{"id":172998,"date":"2026-02-20T15:28:23","date_gmt":"2026-02-20T15:28:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/172998\/"},"modified":"2026-02-20T15:28:23","modified_gmt":"2026-02-20T15:28:23","slug":"tcu-women-not-a-lock-for-fort-worth-regional-in-ncaa-tourney","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/172998\/","title":{"rendered":"TCU women not a lock for Fort Worth regional in NCAA tourney"},"content":{"rendered":"

With just three games remaining in the regular season, No. 12 TCU women\u2019s basketball is on the cusp of repeating as Big 12 champion<\/a>.<\/p>\n

After blowing out Houston<\/a> 72-50 on Wednesday, while No. 15 Baylor was blown out at No. 20 Texas Tech, the Horned Frogs (24-4, 12-3) own sole possession of first place in the conference and control their own destiny.<\/p>\n

For a team that\u2019s dealt with injuries and a string of narrow losses, it\u2019s quite the accomplishment to be in this position in the final stretch of the year.<\/p>\n

As for the NCAA Tournament, TCU\u2019s recent three-game winning streak that included wins over ranked teams in West Virginia<\/a> and Baylor<\/a> has put the program in great position to be a top-16 seed and earn the right to host first- and second-round games at Schollmaier Arena.<\/p>\n

But will the Horned Frogs stay in Fort Worth until the Final Four?<\/p>\n

In the first top-16 seed reveal by the NCAA on Feb. 14, TCU was slotted at No. 12, but that was a day before it picked up its win over West Virginia. Barring a major collapse, the Horned Frogs seem a safe bet to finish high enough to host the first two rounds.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s one of the Horned Frogs\u2019 major goals as they try to match last year\u2019s Elite Eight run<\/a>, but the true prize would be landing in one of the two Fort Worth regionals at Dickies Arena.<\/p>\n

The idea of TCU playing four straight NCAA Tournament games in Fort Worth is something that has constantly been on the mind of head coach Mark Campbell.<\/p>\n

\u201cI can\u2019t sleep at night. It\u2019s a golden opportunity,\u201d Campbell said Sunday. \u201cAt the same time, you don\u2019t want to put pressure on the team. I\u2019m fully aware of how unique that is. When we were at the University of Oregon, there was one NCAA Tournament [in 2019] that was in Portland at the Moda Center.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe ended up playing Mississippi State to go to the Final Four, and that was a sold-out arena cheering for the Ducks. We have a similar opportunity here, but you have to earn your way into that. I would love to sell out Dickies and have 15,000 people there wearing purple with a chance to go to Phoenix.\u201d<\/p>\n

Surely, the Horned Frogs are a safe bet to play in Fort Worth in the second weekend of the tournament, right? As of this morning, that\u2019s not a guarantee.<\/p>\n

Bracketologists seem split on TCU\u2019s destination. Here\u2019s where some of the latest projections have TCU, though it should be noted most haven\u2019t been updated since the Horned Frogs\u2019 win at Houston on Wednesday night:<\/p>\n

ESPN<\/p>\n

ESPN bracketology expert Charlie Creme<\/a> has the Horned Frogs as the No. 3 seed in the Sacramento 2 region. In his predicitions, updated Tuesday, TCU would face No. 14 McNeese in the first round and the winner of No. 6 Minnesota and No. 11 Rice in the second.<\/p>\n

If the Horned Frogs were to advance to the second week, they could be matched against No. 2 Vanderbilt in the Sweet 16 and No. 1 UCLA in the Elite Eight.<\/p>\n

CBS Sports<\/p>\n

Connor Groel has the Horned Frogs playing in Fort Worth for both weekends with TCU landing as a No. 3 seed in the Fort Worth 3 region<\/a>. TCU would be matched up against No. 14 Charleston in the first round and potentially No. 6 Washington in the second round.<\/p>\n

The potential matchups in the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight would be No. 2 Michigan and No. 1 South Carolina.<\/p>\n

HerHoopStats<\/p>\n

Megan Gauer has TCU landing in the Sacramento 4 region<\/a> as a 3 seed, facing off against No. 14 Belmont. The second-round matchup would be against the winner of No. 6 Minnesota and No. 11 Columbia.<\/p>\n

Gauer also has TCU potentially facing Michigan in the Sweet 16, but the Texas Longhorns are the No. 1 seed in the region, which could set up an Elite Eight rematch in Northern California.<\/p>\n

College Sports Madness<\/p>\n

CSM has the most outdated projections, with the last update<\/a> coming on Feb. 14, but the publication has TCU staying in Fort Worth as No. 3 seed matched up against No. 14 McNeese. The second-round opponent would be No. 6 Alabama or No. 11 Rice.<\/p>\n

The Horned Frogs would potentially face No. 2 Louisville in the Sweet 16 and No. 1 Vanderbilt in the Elite Eight.<\/p>\n

Out of all the brackets, this would be the most desirable path for TCU\u2019s hopes of making a Final Four.<\/p>\n

TCU\u2019s road ahead<\/p>\n

What more could TCU do to secure playing the second weekend less than three miles from its campus? The answer is to simply win out in the regular season and collect at least one win in the Big 12 tournament in Kansas City.<\/p>\n

The Horned Frogs are behind Ohio State, Duke and Iowa on the 3-seed line according to the top-16 reveal, but TCU could swap places with Iowa in the next reveal. The Horned Frogs have a higher NET ranking, but the Hawkeyes have six Quad 1 wins compared to four for TCU. Iowa also blew out Ohio State, which defeated TCU on Jan. 19<\/a> in Newark, New Jersey.<\/p>\n

