If TCU coach Mark Campbell may have, he would’ve stayed on the postgame podium all Sunday evening answering reporters’ questions and gushing about his group.
He didn’t need this glad feeling to go away.
For the primary time in program historical past, the Horned Frogs have survived the primary weekend of the NCAA Event. Second-seeded TCU beat sixth-seeded Louisville 85-70 to advance to the Candy 16.
“So proud of this group,” Campbell beamed. “To accomplish something that’s never been done here — men or women — to make it to the Sweet 16 is really, really hard to do. Somehow Hailey [Van Lith] seems to do it every year, so it’s normal for her. Everybody else, it’s not normal for.”
To suppose all that is occurring for TCU — the reigning Huge 12 champion — which simply final yr was holding open tryouts and forfeiting video games and two years in the past gained simply eight video games and went 1-17 within the Huge 12.
Campbell has pulled off one of many quickest and most exceptional program turnarounds in current reminiscence.
He did it by embracing the trendy faculty athletics panorama.
Most of this group is made up of transfers.
For Van Lith, TCU is her third college in 5 years.
She performed three seasons at Louisville and the earlier one at LSU.
However Campbell’s aggressive efforts within the switch portal are paying off and have put TCU on the map.
Wish to tune into as a lot March Insanity as you may? DIRECTV Stream and Hulu + Dwell TV each have you ever lined with each channel you’ll want, plus free trials.
“It’s cool to come into a program and see the beginning point of it, talking to Mark and seeing the vision he had for the team and all of us transfers that came in and trusted his process and the plan that he had for us,” guard Donovyn Hunter stated. “He took a huge risk on us, and we took a risk on this program. … But I’m not surprised at all that we’re breaking all these record points in history.”
TCU is scheduled to play third-seeded Notre Dame on Saturday, with a visit to the Elite Eight on the road.
The Horned Frogs beat the Irish earlier this season, however each groups have grown lots since that late-November assembly.
Van Lith, who’s been to the Closing 4 twice (with Louisville in 2022 and LSU in 2024), is aware of TCU wants to stay locked in if the group desires this run to proceed.
“If you get complacent after you win these first two games, the other team’s hungry in the Sweet 16,” Van Lith stated. “It’s all about staying hungry and staying motivated. You don’t want to be the team that’s complacent out there next Saturday. … This couple days we get to prepare is going to be huge. And we have to be mature about it and handle it.”
