Transfers with March Madness experience trying to get TCU women to 1st Sweet 16 against Louisville

FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) - Hailey Van Lith and Madison Conner are among eight TCU players who have been on teams that advanced past the opening weekend of the women’s NCAA Tournament.

Collectively, all of those NCAA-experienced transfers are now trying to get the Horned Frogs to their first Sweet 16. The second-seeded Big 12 champion hosts a second-round game Sunday against Louisville, which is one of Van Lith’s former teams.

"Yeah, I think we all came here for this reason. We all wanted to build a program and get to this point, obviously see how far we could take it thing," Conner said Saturday. "The experience we have on the roster will help us. Obviously haven't played in a Sweet 16 or that type of game together, but we've all been there in different journeys and parts of our careers. … Our group gels so well, and we’ve been working towards this the whole season.”

While there is plenty of attention on Big 12 player of the year Van Lith’s on-court reunion with Louisville, a year later than it almost happened, the Frogs (32-3) are 20-0 at home this season after opening their first NCAA since 2010 with a 73-51 win over Fairleigh Dickinson on Friday. That was their first tourney win since 2016.

“Hailey is so mature and wise with how she manages any narratives,” second-year coach TCU coach Mark Campbell said. "She's able to manage all of it. It's incredible truly what she's been able to do. This game is at the end of the day TCU versus Louisville, period. It's two really good teams that have an opportunity to advance to the Sweet 16."

Louisville (22-10) had been to the Elite Eight in five consecutive NCAAs before blowing an 18-point lead after halftime and losing in the first round to 11th-seeded Middle Tennessee last March. The Cardinals missed out then on playing a second-round game against LSU, where Van Lith was last season and went to another Elite Eight after her three-year run in Louisville that included a Final Four.

That is the only time in 16 NCAA appearances under coach Jeff Walz that the Cards lost in the first round. They beat Nebraska 63-58 in the other first-round game in Fort Worth, which is part of the Birmingham Region.

"Just happy that we won the first round. Obviously you were here last year when we were sitting up here crying," fifth-year guard Merissah Russell said. "We've been to two Elite 8s and a Final Four and seen a loss in the first round. We know how precious these moments are, and so we are trying to enjoy every day and take it all in this."

Olivia Cochran, another fifth-year player, and junior guard Nyla Harris are the only other Louisville players who were teammates there with Van Lith.

Van Lith isn’t the only TCU player that Walz has on his team in the past.

Walz was coaching the USA U18 national team in 2018 when Sedona Prince broke her leg was playing in a game.

"I can can remember going out there when that happened, and she was, like, 'Coach, I think I broke my leg.' I was, like, you're going to be fine,” Walz said. "When I looked down, I'm like oh (expletive), no she ain't. … I'm happy for her because that was an injury that was pretty darn severe.”

Prince is now in her second season at TCU, with the 6-foot-7 center finishing a college career that began at Texas before three seasons at Oregon when Campbell was an assistant there.

But Walz knows TCU is much deeper than Van Lith and Prince.

"Very good basketball team. Got good, really good pieces all over the floor," Walz said. "They have got a great complement of players."