2026 PHILLIPS 66 BIG 12 WOMEN'S BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT

March 7, 2026

Mark Campbell

Marta Suarez

Veronica Sheffey

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TCU Horned Frogs

Postgame Press Conference

TCU 74, Kansas State 62

THE MODERATOR: Coach, start us up with a couple of the comments on the game, please.

MARK CAMPBELL: First of all, just want to give a shout out to Kansas State and the magical run they have had in this tournament. They are really hard to guard and they're playing just so well offensively. And the way they share the ball and that group from -- we played them a year ago, 2025 And to see they're a whole different ball club from last time. They deserve a ton of credit playing the way they have.

Just felt like a game in Manhattan. Gosh dang. They had a great crowd, great environment. That was really fun. That's what the Big 12 Conference -- the fan bases we have here and the support we have is elite. What an awesome semifinal game.

It took us a half to kind of get our legs under us, to get into a good rhythm. They sped us up in the first half and made us a little bit uncomfortable, forced us into some turnovers. And this group at halftime, they've done it all year, got in there and took a deep breath and came out in the second half and really played well on both sides of the basketball.

I thought Marta -- we had to go small ball because of the lineup they were using and Marta almost played a whole game as a five. And then we had huge minutes. Ronnie was incredible off the bench and gave us important minutes. I thought Clara Bielefeld gave us ten really important minutes. We're so versatile. We can play big, we can play small, we can fast, we can play slow.

Just this group is so special. Proud of them. That was an incredible win. This group is hard to kill. They're old, they're vets. They're tough as heck. With that, I will open it up to any questions.

Q. Mark, Olivia picks up three fouls early in the game. And then going into half-time, what was your message to her knowing she had to play smart, you know, and not play so physical coming out after halftime?

MARK CAMPBELL: Well, if you watched us much this year, I don't worry about fouls. I play the kids. If they foul out, they foul out. I do think when she got her fourth foul, I gave her a good 60-second rest before we put her back in.

At this point in the season, I trust my players and I want to go down swinging. Sometimes when kids get in foul trouble, you sit them out for a long stretch and you lose momentum and they lose the flow. But Liv's played so much college basketball. The kid's so smart and such a savvy vet that I trust her. And she did great. She played the last nine minutes of the fourth quarter with four fouls and helped lead us to a win.

Q. Question for Mark. I think at the seven-minute mark she went out on her third foul. I'm not sure Olivia sat for seven minutes in the game. Just how important was that stretch, you guys only going down two into halftime?

MARK CAMPBELL: Yeah, we trimmed her minutes, I agree. I think she averages about 37 minutes and we got her down to about 33 tonight. She'll feel rested tomorrow. (Laughter).

There's not a stress. When you come watch the second unit every day in practice go against a first unit, it's freaking battles. What Ronnie did today is what Ronnie does every day against a first group. So behind closed doors in practice, we have a really good basketball team with a bunch of really good players.

One of the problems we have is we're talented and not everyone gets to play the role they want or get the minutes they want. But to put Ronnie in there for 20 minutes in a semifinal game in this environment and know that she's going to hoop and do what she does. Her teammates believe in her, our staff believes in her, but that's this group. We got a special village.

Q. Marta, this is for you. Coach was talking about your versatility with this team and what you've been able to do all this season in terms of expanding your game. Can you talk about what it's meant for you playing for TCU in terms of how you've grown this year and how that's going to help you going on to a professional career?

MARTA SUAREZ: That's a great question. Reflecting on the whole season and my path at TCU, it's been just an honor. Even from my visit, I remember, he just threw so much confidence in me, more than any other coaches had in my career, and we hadn't even played together yet.

So that just pushed me to work harder, pushed me to have a great summer. He kept pushing me during the season to keep growing as a player. And I have a bunch of great teammates and great relationships that the same way they trust my game, they trust me to do what I like to do, which is just a little bit of everything.

And then I think it helps the team. We have a lot of tools, we have a lot of shooters. We open the court. We have a play-maker like Olivia Miles. Just trying to use my versatility to create for everybody and see what other teams are going to do.

Q. Question for Veronica. You started, the last two years, over 60 games. What is it about TCU, this culture, this team, that's made it so easy to buy into the role you have on this team?

VERONICA SHEFFEY: Like Coach said, we have a lot of talent on this team. This year has been a growth year for me. Even though I'm a senior, I've had to grow in different ways than I haven't in the past. So having the kind of players I do around me made me step into this game and play like I do. I think it's very different than what I'm used to.

