Even if it’s not explicitly stated, part of the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee’s job is to make a television show, to put teams on paths that might be compelling must-watch matchups in March Madness.
That’s why we might see Duke vs. North Carolina in the Sweet 16. That’s why JuJu Watkins and USC are on a collision course to face Paige Bueckers and UConn in the Elite Eight. And that’s why Louisville got sent to TCU’s sub-regional.
Remember, the committee tried this last year too. When former Louisville guard Hailey Van Lith was then playing for LSU, the Cardinals got sent to Baton Rouge. But the second round matchup never happened as Louisville got upset in the first round by Middle Tennessee State.
The committee’s second — and final — try at making this happen finally worked: Van Lith and her second-seeded Horned Frogs will face No. 7 Louisville on Sunday in Fort Worth, Texas.
So, for the first time ever, Van Lith will face the team she helped take to the Final Four as a sophomore in 2022.
But Van Lith isn’t feeding into the frenzy around the matchup.
“I understand the media, I understand the narrative that’s being painted. Doesn’t necessarily align with where I am at mentally and emotionally,” she said Saturday. “That’s okay. It doesn’t matter if people don’t have the same perception as me. I’m in a really good spot. I’m excited to play. You know, this game a much bigger than me and what I got going on.”
She added: “TCU is looking to go to the Sweet 16 for the first time ever. That’s a lot bigger than whatever else the narrative is. I’m just excited to go play. It’s going to be great game time. Probably going to get a primetime slot. I love it.”
Indeed, TCU vs. Louisville will tip-off at 6 p.m. ET on Sunday on ESPN, proving that it’s a matchup worthy of the mothership treatment.
At her third school in three years, Van Lith is having arguably the best season of her college career and is a big reason why TCU is viewed as a Final Four contender. She’s averaging 17.7 points and a career-best 5.4 assists per game, while also grabbing 4.3 rebounds per game and shooting a career-high 45.7 percent from the floor.
The fifth-year 5-foot-9 guard from Wenatchee, Washington — who also won an Olympic bronze medal this past summer with Team USA in 3×3 basketball — is also seventh nationally in win shares. She’s one of just five players in the country — and the only one playing in the NCAA Tournament — who is averaging at least 17.5 points, five assists and four rebounds per game. With her leading the way, TCU won the Big 12 this season for the first time.
It’s a bounce-back season for Van Lith, who struggled to find a consistent role last season on a star-laden LSU roster that fell in the Elite Eight to Iowa. One could make the case that Van Lith was hung out to dry a bit by her coaches in that defeat as they refused to make real adjustments to guard Caitlin Clark, leaving Van Lith one-on-one with her for most of the night.
Van Lith averaged just 11.6 points per game at LSU while shooting a career-low from the floor. At TCU, she’s found the right fit for her skillset.
“I think when I chose TCU I was really looking for a system much like our system here. Just a ton of spacing. Unique personnel that opens up the floor for me where I can be a playmaker, what I do best,” Van Lith said. “But also a system that will challenge me to open up new parts of my game, like I have with playing the one a little bit.”
Louisville has a young roster with eight true freshmen, but there’s a few players still there who played with Van Lith, including Olivia Cochran and Merissah Russell. Van Lith said she’s still very close with Russell.
“One of my best friends plays for Louisville still. Probably going to be a bridesmaid at my wedding if I ever get married,” Van Lith said, smiling. “We did go to a Final Four. That’s life changing. A lot of emotions there, so it was a positive… Yeah, me and Merissah, room 112.”
Cochran still has a lot of respect and admiration for Van Lith too, but knows that on Sunday they won’t be former teammates and friends — just competitors.
“Hailey was a great teammate. I wish her the best. But at the end of the day we got to survive and move forward. At the end of the day, this is basketball and it’s competition, so I’m sure as well that she wants to compete as much as I want to compete against her,” Cochran said. “See? It’s no bad blood. All love. I’m wishing her the best.”
Louisville coach Jeff Walz wasn’t willing to play along with hype being drummed up for the matchup either.
He was asked what works so well with Van Lith and Sedona Prince being on the same team. For context here, Walz coached Prince in 2018 on Team’s USA’s U-18 team that won the FIBA Americas Championship.
Walz responded to the question this way:
“I mean, like what do you mean? They’re both great players. What the hell? I mean, it’s not like they’ve reinvented the game here,” Walz said. “It’s (not) like two shitty players we just made great. They’re really good players.”
Walz’s personality permeates all throughout Louisville’s women’s basketball program and has for the entirety of his tenure as head coach. It’s why, with eight freshmen or no freshmen, they’re always a tough out. Their intensity and discipline has helped them make four Final Fours under Walz’s watch.
On Sunday, his Cardinals will try to punch their 13th ticket to the Sweet 16. TCU will be playing for the chance to advance to the NCAA Tournament’s second weekend for the first time ever.
Van Lith knows all too well what she and the Horned Frogs are up against.
“Being in that program, I know that they definitely are going to have a chip on their shoulder. When I was there we always had a chip about us. You know, probably why I also play like that still,” Van Lith said. “So we’re going to have to come out and be intense and match their intensity. We’ll see if we’re up to it.”
