Horned Frogs Preparing for Postseason
3/11/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
The Horned Frogs tallied the most wins in program history in Big 12 play this season, going 9-9 to lock in the No. 3 seed at the Big 12 Championship. TCU will learn its postseason fate on Monday, March 16.
"I'm really, really proud of this team and our body of work as well and what we've accomplished this season," Pebley said. "The Big 12 is I think one of the best women's basketball conferences in the country. Our RPI's proving it right now. I think we're poised to go pretty deep with NCAA Tournament participants.
"I told (the team) at the end of the game in the locker room, their season's not over, I trust the committee and special things are in store because this team is still so engaged, so extremely engaged and eager to continue to play and they're quality. They'll be a quality product."
TCU FINISHES THIRD IN BIG 12
The Horned Frogs racked up the most Big 12 wins in program history this season, going 9-9 to earn the No. 3 seed at the 2015 Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship. TCU closed the regular season in a four-way tie for third place in the Big 12 standings, and earned the No. 3 seed by way of a tiebreaker, as the Frogs posted the most wins (4) against the other three programs (Iowa State, Oklahoma State, Texas).
STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE
TCU's strength of schedule (No. 31) ranks as the fourth highest in the Big 12 Conference, which boasts the highest RPI among leagues, with only Baylor, Oklahoma and Texas listed as having tougher slates. TCU faced six ranked opponents during the 2014-15 season and met full-strength Texas A&M and Georgia squads. The Frogs claimed the program's first-ever road wins in Stillwater and Lawrence. TCU claimed six wins over teams currently inside the top 100 in the latest RPI and eight victories over top-110 opponents, including a sweep of No. 46 Oklahoma State.
EXPLOSIVE OFFENSE
The Horned Frogs featured one the top offenses in the Big 12, ranking in the top half of the league in most offensive categories. TCU averaged 69.0 points per game, ranking fourth in the Big 12, while also placing second in 3-pointers made per game (7.0) and free-throw percentage (.758) and third in 3-point percentage (.343). Zahna Medley and Natalie Ventress combined for a lethal 3-point shooting duo, as Medley ranked second in 3-pointers per game (2.2) and fourth in 3-point percentage (.374), while Ventress led the league in 3-point percentage (.397) and tallied the sixth-most 3-pointers per game (1.7). Six Horned Frogs drained double-digit treys on the season as TCU knocked down 209 total 3-pointers, marking the sixth most in program history.
OPPORTUNISTIC DEFENSE
TCU's style of defense was just as exciting as its offense this season, averaging 18.2 points per game off of opponent turnovers. The Horned Frogs tallied 20 or more points off turnovers in 11 contests, including 32 in its dramatic comeback win over Iowa State. The Horned Frogs ranked second in the league in both steals (10.5 spg) and turnover margin (+2.8).
Senior forward Chelsea Prince was tabbed the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year, leading the league in steals (3.2 spg) while tying the school record for steals in a single season with 95.
