TCU women’s basketball claims the Big 12’s top awards as Olivia Miles sweeps Player and Newcomer of the Year and the Horned Frogs roll into KC as the No. 1 seed.
FORT WORTH - The TCU women’s basketball takeover of the Big 12 didn’t stop at the standings. It hit the trophy table, too.
When the league coaches handed out postseason awards, the Horned Frogs didn’t just show up, they cashed out.
Olivia Miles was named Big 12 Player of the Year and Big 12 Newcomer of the Year, turning her one season in Fort Worth into a full-on power move.
And if you’re wondering whether that’s normal, it’s not. In fact, it’s so rare that only Miles and Hailey Van Lith have ever pulled off the Player/Newcomer double in the 29-year history of the Big 12.
Miles didn’t win because of hype. She won because of production - the kind that makes coaches tired of game-planning.
Heading into the Big 12 Tournament, she’s putting up 20.1 points, 6.9 rebounds, 6.5 assists and 1.9 steals per game, while shooting a career-best 49.3 percent from the field.
She’s also doing something no one else in America is doing ... averaging at least 20 points, six boards, six assists and 1.5 steals.
And the signature moment? Her 40 points at No. 12 Baylor on Feb. 12, the most points any Division I player scored this season against a ranked opponent.
Miles has an NCAA-leading five triple-doubles, and she’s the country’s only player to reach 600 points, 200 assists and 200 rebounds this season.
TCU didn’t ride one star, either.
Marta Suarez joined Miles as a unanimous All-Big 12 First Team selection and has been on a late-season tear. The 6-3 stretch forward is averaging 17.1 points, 7.1 rebounds and 2.4 assists while shooting 48.0 percent overall and 39.0 percent from 3.
She’s drilled 69 3s, the second-most ever in a season by a Big 12 forward, and she just popped a career-high 32 in a road win at Cincinnati. Across TCU’s current six-game winning streak, Suarez is averaging 22.3 points.
Then there’s Donovyn Hunter, the tone-setter. She earned a spot on the Big 12 All-Defensive Team, takes the toughest guard assignment nightly, and helps power TCU’s full-court pressure.
She’s also leveled up offensively, jumping from 5.8 points last season to 11.6 points per game while shooting 47 percent.
Now it’s tournament time.
TCU (27-4, 15-3 Big 12) is the No. 1 seed and owns the double-bye into Friday’s quarterfinals in Kansas City. The awards are nice. But the message is clearer ... the Horned Frogs didn’t come to the Big 12 to blend in, they came to run it.