TCU to play Notre Dame in its Sweet 16 debut
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We love when the Horned Frogs are happy. Photo: Cooper Neill/NCAA Photos via Getty Images
TCU women's basketball will debut in the NCAA's Sweet 16 on Saturday, continuing the program's most successful season in the school's 152-year history.
Why it matters: TCU, once an underdog, has enjoyed a fairytale ride to the national tournament.
- "To go from 1-17, forfeiting games, holding open tryouts (last season) to the best season in school history. It's like a Disney movie," head coach Mark Campbell said.
The big picture: The No. 1-seeded Texas Longhorns and No. 2-seeded Horned Frogs are the only women's teams from the state in the Sweet 16.
- Houston and Texas Tech are the state's only men's teams left in the tournament.
The latest: TCU plays No. 3 seed Notre Dame at 12pm Saturday in Birmingham, Alabama. ABC will air the game.
The intrigue: The Horned Frogs were 8-23 just two seasons ago but have turned the team around by adding transfers to the roster.
- All five of TCU's starters have played at this stage of the NCAA tournament at least once, per ESPN.
- "Sometimes, to get a rainbow, you need some rain. You've got to persevere, you've got to keep going … and we're reaping the rewards right now of last season," Campbell told NBC5 earlier this week.
Flashback: TCU was ranked 17th when it upset No. 3 Notre Dame 76-68 in November, despite trailing for most of the game.
- It was the first time since 2008 that TCU beat a top-3 team.
Yes, but: Notre Dame has several years of March Madness experience. They've played in seven women's championships since 2001, winning two of them.
- Only two out of seven ESPN analysts have picked TCU to win, though many of the others guessed the final score will be close.
What they're saying: ESPN commentator Andraya Carter tells Axios TCU's region "is maybe a region where we could see some upsets, like a TCU or a Notre Dame make a run not as the No. 1 seed."
What's next: The winner will go on to face the Texas-Tennessee victor for a trip to the Final Four.