What TCU's Women's Elite Eight Run Proved And Why It Changes Everything

Another NCAA Tournament run is done.

TCU Didn't Just Make a Run, They Closed the Gap

As TCU women’s basketball bowed out in the Elite Eight for the second straight season, it became clear this program is gaining steam on the elite teams in women’s college basketball but remains a couple of steps behind.

Perennial Final Four teams like South Carolina, TCU’s Elite Eight foe, and UConn have established winning traditions over many, many years to attract the top prospects. As the Horned Frogs make deep tournament runs, more of those recruits will come to Fort Worth.

For a program just three seasons removed from a 1-17 Big 12 campaign, reaching back-to-back Elite Eights is an incredible accomplishment. In fact, the Horned Frogs are one of five programs to reach the Elite Eight in consecutive seasons and one of six to reach at least 30 wins in 2024-25 (34-4 overall) and 2025-26 (32-6 overall). TCU also joined South Carolina as the only Power Conference teams to repeat as regular-season champions.

Still, the ultimate goals remain a Final Four appearance and, eventually, a national championship.

TCU got on the national stage almost overnight through the transfer portal, yet reaching the next level requires a few more things falling into place. The 78-52 Elite Eight loss against South Carolina showed what those things might be and how another recruiting cycle can keep TCU on the right track.

What Separated South Carolina From TCU

South Carolina ultimately reached its sixth straight Final Four with a 26-point victory, but the scoreboard failed to capture the whole picture.

TCU hung with South Carolina through three quarters, something it failed to do last season when these two teams met in early December. The Gamecocks outdid the Horned Frogs in every aspect of an 85-52 win at Dickies Arena. Comparing these games is difficult because these are completely different TCU teams at different points in the season, but the program’s overall growth showed in the Elite Eight matchup.

Defense Built This Team And It's Here to Stay

The Horned Frogs gave the Gamecocks a better game because of their size and defense, which ranked among the best in the country. Those two things should remain strengths for this program moving forward.

Kennedy Basham, a 6-7 center, exhausted her eligibility this season, but 6-7 rising junior center Clara Silva showed flashes of what could make her a dominant player. Behind Silva, the Horned Frogs have two more towering frontcourt mates in 6-8 freshman Sarah Portlock, who took a redshirt this season, and 6-7 rising sophomore Emily Hunter.

TCu womens basketbal — Mar 8, 2026; Kansas City, MO, USA; TCU Horned Frogs center Clara Silva (17) drives to the basket during the second half against the West Virginia Mountaineers at T-Mobile Center. Mandatory Credit: William Purnell-Imagn Images | William Purnell-Imagn Images

Defense has been a priority since head coach Mark Campbell arrived in Fort Worth three years ago. TCU has quietly become one of the best defensive teams in the nation and finished this season in the top five nationally in field goal percentage (34%, No. 3) and top 20 in scoring (56.9, No. 19).

Where the Game Slipped Away

Yet, the Horned Frogs could not quite hit the breakthrough moment in the Elite Eight because of the Gamecocks’ depth and physicality.

South Carolina held the lead from the end of the first quarter on despite their second-leading scorer and projected first-round 2026 WNBA draft pick guard Ta’Niya Latson only posting three points on 1-of-5 shooting.

Her teammates picked up the slack as four players reached double-digit scoring led by forward Joyce Edwards with 24 points. The most "surprising" scoring output came from guard Akot Makeer. Makeer finished with 18 points after averaging seven points per game this season.

This overall stat line is sort of the norm for South Carolina this season as five players average 10 or more points per game.

For TCU, guard Olivia Miles and forward Marta Suarez combined for 36.7 points per game and made up 47% of the Horned Frogs’ scoring this season. This formula worked well within the team’s system and, of course, players like Silva and guards Donovyn Hunter and Taylor Bigby had games where they took on more of the scoring load based on the game's flow.

Rebuilding a Contender Isn't Slowing Down

That approach can continue to work at an elite level, but when the leading scorers struggle, the role players must step up more consistently. Against South Carolina, Suarez rolled her ankle right before halftime and finished with nine points. That injury slowed her down a little bit, and TCU’s offense took a step back as a result.

Inconsistent offensive performances was sort of an achilles for TCU this year and South Carolina took advantage. The Gamecocks’ 14-0 run to open the final quarter, combined with the Horned Frogs' 0-of-7 start from the Field, ultimately flipped the game.

