March 7, 2008

Game Notes - BYU in PDF Format

Game Day Information
Opponent: The TCU men's basketball team will return to their home court for its regular-season finale as the Horned Frogs welcome Mountain West Conference leader and 24th-ranked BYU to the Daniel-Meyer Coliseum for a league showdown. Game time is slated for 7:00 p.m. Central Time between the Horned Frogs and Cougars.

Radio: Fox Sports Radio (1460 AM) and KTCU (88.7 FM) in the Dallas/Fort Worth area
Brian Estridge (play-by-play) and John Denton (anaylst) will call the game on the TCU/ISP Sports Network. The game can also be heard online at www.GoFrogs.com via Yahoo Sports.

Television: The Mtn. Network
Bill Doleman (play-by-play) and Blaine Fowler (analyst) will handle the game-day duties for The Mtn. Network.

Next on the Schedule: The Purple and White will return to action next week in Las Vegas, Nev., for the Mountain West Conference Tournament.

Stealing the Show
• The Frogs will enter the game against the Cougars ranked 12th in the nation in steals per game with an average of 9.36 picks per evening. In the NCAA rankings, the Frogs are slated behind VMI (12.7 S-G), Austin Peay State, Marquette, Robert Morris, Pepperdine, Clemson, Tennessee State, Seton Hall, Siena, Tennessee and Duquesne.

• The defense of the Purple and White has notched 14 games of 10 or more steals this season and have notched a record of 9-5 record in contests where the Frogs post double-digit pick tallies.

• The Frogs have posted two of the top-three steal performances this season in the Mountain West Conference with a 17-pick victory over Texas Southern and a 16-steal triumph over Jackson State. The only team in the conference to notch more picks in a game this season was San Diego State's 19-steal performance against Loyola-Marymount.

• Jason Ebie is ranked 87th among all NCAA Division I student-athletes in steals per game as the TCU sophomore has recorded an average of 1.82 steals per game. The TCU point guard has collected two or more steals in 14 games and has notched at least one steal in 25 of 28 contests - including a string of 24 consecutive games.

Rebirth at the Free Throw Line
• For the majority of the season, the Frogs have been found towards the bottom of the Mountain West Conference standings in free throw percentage - but recently jumped up two spots from ninth to seventh after connecting on 96.4 percent (27-of-28) of their charity stripe attempts against Colorado State on February 20th at the Daniel-Meyer Coliseum.

Statement Time in the Mountain West Conference
• Teams in the Mountain West Conference have combined for a record of 151-109 (.581 winning percentage) and has a trio of teams with at least 20 wins during the 2007-08 campaign in BYU (24-6), University of New Mexico (23-7) and UNLV (22-6).

• BYU - who enters this week of action ranked 24th in the country in the latest polls - currently possesses an 13-2 conference record while the Cougars are followed by UNLV (11-4), New Mexico (10-5) and San Diego State (9-6) round out the top of the standings.

• The Frogs have notched a 6-9 conference record and find themselves in seventh place in the Mountain West Conference standings behind Utah and Air Force Academy. Heading into the final game of the season - the Frogs are slated to be ranked seventh heading into the Mountain West Conference Tournament next week in Las Vegas, Nev.

• The Purple and White have notched six victories in Mountain West Conference action - which is their highest tally since joining the league three seasons ago and tie the number of total triumphs in the league over the past two seasons.

Frogs' Poor Shooting Leads to Air Force Triumph
• The Air Force Academy connected on 54.5 percent (18-of-33) of their field goal attempts en route to securing a 57-36 victory over the Horned Frogs at Clune Arena in USAFA, Colo., on Wednesday evening.

• The Purple and White connected on their second-lowest shooting performance in modern history as the Frogs connected on 23.9 percent (11-of-46) of their field goal attempts - including 23.1 percent (6-of-26) in the second half of action.

• Andrew Henke finished with a career-high 21 points against the Purple and White as the AFA guard connected on 7-of-11 field goal attempts - including six three-pointers - to go along with five rebounds and two assists in 36 minutes of action.

• Tim Anderson notched a double-digit scoring performance for the first time in three games as the Falcons' senior finished with 12 points - including 6-of-8 at the charity stripe - to go along with five assists, four rebounds and four steals in 37 minutes of action.

• The Falcons did a solid job of ball distribution against the Horned Frogs as they finished with 18 assists - their third-highest tally of the season - compared to seven for TCU.

• Keion Mitchem collected a career-high 16 points - including a career-high five three-pointers - to go along with five rebounds in 28 minutes of action to lead the Purple and White. The TCU sophomore was the lone Frog to score more than six points in the game.

• The defense of the Air Force Academy held the five starters for the Horned Frogs to a combined 13 points to go along with a 4-of-22 (18.1 percent) shooting performance - which was the lowest total this season for the Purple and White. This was also the best defensive performance for the Falcons in program history.

