Hailey Van Lith vs. Louisville when TCU guard faces team she went deep in March Madness with 3 times

FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — Hailey Van Lith is trying to get with TCU where she went three times with Louisville, deep into the women's NCAA Tournament.

As fate would have it in the standout guard's fifth and final March Madness, Van Lith faces her old team in the second round Sunday.

“I understand the narrative that’s being painted. It doesn’t necessarily align with where I’m at mentally or emotionally. And that’s OK,” Van Lith said Saturday. “I'm at a really good spot. I’m excited to play. ... TCU is looking to go to the Sweet 16 for the first time ever, so that’s a lot bigger than whatever else the narrative could be.”

Van Lith started 101 games and averaged 15.4 points for the Cardinals while going to an NCAA Final Four and two other Elite Eights from 2021-23.

Their two-time leading scorer then transferred to join an LSU team coming off a national championship and made it to another Elite Eight last March before moving again. Her final college season is with a TCU program that has never been past the second round and before now had gone 15 years since even making the tournament.

The on-court reunion for Van Lith, now the Big 12 player of the year, and Louisville almost happened in last year's NCAA Tournament. But the Cardinals lost a first-round game for the only time in 16 appearances under coach Jeff Walz when Middle Tennessee overcame an 18-point deficit and moved on to play LSU in the second round.

When this year's bracket set up the possibility again, Big 12 champion TCU beat Fairleigh Dickinson for its first NCAA win since 2006 and Louisville followed on the same court Friday with a victory over Nebraska.

“We won a lot of games. ... We had really good basketball teams. She was a big part of it, she had a great career,” Walz said about Van Lith. “She graduated college in three years, which nobody really talks about, and they should. Because that’s our job as coaches. Sure, if you lose games, you get fired. But at the end of the day, it’s to get kids to graduate from college. She did that in three years and decided to make a move, which is great. Everybody does it. It’s no big deal.”

After averaging a team-best 14.4 points when the Cardinals made it to the Final Four in 2022, Van Lith scored 19.7 a game as a junior in her final season with them.

“It’s the people that I remember most. And you know, we did go to the Final Four. That’s life changing, a lot of emotions there,” Van Lith said. “I look back on it positively.”

Mark Campbell has rebuilt TCU's program with transfers since being hired as coach two years ago this month. Sedona Prince and Madison Conner were among the first additions, then Van Lith came in with Taylor Bigby (USC) and Donovyn Hunter (Oregon State) this season.

Van Lith was part of Louisville's 2020-21 freshman class with Olivia Cochran and Merissah Russell, now in their fifth seasons. Van Lith said Russell remains one of her best friends. “Probably going to be a bridesmaid at my wedding if I ever get married," she said.

Junior forward Nyla Harris is the only other current player that was on a Cardinals roster with Van Lith.

“Hailey was a great teammate. I’m wishing her the best, but at the end of the day you've got to survive and move forward," Russell said. “At the end of the day this is basketball and it’s competition. ... She wants to compete as much as I want to compete against her. So there’s no bad blood, all love.”

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