TCU could add two more Q1 wins to its resume before the league tournament. Iowa State and Baylor are ranked No. 31 and No. 32 in the NET, and the Horned Frogs would love if either or both teams crept into the top 30 to qualify as a Q1 opponent.<\/p>\n

In terms of ceiling for their NCAA Tournament seed, there\u2019s an outside shot the Horned Frogs could sneak up to the 2-line as the fourth No. 2 seed with LSU trending in the wrong direction. But TCU would need a lot of help.<\/p>\n

Ultimately, TCU\u2019s primary focus will be on clinching the Big 12 title and defending its conference tournament crown in Kansas City in March. If TCU is successful in doing both, there\u2019s a good shot Campbell will get his wish of an extended March Madness in Fort Worth.<\/p>\n

Game schedule dates, times, locations Feb. 3 Boston 110, Mavericks 100 Feb. 5 San Antonio 135, Mavericks 123 Feb. 7 San Antonio 138, Mavericks 125 Feb. 10 Phoenix 120, Mavericks 111 Feb. 12 L.A. Lakers 124, Mavericks 104 Feb. 20 at Minnesota, 6:30 p.m., ESPN, KFAA, MavsTV Feb. 22 at Indiana, 4 p.m., KFAA, MavsTV Feb. 24 at Brooklyn, 6:30 p.m., KFAA, MavsTV Feb. 26 vs. Sacramento, 6:30 p.m., KFAA, MavsTV Feb. 27 vs. Memphis, 7:30 p.m., KFAA, MavsTV Feb. 1 Colorado 87, TCU 61 Feb. 7 TCU 84, Kansas State 82 Feb. 10 TCU 62, Iowa State 55 Feb. 14 TCU 95, Oklahoma State 92 (OT) Feb. 17 Central Florida 82, TCU 71 Feb. 21 vs. West Virginia, 4 p.m., Peacock Feb. 24 vs. Arizona State, 8 p.m., CBSSN Feb. 28 at Kansas State, 5:30 p.m., ESPN2 March 3 at Texas Tech, 6 p.m., FS1 March 7 vs. Cincinnati, 1 p.m., TNT Feb. 1 Texas Tech 62, TCU 60 Feb. 4 TCU 90, Houston 45 Feb. 8 Colorado 80, TCU 79 Feb. 12 TCU 83, Baylor 67 Feb. 15 TCU 59, West Virginia 50 Feb. 18 at Houston, 6:30 p.m., ESPN+ Feb. 22 vs. Iowa State, 3 p.m., ESPN Feb. 25 at Cincinnati, 5:30 p.m., ESPN+ March 1 vs. Baylor, 3 p.m., ESPN March 4-8 Big 12 tournament (at Kansas City, Mo.), TBA Feb. 13 TCU 5, Vanderbilt 4 Feb. 14 TCU 5, Arkansas 4 Feb. 15 Oklahoma 12, TCU 2 (seven innings) Feb. 17 UT Arlington 11, TCU 8 Feb. 20 at UCLA, 7 p.m., FS1 Feb. 21 at UCLA, 4 p.m., BigTen+ Feb. 22 at UCLA, 3 p.m., BigTen+ Feb. 23 at Loyola Marymount, 3 p.m., none Jan. 27 Stars 4, St. Louis 3 Jan. 29 Stars 5, Vegas 4 (SO) Jan. 31 Stars 3, Utah 2 Feb. 2 Stars 4, Winnipeg 3 (OT) Feb. 4 Stars 5, St. Louis 4 Olympic break Feb. 25 vs. Seattle, 7 p.m., Fox, Victory+ Feb. 28 vs. Nashville, 7 p.m., Victory+ March 2 at Vancouver, 9 p.m., Victory+ March 3 at Calgary, 8 p.m., Victory+ March 6 vs. Colorado, 7 p.m., Victory+ 2026 season Aug. 29 vs. North Carolina (at Dublin), TBA Sept. 12 vs. Grambling State, TBA Sept. 19 vs. Arkansas State, TBA Sept. 26 at Central Florida, TBA Oct. 3 vs. BYU, TBA Oct. 17 at Baylor, TBA Oct. 24 vs. West Virginia, TBA Oct. 31 vs. Kansas, TBA Nov. 7 at Arizona, TBA Nov. 14 vs. Kansas State, TBA Nov. 21 vs. Utah, TBA Nov. 28 at Texas Tech, TBA 2026 season TBA vs. TBA (at Rio de Janeiro), TBA 2026 opponents (dates and times TBA; one home game will be in Rio) vs. N.Y Giants vs. Philadelphia vs. Washington vs. Arizona vs. San Francisco vs. Tampa Bay vs. Jacksonville vs. Tennessee vs. Baltimore at N.Y Giants at Philadelphia at Washington at L.A. Rams at Seattle at Green Bay at Houston at Indianapolis Feb. 21 Team Texas-David Starr’s Racing School March 6-7 Goodguys: 16th LMC Truck Spring Lone Star Nationals March 12-15 Steak Cookoff Association World Championships March 14 NASCAR Racing Experience March 20-21 POWRi Racing March 28 Mopar Heaven April 11 NASCAR Racing Experience April 18 Team Texas-David Starr’s Racing School April 18 Bubble Run April 23-25 Pate Swap Meet April 25 FuelFest April 30-May 2 High Limit Racing Stockyard Stampede May 1 NASCAR Truck Series: SpeedyCash.com 250 May 2 NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series: Andy’s Frozen Custard 340 May 3 NASCAR Cup Series: Wurth 400
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