TCU Women's Basketball Standing Strong in Big 12 Standings, Tournament Projections

No. 11 TCU women’s basketball posted another 2-0 week, putting it in a prime position to win a second consecutive Big 12 Conference regular season title and host first and second round NCAA Tournament games.

Big 12 Title Picture

With just two games left in the regular season, the conference title race is coming down to three teams. TCU (25-4 overall, 13-3 Big 12) sits above No. 18 Baylor and No. 17 West Virginia in the Big 12 standings. The Bears improved to 13-4 on Monday with a win against Kansas State, and the Mountaineers are 12-4. Both teams have lost to the Horned Frogs this season.

TCU will claim at least a share of the conference title with a win at Cincinnati on Wednesday and a top-three seed in the upcoming conference tournament. The Horned Frogs would become the first team to repeat as Big 12 champions within three seasons of finishing in last place.

As last season, the regular-season finale between TCU and Baylor on Sunday, March 1, will have conference title implications. TCU can claim the conference title outright with the midweek victory and a season sweep of Baylor.

ESPN’s College GameDay will be in town for that final showdown. It's the first time in program history the show will be on campus for basketball, airing a live show inside Schollmaier Arena at 10 a.m. on Sunday. Admission is free and seating is on a first-come, first-serve basis.

Big 12 Conference Tournament

The conference tournament starts Wednesday, March 4, in Kansas City at the T-Mobile Center. Teams ranked 1-4 in the conference standings will receive a double bye to the quarterfinal round, and teams 5-8 will receive a first-round bye. A win on Wednesday ensures TCU’s tournament run will start on Friday, March 6.

Donovyn Hunter and the TCU women's basketball team are on track to host NCAA Tournament games. | Brian McLean - On Assignment Photo/KillerFrogs.com for TCU On SI

Bracketology: TCU & The National Picture

TCU’s spot in the latest NCAA Tournament projection remains largely unchanged from last week. The Horned Frogs are still a No. 3 seed with Idaho (14 seed), Alabama (6 seed), and Rice (11 seed) coming to Fort Worth for the NCAA Tournament’s first and second rounds. A shift from Sacramento Region 2 to Sacramento Region 4 puts TCU in the same bracket as No. 1 seed Texas.

UConn, UCLA, South Carolina, and Texas remain the top seeds. LSU, Michigan, Vanderbilt, and Iowa are now the No. 2 seeds, with Iowa replacing Louisville. The Cardinals dropped to a three seed. Based on NET rankings and WAB - both metrics used by the tournament selection committee - TCU is seeded about right. The Horned Frogs rank 11th in NET and 15th in WAB behind the teams on the two-seed line.

If TCU can win the regular-season title and reach the conference tournament championship, that might put it in the No. 2 seed conversation. The Horned Frogs would also need help from teams ahead of them, like losses in the final week of the season or falling short of expectations in their conference tournaments, to move up a seed.

Bracketology: Big 12 Projections

The Big 12 has seven teams projected in the Big Dance. TCU is the highest-seeded team, followed by West Virginia as a 5 seed. Colorado moved from “First Four Out” into the field, while Arizona State, Utah, and Kansas are the first three teams left out.

Here’s where all the Big 12 teams are projected to go. Teams are listed by seed, followed by the host school for the first and second rounds.

Fort Worth Region 1	Seed	Host School
Baylor	6	Maryland (3 Seed)

Fort Worth Region 3
Colorado	12	Michigan State (4 Seed)

Sacramento Region 2
West Virginia	5	Oklahoma (4 Seed)
Texas Tech	6	Louisville (3 Seed)
Oklahoma State	8	UCLA (1 Seed)

Sacramento Region 4
TCU	3	TCU
Iowa State	9	Texas (1 Seed)

First Four Out
Arizona State
Utah
Kansas

Next Four Out
BYU

TCU is firmly in the tournament field, but seeding is where opportunity is won or lost. A strong finish could change the path entirely. In March, placement matters, and the Horned Frogs still have time to improve theirs.