TCU Women's Basketball Repeats as Big 12 Champions

For the second straight season, No. 11 TCU women’s basketball claimed an outright Big 12 Conference regular season title in the season finale with a 65-53 win over No. 18 Baylor.

TCU (27-4 overall, 15-3 Big 12) became the first team in Big 12 history to win back-to-back titles within three seasons of finishing in last place. A win at Cincinnati last Wednesday guaranteed TCU at least a share of the conference title and Sunday’s victory sealed the deal.

With a championship net draped around his neck, head coach Mark Campbell made it clear this title meant more than just repeating. “I'm just so proud. This group is different than last year’s. This group started off with the preseason pressure of being picked number one to win the league. And it doesn't happen often, but you finish the regular season number one, and that's an 18-game grind over three months. And so it's incredible what this group's accomplished so far. And they're not done yet.”

Campbell has won conference titles three out of five seasons as a head coach. Sacramento State claimed the Big Sky regular season and tournament titles during the 2022-23 season under Campbell.

The Horned Frogs extended their home winning streak to an NCAA-best 42 games in front of 6,330 fans on the same day the basketball version of College GameDay made its debut in Fort Worth.

“Just special,” TCU guard Olivia Miles said of the entire day’s festivities. “Special to even have the opportunity to do it on our home court. And that's kind of what the emphasis was. We can literally cut nets on our home court to end the season. And it was just special that week leading up, finding out we're going to have College GameDay, and then, I don't know, just enjoy the moment.”

TCU has now beaten Baylor (24-7, 13-5) five straight times, dating back to last season. Prior to that, the Horned Frogs' last win over the Bears came in 1990.

The first meeting in Waco this season on Feb 12 was headlined by Miles and forward Marta Suarez as the duo single-handedly matched Baylor’s scoring output in an 83-67 victory. Miles and Suarez put together another offensive showcase at home, combining for 40 points.

“I think that the thing that's so special about that team is that they have a Batman and a Robin, and you don't know which is Batman and which is Robin on any given night,” Baylor head coach Nicki Collen said. “And when one is struggling, the other steps up and then vice versa.”

Suarez posted her second double-double in three games with 21 points, including 5-of-6 from 3-point range, and 11 rebounds. Miles added 19 points and nine rebounds. Guard Taylor Bigby cracked double-digit scoring as well, with 12 points for TCU.

TCU's Marta Suarez battles against Baylor for the outright Big 12 title in Fort Worth. — TCU's Marta Suarez during the Horned Frogs final Big 12 regular season game against the Baylor Bears | On Assignment, Brian McLean for KillerFrogs.com | TCU On SI

Miles and Suarez have emerged as one of the best duos in college basketball since joining forces this season. They consistently lead TCU in scoring and set the team’s overall tone every day.

“I think we just were intentional,” Suarez said of their relationship. “First of all, [Olivia] gave me a lot of confidence to be the player that I am, but then understanding, hey, the both of us together can do some very special things. Let's invest in it from every aspect of the relationship possible.”

Added Miles: “It's an intentionality. Intentionality to want to get along with people and want to do it for the better of the team. Like, we understand that it's way bigger than us, but it starts with us.”

Miles also dished out three assists, putting her three dimes shy of the program record for assists in a single season. Guard Hailey Van Lith set the record last season with 204 assists.

Baylor guard Taliah Scott posted 17 points while guard Marcayla Johnson added 11.

TCU nearly let a 19-point lead slip away over the final 15 minutes. Suarez nailed a 3-pointer to punctuate a 9-0 scoring run for a 40-21 advantage with 6:01 left in the third quarter. Baylor called a timeout and climbed back within 13 points before Bigby nailed a corner 3-pointer.

The lead dwindled to 12 points at the end of the third quarter, and then Scott took over for Baylor. She scored 10 points over a two-minute span to cut TCU’s lead to 55-47 with 4:29 left. Miles answered by scoring six points of her own, then center Clara Silva and Bigby added layups to put away the Bears.

Defense kept the Horned Frogs alive throughout the game, as it has all season, especially when neither team could make a bucket over the final three minutes of the first half and shot sub-30% from the field over the first 20 minutes.

“We force teams into a lot of difficult shots,” Miles said. “And even Taliah, she scored a lot towards the end, but those shots were tough. And making shots difficult is our identity.”

Baylor shot 34% (20-of-58) for the game while TCU was just shy of 40% (21-of-53). The Horned Frogs forced 16 turnovers, but coughed up the ball 18 times.

Scott gave Baylor its only lead of the game at 2-0 on a pair of free throws just over a minute into the game. Miles and Suarez eventually started clicking on offense, and TCU built up a 12-point lead in the second quarter. The Horned Frogs led 26-15 at halftime as Miles and Suarez combined for 21 points.

TCU has won six straight games since losing 80-79 at Colorado on Feb. 8. The Horned Frogs took out three top-20 teams along the way and are primed to host NCAA Tournament games for the second consecutive season.

“We haven't hit our ceiling, but we have had so much growth since we lost at Colorado in a heartbreaker,” Campbell said. “And since then it's been a juggernaut.”

Prior to the game, TCU honored seven seniors: guards Bigby, Miles, Veronica Sheffey, and Maddie Scherr, forwards Suarez and Natalie Mazurek, and center Kennedy Basham.

Postseason Implications

TCU secured the No. 1 seed in the upcoming Big 12 Tournament. The tournament starts on Wednesday, March 4, but the Horned Frogs earned a double bye into the quarterfinals on Friday, March 6. TCU will start its tournament title defense against either No. 8 seed Utah, No. 9 BYU, or No. 16 Houston.

Earlier today, ESPN released its latest women’s NCAA Tournament projections. TCU remained a three seed and is No. 11 in the projected top 16 seeds (host seeds) list as released by the NCAA. South Carolina is the No. 1 seed in TCU’s portion of the bracket, which is the Fort Worth Regional 3.

The last top 16 seeds list will be released on March 14, with the teams listed in alphabetical order as a teaser to ESPN’s NCAA Tournament selection show on March 15. NCAA Tournament projections could shift this week as conference tournaments unfold across the country.

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