TCU Women’s Basketball is struggling in the ongoing Big 12 Conference campaign but the players insist that the 3-12 record doesn’t represent the team’s overall performances.

TCU started the preseason strong by winning four of the first five games. However, once conference play started, the results dropped.

Last year the Frogs finished second in the conference. As of now, TCU stands in eighth place with three games remaining, including tonight’s match at Kansas State. A February win against the same team was the women’s last victory.

Senior Lauren Heard said TCU is learning to adapt and figure out who plays best in a position. Courtesy of TCU Athletics | Photo by Gregg Ellman

Senior and guard Lauren Heard said that the negative record is the result of not having an adequate pre-season due to Covid-19.

The team’s dynamic has also been affected by the lack of bonding time on and off the court.

“It’s a new team,” Heard said. “We have a lot of freshmen and transfer students, so in order to have a good season, you need time to prepare and get better.”

With key players graduating last year, Heard said the team is starting to adapt and that “nobody is asked to live up to expectations they can’t meet.”

“I think that they’re adapting well and that is because the coach gives us freedom to be who we are,” the Denton, Texas, native said. “When everyone is recruited, nobody is asked to be different from what they’ve proven they can be.”

TCU is currently averaging 67.5 points, 36.9 rebounds, 15 assists and 15.3 turnovers per game. Heard said that the team still has a lot of room for improvement as they enter the final weeks of the season.

“Small defensive and offensive plays get messed up because we’re trying to see who does what better and who plays best in a position,” she said. “Previous years we were able to get better and display — this year we’re doing it at the same time.”

With the Big 12 being one of the toughest conferences in the nation, TCU has faced opponents that play at a better level. Even though the Horned Frogs faced No. 7 Baylor a couple of weeks ago, Heard said that the toughest game of the season has been against No. 18 West Virginia.

“This one was a very tough loss because we played an excellent game,” she said. “It was frustrating because small errors didn’t bring us over.”

Repeated negative results can affect a team’s motivation and hunger for the rest of a campaign. This is not the case for TCU.

TCU’s last win was at home against Kansas State Feb. 10, 2021. Courtesy of TCU Athletics | Photo by Sharon Ellman

“We have a very prideful team and we all want to represent both TCU and the names on the back of our shirts,” Heard said. “We understand our situation and we don’t feel sorry or ashamed, we’re just trying to stay focused with confidence and our head high.”

Though a tight calendar of three games remains in the regular season, Heard said the team’s main focus is to improve the results.

“We don’t forget about the past but right now we just want to apply everything we’ve learned in previous games and then see what happens.”