TCU women’s basketball is in the midst of their best season under head coach Raegan Pebley and their best since joining the Big 12 Conference in 2012.
How are they dealing with that success? They take it one game and one practice at a time.
“Their mindset is really thinking about what Coach is going to have us doing today and what do we need to accomplish and grow in today that’s going to help us be better,” Pebley said of her team.
Photo by Cristian ArguetaSoto
The Horned Frogs are sitting at a record of 18-9 with two games remaining, including a 9-7 mark in conference play. They have never won more than 18 games under Pebley and have never won 10 conference games in the Big 12.
The highlight of their season was a seven-game conference winning streak that included two wins over ranked opponents but was followed by four straight losses.
Pebley said the mid-season winning streak caused the team to look too far ahead and made them lose sight of the next game.
“I think there was a little period where they got a little ahead of themselves, and they’ve really grown to understand how important it is to just lock in where you’re at and be focused on being great today,” she said.
The team pulled out of the four-game skid and have won back-to-back games over Kansas State and Texas Tech, keeping their postseason hopes alive.
The most recent projections for the NCAA tournament, per ESPN, have the Horned Frogs as a bubble team, currently sitting as one of the eight teams right outside of the 64 team bracket.
However, if they are able to defeat No. 3 Baylor at home on Saturday, their chances of making their first NCAA tournament since 2010 increase drastically. Even if they are unable to defeat the Bears, a road win in their season finale against Oklahoma State would place them right on the bubble.
If they fail to make the tournament, the Horned Frogs are a near lock for the NIT, where they haven’t been since 2016.
Pebley and the players aren’t worried about any tournament projections for now, they are just worried about what’s in store for practice tomorrow.
“That’s all we can ask,” Pebley said. “One game at a time.”
