The TCU women’s basketball season is about to get underway, and the Lady Frogs have a tough schedule this year with several big match-ups.

The Marquee Games

The Frogs have a challenging non-conference schedule, facing off at home against No. 3 Notre Dame and on the road against No. 13 Texas A&M University.

The first big game on the schedule is Jan. 2, when the Frogs play host to the Kansas State Wildcats in their Big 12 home opener. This will mark the team’s first conference game held in the newly-renovated Ed and Rae Schollmaier Arena. Frogs are 3-3 against the Wildcats since joining the Big 12 Conference.

The next set of games is also a trying stretch for the Horned Frogs. On Jan. 9 and Feb. 10, the Frogs will square off against the Baylor Bears. The Lady Bears are the preseason favorite to win the Big 12 this year and have won the last five Phillips 66 Big 12 Women’s Basketball championships. The Lady Bears were 33-4 last season and 15-2 in conference.

The Horned Frogs have not beaten the Lady Bears since joining the Big 12. While neither university officially recognizes TCU versus Baylor as a rivalry, there is still quite a bit of animosity between the two universities that has made these matchups seem more important.

The Hurdles 

Five members of the Big 12 are currently ranked or receiving votes in the AP Top 25. Baylor is at the top of the conference, currently ranked No. 5, Texas is next ranked No. 12 and Oklahoma sits at No. 17. Iowa State and West Virginia are both receiving votes as well.

On Jan. 20 and Feb. 27, the Frogs will face off against the University of Texas Longhorns. The Longhorns were voted second in the preseason Big 12 polls and have beaten the Frogs four out of six times since TCU has joined the Big 12, with an average margin of victory of 15 points. The Frogs, on the other hand, have an average margin of victory over the Longhorns of five and a half points when they have come out on top.