No matter where she ends up being drafted, TCU's Olivia Miles will enter the 2026 WNBA Draft as an even better player than she was before. Miles' evolution as a 3-point shooter has been remarkable, with her attempts soaring from 13 to 20 on Thursday. This marks a significant improvement from her previous career-high, showcasing her growth as a high-volume 3-point shooter. Miles' skill set has expanded since she began college a semester early as the No. 8 recruit in the high school class of 2021. Once a poor 3-point shooter, she shot 40.6 percent from beyond the arc last year. This season, she's shooting less efficiently from 3 (down to 37.3 percent), but she's coupled a higher volume of long-range bombs with averages in assists and rebounds that approach her career highs. She's posting 6.6 helpers per contest (up 0.8 from last year) and 6.8 boards (up 1.2). Her 2-point field goals per game have also increased by 0.7 to 5.3, contributing to her career-leading 7.3 field goals per game (up 1.9). She's having her most efficient season from the floor, save for the six games she played in 2020-21, shooting 50.7 percent, up 2.4 percent from her next-best full season. She's making 0.6 more free throws per game than she's ever made (3.9) at a stellar 85.7 percent clip that is 6.7 percent better than her previous best. Miles' improved performance this season has been a game-changer, and it's likely to benefit her in the WNBA. Her ability to couple a higher volume of long-range bombs with averages in assists and rebounds that approach her career highs has made her a triple-double threat. Before this season, there was a narrative of "Why is she coming back to college when she is the projected No. 2 pick in the WNBA Draft?" But with her NIL deals and the brand-new revenue sharing system for NCAA athletes, she's doing just fine moneywise. The real reason people thought she should have gone pro in 2025 is because they thought she had nothing new left to show WNBA scouts. But Miles has taken her game to yet another level this season. In all likelihood, demonstrating this improvement in college, rather than as a WNBA rookie, will end up benefitting her. She's gotten to test herself as a dominant scorer in a space where that is possible, as she likely wouldn't have had the opportunity to occupy such a high-impact role right away in the W. Whether it was the right decision or not, Miles has clearly shown just how good of a prospect she is, even before her apex effort on Thursday. WNBA fans are now EVEN MORE excited to see her at the next level. With the Seattle Storm holding the No. 3 pick, a team-up with do-it-all 6-foot-6 center Dominique Malonga, the No. 2 pick in last year's draft, would be intriguing to say the least, and it could last for years to come. For now, Miles' goal is getting to her first Elite Eight, and hopefully beyond. 2023 may have been Miles' best shot thus far at advancing beyond the Sweet 16. Her Irish earned the No. 1 seed in the ACC Tournament, but, due to her season-ending ACL tear suffered in the regular-season finale, they were blown out by Louisville 64-38 in the semifinals, thus lowering their seeding to a No. 3 for the Big Dance. They met No. 2 seed Maryland in the Sweet 16; having lost to the Terps on a buzzer-beater in the regular season, Notre Dame was no match for them without Miles, falling 76-59. Miles' sharpshooting teammate Dara Mabrey also suffered a season-ending ACL tear that regular season. Hannah Hidalgo came in as a freshman the following season, which Miles missed the entirety of as she recovered from her injury. Hidalgo led Notre Dame to a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament, but the Irish again fell in the Sweet 16. Miles was active for the two other Sweet 16 games during her Irish tenure, going for 21 points, six boards and six helpers in a 2022 loss to NC State and managing just 10 points, two boards and three helpers in last year's loss to the team she now represents. It’s been a heartbreaking Elite Eight curse for Miles. So she came back to college to right the wrongs. The win over Baylor on Thursday was huge, but before that, the Frogs lost to Colorado, the first team outside the tournament field in ESPN’s Bracketology as of Friday morning. This season, TCU (22-4, 10-3 Big 12) has also lost to a Utah team that is part of the "Last Four In." Their other two losses have come to No. 8 Ohio State and No. 16 Texas Tech. While two of those are pretty bad losses, all of their losses have come by two points or less, or in overtime. That’s how close they are to being undefeated. After the Baylor win, their next-biggest win came by a point over now-No. 19 West Virginia, the team they face Sunday night (8 p.m. ET, FS1). The rematch against the Mountaineers is crucial, as is a rematch with the Bears to close the regular season on March 1 (4 p.m. ET, ESPN). The Frogs were No. 12 in the first NCAA top 16 reveal on Saturday, putting them on track to be a No. 3 seed. Just like every team, they'd really like to hold on to host status. And with how Miles is playing, the Horned Frogs should be confident in that happening.
