For the majority of their clash with Iowa State, TCU found themselves behind and staring at the possibility of their home streak ending. The Cyclones’ defense kept the Horned Frogs on the back foot and built a 66–53 lead with 7:35 remaining in the game. But, as we’ve seen so often this season, Olivia Miles rose to the occasion and settled it.

We witnessed yet another historic performance from one of the best point guards in the country, as she powered TCU past Iowa State 80–73 after a 12-point fourth-quarter comeback, extending their home streak to 41 games at the Schollmaier Arena.

Miles scored 26 points on 8-of-21 shooting, grabbed 10 rebounds, and handed out 10 assists to record her fifth triple-double of the season. In doing so, she made history. “Olivia Miles’ fifth triple-double with TCU this season ties Brittney Griner and Shalee Lehning for the most in a career in Big 12 history,” read ESPN’s post confirming the feat.

For most of the game, the Cyclones’ defense gave Miles plenty of trouble, and we could see she was struggling to find her shot. But in the fourth, she came alive, determined not to let the home streak end. Down 12, Miles put TCU on her back, scoring 17 in the quarter, and hit the final dagger.

With about 55 seconds left, the guard had already done the heavy lifting to put TCU in front, but the job wasn’t finished yet. So she made sure of it. Miles buried a clutch pull-up off the dribble to stretch the lead to 75–70, and right as the shot fell… the lights went out. Talk about literally shooting the lights out!

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With this win, the Horned Frogs are right back where they wanted to be — on top of the Big 12. Sitting at 25–4 overall and 13–4 in conference play, TCU looks primed for a deep postseason run, and unlike last season, they won’t be sneaking in as underdogs, but as a team everyone has to take seriously. Whether that translates into a push past the Elite Eight, though, is still something we’ll have to wait and see.

That said, staying in college instead of turning pro has worked out just about perfectly for Olivia Miles in her final season, even if that decision might cause headaches for a certain WNBA front office.

Why Olivia Miles Staying Became A Problem for Angel Reese and Co.

Heading into last year’s draft, the Chicago Sky had the No. 3 pick and were heavily pursuing Miles, knowing they badly needed a true floor general. But just weeks before draft night, we learned the Sky had traded that pick for Ariel Atkins. This move didn’t make sense at first, but it became clear when Miles announced her decision to stay instead of entering the draft.

This year, Miles will enter the draft as a projected lottery pick once again, and her performances fully back that up. She’s putting up a TCU-best 20.1 points,  6.5 assists, and two steals per game, showing just how much her game has grown now that she’s healthy again.

And that spells trouble for the Chicago Sky, who still need a true point guard to feed the likes of Angel Reese and Kamilla Cardoso. They head into this draft with the No. 5 pick, and right now there’s almost no scenario where Olivia Miles slips past No. 3. A huge setback for the windy city franchise!

“It was a really good decision for her to go back to school, and honestly, this transfer is seeming to be a really significant benefit for her. Yeah. And I think you said she would be really helpful on the Chicago Sky. That’s if she drops all the way down to five because she is doing such a great job improving that draft stock this year with TCU,” Kalia Butler and Sophia Jones said on the Lock on Women’s Basketball podcast. 

Angel Reese has been pretty open about wanting to team up with Olivia Miles, and interestingly enough, the last high-profile guard to come out of TCU, Hailey Van Lith, also suits up for Chicago. So honestly, who wouldn’t want another Horned Frog bringing her talents to the Sky… especially one who just matched Brittney Griner’s Big 12 record? As things stand, though, a Miles–Reese pairing in Chicago still looks unlikely.

Do you see these two teaming up in Chicago? Let us know in the comments down below!