Why Olivia Miles' triple-double streak isn't as impressive as it looks for TCU Horned Frogs

Billy Heyen

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Why Olivia Miles' triple-double streak isn't as impressive as it looks for TCU Horned Frogs image

Olivia Miles is one of the best college basketball players in the country, and this is in no way an attempt to dispute that.

She transferred from Notre Dame to TCU for this season, and the do-everything Miles is, well, doing everything for the Horned Frogs.

She has put up a triple-double in each of her last three games, which is absolutely incredible:

There are two things worth noting, though.

The first is that Miles put these triple-doubles up against mismatched UTEP, Jacksonville and Arkansas-Pine Bluff.

Frankly, that doesn't even bother us that much. Shine bright no matter who you're playing against. That's cool.

The more annoying thing, verging on frustrating, is the way TCU went about letting Miles get her triple-doubles.

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In the first game of the streak, against UTEP, the Horned Frogs left Miles in until there was 3:56 left on the clock and they were holding an 85-36 lead. Miles had stayed in that long, seemingly, to grab her 10th rebound, which came at the 4:20 mark before she departed on the next stoppage.

Miles left with more than five minutes to play against Jacksonville, double-digits in all the stats well in hand.

But then against Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Miles played until there was 3:24 left. Again, the last action she had was grabbing her 10th rebound. TCU was up 100-50 when she exited.

This isn't even a complaint about running up the scoreboard or the stats.

This is poor strategy. What if Miles rolls her ankle going for her 10th rebound with a 50-point lead in December? How much does that change the entire course of the TCU season?

The Horned Frogs are now 12-0. They're a top-10 team led by a top-five player. The absolute last thing they can afford is an injury to Miles. 

Chasing triple-doubles is not worth losing the chance at championships. And that's a risk, even if it's small, that TCU is taking with these decisions.

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Staff Writer