South Carolina womens basketball — Mar 30, 2026; Sacramento, CA, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks guard Raven Johnson (25) pushes the ball up the court during the first quarter of the game against the Texas Christian University Horned Frogs in an Elite Eight game in the Sacramento Regional 4 of the women's 2026 NCAA Tournament at the Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Ed Szczepanski-Imagn Images | Ed Szczepanski-Imagn Images

South Carolina wore down TCU with a very physical approach as well. The Gamecocks controlled the rebounding margin, 52-24, and scored 15 more second-chance points (21-6). This differential also stems from the Gamecocks' use of their bench as nine players logged 10 minutes or more compared with seven reaching that mark for the Horned Frogs.

Building depth is an ongoing process, and TCU head coach Mark Campbell started addressing it last offseason. This team had nine players averaging over 10 minutes per game throughout the season, compared with seven on the 2024-25 roster.

The Core Is Still There for Another Run

Reaching consecutive Elite Eights was a tall task, and doing so with a roster featuring 10 new faces added another layer of difficulty. TCU will have similarly high expectations going into next season, even with seven players departing. Another roster rebuild is on the horizon, but it might not feature so many new faces.

Assuming no one enters the transfer portal, the Horned Frogs have seven players returning in 2026-27. Silva and Donovyn Hunter will headline the group alongside guards Clara Bielefeld and Taliyah Parker, centers Hunter and Portlock, and forward Aaliyah Roberson. Roberson sat out this season with an ACL injury.

Who Has to Take the Next Step

Silva is the clear leader at the center position and will need to take another step forward during the offseason. She improved a lot this year, but physical teams wore her down at times. Basham set the example of a more physical style, which is a posture Silva will need to adapt moving forward.

As a senior, Hunter is the veteran on this team. Next year will be her third year in the program, and her expectations keep rising. She will continue to be the defensive leader and likely be relied on more as a scorer than in past seasons. Her scoring average improved from 5.9 as a sophomore to 10.2 as a junior.

The Horned Frogs will look for a high-volume scoring guard in the transfer portal, but Hunter can become that second scoring option based on her offensive development over the last two seasons.

Roberson’s return gives the Horned Frogs a stretch forward who can hit 3-pointers consistently. She played in all 38 games during the 2024-25 season and led the team in 3-point shooting percentage at 48.3%.

Bielefeld and Parker should take on larger roles as sophomores while Hunter and Portlock will battle it out for minutes behind Silva. Bielefeld appeared in 30 games, shot 41% from the field, and used her 6-4 size to bother opposing guards on the defensive end. Parker averaged six minutes and 1.6 points over 20 games.

The new additions include a pair of incoming freshmen in 5-8 guard Jessie May Hall from Australia and Laura Vilcinskas, a 6-foot-5 center from Belgium. Both bring invaluable international experience against older players and could vie for playing time right away.

The Transfer Portal Will Shape What Comes Next

That leaves a handful of spots open for transfer portal players. Campbell has brought in 18 transfers over three years, including Hailey Van Lith, Sedona Prince, Madison Conner, Miles, and Suarez. These players have all etched their names in the TCU record books while helping the program get out of the Big 12 basement.

Given TCU’s track record with the portal, Campbell’s optimism about the program’s ability to reload and make an even deeper tournament run is very well-placed.

"To go from a 1-7 Big 12 team, and in three seasons be back-to-back in the Elite Eight...It's incredible motivation to know we're this close."

-TCU head coach Mark Campbell feels optimistic about the future of the program https://t.co/YzgfnGl6Xq pic.twitter.com/ndR9mMCoF0
— Kevin John (@heykevinjohn) March 31, 2026

The transfer portal opens on April 6, following the national title game, and more than 400 student-athletes are already planning to enter. Among the names to keep an eye on is Iowa State guard Jada Williams, a First-Team All-Big 12 honoree and WBCA All-America Regional Finalist.

This Wasn't the Peak, It Was the Start

TCU has some massive shoes to fill with the departures of Miles, Suarez, Bigby, Basham, and guards Maddie Scherr and Veronica Sheffey. Returning players will take on a big portion of that load, but transfers will help too.

It’s hard to know how quickly the roster will gel together as every player embraces a new role.

One thing is certain, though, Campbell and his coaching staff will comb through the portal to find the next batch of elite players who can fill the team's remaining needs, fit into TCU’s culture, and continue building a winning tradition.