They say defense wins championships, and No. 17 TCU loaded up on it through the transfer portal this offseason.

Olivia Miles led Notre Dame with 5.8 assists per game last season, helping the Fighting Irish reach their fourth straight Sweet 16. Photo by Zach Campbell | TCU Athletics

Chief among the newcomers is senior center Kennedy Basham, who arrives in Fort Worth after a 2024-25 season at Arizona State, where she led the team in defensive rebounds, totaling 34 more than any other Sun Devil, and averaged 2.6 blocks per game, good for second in the Big 12.

She’s not the only defensive-minded addition. The Frogs also brought in senior guard Veronica Sheffey, who stacked up seven steals in a three-game span en route to Mountain West Conference Tournament MVP honors, as she willed San Diego State to the Big Dance for the first time in 13 years.

And that’s not to mention guard Olivia Miles, a graduate student, whose 15.4 points per game last season marked a career best, punctuating a Notre Dame career that will all but certainly see the two-time AP All-American inducted into the program’s Ring of Honor.

With those reinforcements, plus several key veteran holdovers from the 2024-25 squad that reached the Elite Eight for the first time in school history, TCU enters Year 3 of the Mark Campbell era, its roster rich in talent.

What changed since last season

Nothing on the coaching front. Associate head coach Xavier Lopez and assistants Minyon Moore, Nia Jackson, Nolan Wilson and Jessie Craig all return under Coach Campbell, along with Adeola Akomolafe, director of recruiting operations and student-athlete development. 

The roster, however, is reloaded. Last season’s Big 12 Player of the Year, Hailey Van Lith, went 11th overall in April’s WNBA Draft after leading the Frogs in points and assists. If a player in the 2025 portal class can match that level of offensive firepower, it’s Miles, projected by ESPN as a top-2 pick. 

Transfers Marta Suárez, right, and Veronica Sheffey bring NCAA Tournament experience to a veteran TCU roster. Courtesy of TCU Athletics

TCU adds size and experience up front to replace defensive stalwart Sedona Prince ’25 MLA. Graduate student and forward Marta Suárez joins the Frogs with 80 career Power Four starts, while 6-foot-7 sophomore center Clara Silva arrives from Kentucky, giving TCU another post presence alongside Basham and first-year center Emily Hunter. Graduate student and forward Natalie Mazurek returns for what will be her second year with the Frogs after transferring from South Dakota. 

Helping to counter the departure of sharpshooter Madison Conner ’24 is graduate student and guard Maddie Scherr, who missed all of last season with injury. The former Kentucky Wildcat brings a proven scoring touch: in 2022-23, she led the SEC by making 92 percent of her free throws, and her 1.4 three-pointers per game in 2023-24 marked a career high. 

Sophomore guard Taliyah Parker signed on after a season at Texas A&M, where she averaged one steal over 18 minutes per game, adding defensive energy off the bench. First-year players Sarah Portlock, a 6-foot-8 Australian center, and guard Clara Bielefeld, who made history as the youngest competitor on Germany’s senior national team at the FIBA Women’s EuroBasket Championship, bolster TCU’s depth. The Frogs will be without senior forward Aaliyah Roberson for the duration of the season after she suffered a torn ACL in the spring. The former San Antonio area high school standout still holds one year of NCAA eligibility.

Biggest storyline heading into the season

How will the backcourt gel? Five of the Frogs’ six leading scorers last season were guards, but only junior Donovyn Hunter and senior Taylor Bigby return from that group. 

On paper, TCU boasts a dynamic mix of playmakers, but how quickly this unit develops chemistry will go a long way in determining the effectiveness of an offense that could be largely driven by guard play. 

Are the Frogs better positioned than a year ago?

Very possibly, and for the rest of the Big 12, that’s a scary thought. The Horned Frogs swept the conference titles last season, topping three-time national champions Baylor in both the regular-season finale, which left TCU a game ahead at 16-2 in conference, and the Big 12 championship game just a week later.

The Frogs retain the top-end talent and deep bench that carried them to new heights a season ago, and the stability of the coaching staff serves as another plus as TCU sets out to defend its conference crown.

Player to watch

Donovyn Hunter. She may not finish as the team’s top scorer, but the ex-Oregon State Beaver contributes on both ends of the floor. She showed her sharpshooting potential by hitting all four of her three-point attempts — and each of her six field goals — in TCU’s 85-70 NCAA Tournament win against Louisville and appears to be locked in for a breakout campaign, routinely pacing the team in preseason sprint drills.

Newcomer who could make the biggest difference

Suárez is perhaps the favorite to lead TCU’s frontcourt in scoring, having averaged double figures for Cal in each of the past two seasons. But the answer here has to be Miles. Among the more impressive numbers from the former Fighting Irish star last year: Her 40.6 percent mark from three — second best in the ACC — represented a jump of more than 13 points from her previous career high.

Statistic to watch

Turnover ratio. TCU lost the turnover battle in each of its four losses last season.

For a starting group that featured three of the Big 12’s top six players in offensive rating in 2024–25, ball security was one of its few weaknesses. The Frogs’ 12.4 giveaways per game were lowest in the conference, but the miscues proved costly in key moments. Tightening up — especially with eight newcomers among 14 total players — will again be essential to sustaining success in March, and maybe into April.

Toughest stretch on the schedule

The Frogs’ final six regular-season conference matchups, between Feb. 12 and March 1, include three against preseason AP Top 25 teams: No. 16 Baylor, West Virginia (receiving votes), No. 14 Iowa State, Houston, Cincinnati and a second meeting with No. 16 Baylor.

What success looks like this season

Dare I say a trip to Phoenix for the NCAA Women’s Final Four? For a team that finished last in the Big 12 with a 1-17 league record just three seasons ago, it sounds crazy. And yet, with a talented but balanced roster and a phenom guard leading the way, it feels within reach.

One bold prediction

The Frogs this season take the next step, reaching the program’s first Final Four behind a first-team All-America-caliber campaign from Miles.

— Corey Zapata-Smith