But having Olivia being that play-maker for us, and Marta, all that versatility we just talked about, it's helped me grow in a different way and make a difference when I get out there.

Q. Mark, you mentioned in your opening statement that you guys last played each other the first game of Big 12 play. Obviously every team changes throughout the course of the season, but K-State's has been fairly noticeable. What are some of the bigger things that you've kind of picked up on that are different from when you guys last played?

MARK CAMPBELL: Oh, a lot. First of all, they're playing five guards. They were playing two post players at a traditional four, traditional five. Now they have Claessen at the center and they've got those four guards and they've got three kids who can really shoot it.

But the journey of a season, that group is playing together really well and unselfish and they know how to attack and they know each other's games.

This tournament run, this isn't a fluke. Like, they're hard to guard and they're competitive, and so, you know, everybody over the course of the season -- and Coach has done a phenomenal job. But over the course of the season, you've got to figure out your group. Some figure it out quicker than others. They have a whole bunch of new players. So from the outside, there's no magic wand or snap your fingers and you can just make something come together. It's really hard in modern college athletics because of the turnover that happens. Give them credit for figuring this out. But that's my main stuff.

And then defensively, he's always been a great defensive coach and they're really smart, even though they play small ball. We were able to kind of exploit that in the second half and get post touches and finish around the rim, but they're doing a great job.

Q. Marta, this is for you. There was a lot of international flair out on the court today, I want to say maybe five different countries represented. Throughout the course of your year, what was that like? I know you have some shared relationships on the court.

MARTA SUAREZ: Hi, Rachel. (Laughter).

It's awesome. It's awesome to see people grow. I got to give a shout out to Gina. I'm very excited to see -- I mean, you-all have seen how she passes, how she reads the court. I tell her every time we play her, shoot the ball a little bit more. We're in America. It's not Spain anymore. (Laughter).

But I'm very excited to see how the game grows. I love that internationals are getting the opportunity to come here, get such good education, get to develop their English language and play amongst the best, you know?

And then in this team, though, super excited to see where it goes. Because CB, you guys saw it, like, the ten minutes she gave us, but she's going to keep growing. Incredible IQ, incredible way to handle the ball at her size.

Silva, I don't know that I have ever seen a 6'7" with a better turnaround jump shot than she does.

We also have Sarah Portlock who is a red shirt this year, but she's big and she knows how to handle that ball. That's going to be extremely exciting for the game and for TCU as well.

Q. Your dad flew in from Spain a couple nights ago. Did you know he was coming? What's it like having him here in this environment?

MARTA SUAREZ: Yeah, he gave me a heads-up a couple days before and he kind of surprised me when he got here, though. It's so exciting just to be able to share this experience with him. He's loving it. He loves this sport. He loves to support me. I think he's having a lot of fun.

And then the TCU community -- again, I keep talking about them. They're so good. And my experience over there, I know they're running to each other at the airport, and my dad was so excited to see a familiar face in a different country. So tremendously grateful that I get to share this with my family this awesome season.

THE MODERATOR: Time for one more.

Q. For Coach Campbell. When you look at your season, the four losses were all one-possession losses. I know that overtime game was, but that was a one-possession game at the end of overtime. What did you guys learn from those losses? Because it seems like since that Colorado loss, obviously, you guys haven't lost.

MARK CAMPBELL: Yeah, we're fully aware, a razor-thin margin from being 33-0. But you need those losses, need those learning experiences, growth opportunities to galvanize your group. This group is so talented collectively that you're kind of just rolling through the season. And sometimes it's hard to hold them accountable and learn from stuff as you're winning.

And so the Colorado one was really painful. You lost at the last second. And this group, they deserve all the credit in the world. They're old. They're veterans. They've been doing this a long time. But for them to want to take a step back and go, hey, we got to get better, We got to tighten up a couple things. They've been on a heck of a run since that Colorado game.

And so in the moment, it's no fun and it sucks and it's hard, but reality is, we probably needed it to get to where we're at now. And that's the journey of a season.

This group has responded every single time. They deserve a lot of credit of being coachable and helping figure this out. And I think something that we do really well here, it's collective. Our staff, the players. It's our little village trying to figure this thing out. You get seven months to get it right and to make sure this group maximizes their talent. I think we're doing that. Go Frogs. See you guys tomorrow!