding the tiebreaker over the Horned Frogs could prove valuable as the season progresses.

Tipoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. from United Supermarket Arena and the game will be televised on FS1.

Last Time Out: TCU

TCU outlasted Kansas 79-77 Thursday evening at Schollmaier Arena. Guard Olivia Miles scored a team-high 20 points and dished out six assists. Guard Donovyn Hunter added 15 points on 5-of-9 shooting, including a perfect 3-of-3 from 3-point range to start the game.

The Horned Frogs let a 30-17 first quarter lead disappear over the course of the third and fourth quarters. Kansas cut the lead to two points a couple times, but TCU always had an answer. 

Starters Clara Silva and Marta Suarez fouled out with about 5 minutes left in the game and the Horned Frogs leading 67-61. Freshman guard Clara Bielefeld and senior guard Veronica Sheffey hit key shots over the final minutes to help TCU pull out the win. 

Last Time Out: Texas Tech

Texas Tech's Snudda Collins handles the ball against Kansas State during a Big 12 Conference women's basketball game, Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026, in United Supermarkets Arena. | Nathan Giese/Avalanche-Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Texas Tech suffered its third loss in four games after falling to Iowa State, 84-70. The Red Raiders trailed the entire game and got outscored 40-14 inside the paint. 

Senior guard Sidney Love tallied a team-high 17 points while hitting the 1,000-career point mark. Before this game, Love had broken double-digit scoring one other time this season. 

Bailey Maupin scored 16 points to move into fifth place all-time in career scoring at Texas Tech, surpassing Sheryl Swoopes. Maupin, a senior guard, also grabbed five rebounds. Guard Snudda Collins came off the bench to add 16 points, a steal, and a block. Collins, a transfer from Ole Miss, averages 15 points per game while shooting 44% from the floor and 42.4% from three.  

Scouting Texas Tech

Texas Tech started the season 19-0, including a 6-0 start in Big 12 play. That start caught many off guard as the Red Raiders were predicted to finish 13th in the Big 12 preseason coaches poll. 

Losses to Kansas State, BYU, and Iowa State over the last two weeks have slowed down the hot start. The Red Raiders' lone win over this recent four-game stretch came at Utah. 

Defense has been a key to the Red Raiders’ unexpected start, holding opponents to 56 points per game on 34.8% shooting. Those numbers have taken a slight dip against Big 12 competition at 62 points per game and 40% shooting, but those are still top five numbers in the conference. TCU is slightly above the Red Raiders, allowing 59.6 points on 37% shooting to Big 12 opponents. 

The Red Raiders force nearly 19 turnovers per game in Big 12 play and rank second in the conference with 92 total steals. This could be an area of concern heading into the game, as TCU averages 16 turnovers in conference play. Over the last seven games, the Horned Frogs have committed fewer than 15 turnovers just once. 

Texas Tech's Bailey Maupin attempts to shoot against Kansas State during a Big 12 Conference women's basketball game, Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026, in United Supermarkets Arena. | Nathan Giese/Avalanche-Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

On offense, Texas Tech scores 73.8 points per game, led by Maupin with 15.3 points. The senior from Gruver, Texas has spent her entire career in Lubbock and, as a result, gradually improved as a player every season. She has earned All-Big 12 Honorable Mention honors twice during her career and was named Big 12 Player of the Week honors on Jan. 12 after averaging 22 points on 52% shooting, including 60% from 3-point range, against West Virginia and Cincinnati. It was the first time a Red Raider earned the honor since January 2023. 

Texas Tech’s starting frontcourt features 6-2 forward Jalynn Bristow and 6-3 center Sarengbe Sanogo. Like TCU’s centers Clara Silva and Kennedy Basham, one player excels on offense and the other is relied on more for defense. Silva averages 10.7 points, a team-high 8.2 rebounds and 2.0 blocks per game while Basham puts up 3.5 points, grabs 4.1 rebounds and blocks 1.6 shots per outing. 

Like Silva, Bristow is Texas Tech’s offensive weapon down low with 11.7 points per game. She also snags a team-high 6.6 rebounds per contest, leads the Big 12 in blocks per game (2.1) and has 31 total steals. Sanogo shines on defense, blocking 1.3 shots per game to go with 4.7 points on 59.7% shooting and 3.6 rebounds. 

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