This Horned Frogs women's basketball team will go down in history.
TCU's memorable 2025-26 season came to an end in the Elite Eight against a buzzsaw South Carolina women's basketball program that advanced to its fourth consecutive Final Four.
The Gamecocks (35-3) dominated, winning 78-52 on Monday and reminding everyone that the Horned Frogs (32-6) are not yet among the nation's perennial powers, despite back-to-back deep runs in the NCAA Tournament under head coach Mark Campbell.
"This group fought for 40 minutes," Campbell said about the season's final game. "And I think the biggest - 22 offensive rebounds - against a team like them, you can’t give them that many second-chance points. I think that’s the biggest takeaway from not being able to be in the fight headed down the home stretch of the game."
Overall, the third-year coach recognized what's taken place in Fort Worth. His program has taken another monumental step forward this season as his turnaround effort continues.
"I’m so proud of this team and this group," he said. "They took our program and our university on just another magical, special season. This one game will not define our season.
"I could not be more proud, sitting up here with these guys. But man, it’s always hard when the journey ends."
The Horned Frogs' point guard, Olivia Miles, was this season's driving force. She took home Big 12 Player of the Year honors after forgoing WNBA Draft eligibility, and her play rose in the most crucial time of the year.
Miles averaged 19 points, 9.7 rebounds and 9 assists over four March Madness games, including a triple-double in Round 1 and two more double-doubles after that.
She knew what would be the determining factor in the matchup with No. 1-seed South Carolina.
"I knew it was gonna be physical. They’re very long," Miles said. "They had multiple defenders on me, Raven [Johnson] started on me, and then [Agot] Makeer played a lot on me for the rest of the game. I understand the territory, and obviously both teams are competitive and want to win. I expected a physical and tough matchup."
And now, many expect the senior to, once again, be one of the top prospects for the WNBA Draft. Miles credits her mental growth to the culture Campbell helped foster for her one year at TCU.
"It's just such a special place, you don't really understand until you're in it," Miles said after the tournament loss. "But the people that I've got to meet, impact, and inspire, I will remember forever. And I hope that they remember us forever as a little part of their lives, as well."