• The Frogs and Falcons entered the contest with identical records as they both stood at 14-13 overall and 6-8 in Mountain West Conference action. The Falcons now stand at 15-13 (7-9 in league action) while the Frogs dropped to 14-14 and 6-9 in the league.

Frog Defense Standing Tall
• The Frogs have forced opponents into 490 turnovers (17.5 turnovers per game) where they have scored 507 points off of the miscues of their foes - an average of 18.1 points.

The Glass Cleaners
• Alvardo Parker and Luke Tauscher each recorded a double-digit rebounding performance against Rice on November 13th and became the first set of teammates to accomplish that feat in the same game since Chudi Chinweze (13) and Bingo Merriex (11) did it against UAB on February 18, 2003 - a span of 131 games.

Time Well Spent
• Heading into the 2007-08 season, Neil Dougherty was excited about the depth on his bench and its shown as the Frogs have nine players that are averaging double-digits.

• Kevin Langford is one of four players to average over 20.0 minutes per evening as the TCU junior is collecting 29.6 minutes of court time per evening. The Fort Worth talent is joined in that category by Brent Hackett (26.0 MP-G), Henry Salter (25.3 MP-G) and Jason Ebie (20.8 MP-G).

• The Frogs have six other players who are averaging double-digits in minutes played in John Ortiz (19.7 MP-G), Alvardo Parker (19.3 MP-G), Neiman Owens (14.7 MP-G), Keion Mitchem (13.0 MP-G), Mike Scott (12.6 MP-G) and Ryan Wall (10.2 MP-G).

Scouting the Opponents - BYU
• BYU enters the game against the Horned Frogs ranked 24th in the country with a 24-6 overall record - including a Mountain West Conference-best 13-2 mark in league action. The Cougars have captured 12 of their last 13 games with their lone setback coming on the road at Cox Arena against San Diego State.

• Lee Cummard - a candidate for Mountain West Conference Player of the Year - is ranked first in the conference in field goal percentage (56.8%), second in free throw percentage (84.4%) fifth in scoring average (15.8 P-G) and rebounds per game (6.5 R-G), sixth in assists per game (3.47 A-G) and 13th in minutes (30.9 MP-G).

• Senior Trent Plaisted is widely-considered the best big man in the Mountain West Conference as the BYU center is ranked second in rebounds per game (8.1 R-G), offensive rebounds per game (2.27 R-G) and defensive rebounds per game (5.87 R-G), third in scoring average (16.1 P-G) and field goal percentage (54.4%) and 10th in blocked shots per game (0.93 B-G).

• Jonathan Tavernari is another sharp-shooting guard for the Cougars as the BYU sophomore is ranked fourth in the conference in three-point field goal percentage (37.4%) and three-point field goals made per game (2.53 3FGM-G), seventh in steals per game (1.43 S-G) and 13th in scoring average at 13.2 points per contest.

• The Cougars will come into the contest as the best scoring team in the Mountain West Conference at 74.8 points per game as well as the top rebounding squad at 39.8 boards per contest. BYU is ranked first in field goal defense (38.6%), rebounding margin (+5.4 R-G), assists (17.17 A-G) and defensive rebounds (28.87 R-G).

• Following the Cougars' 78-61 victory over the University of Wyoming at the Marriott Center on March 5th, BYU became the first Mountain West Conference team to win the league title outright in back-to-back seasons.

• The Cougars have gotten strong player from a trio of guards in Sam Burgess, Jimmer Fredette and Ben Murdock as the BYU back-court is averaging 8.7 points, 6.9 points and 4.2 points per game this season.

• BYU head men's basketball coach Dave Rose has guided the Cougars to three consecutive 20-plus winning seasons. The two-time reigning Mountain West Conference Coach of the Year award winner guided the Cougars to a 20-9 record in 2005-06, 25-9 in 2006-07 and 24-6 in 2007-08 during his tenure with BYU.

Frogs Closing in on 400th Victory at the DMC
• Following a 67-61 victory over the University of Utah on February 27th, the Purple and White recorded their 399th triumph inside the confines of the Daniel-Meyer Coliseum since its' opening on December 18, 1961.

Charity Stripe Levels on the Rise
• Over the course of the Mountain West Conference schedule - the Horned Frogs have improved their shooting percentage from the free throw line as the Purple and White are ranked fourth in the league after connecting on 73.3 percent (198-of-270) of their charity stripe attempts through 15 games.

• Prior the beginning of conference action, the Frogs connected on 60.7 percent (187-of-308) of their free throw attempts - which ranked them last in the Mountain West Conference. After 15 conference games, the Frogs have moved up two spots to seventh in the league in free throw percentage at 66.6 percent (385-of-578).

• The Frogs have connected on 66.2 percent (251-of-379) of their free throw attempts at the Daniel-Meyer Coliseum and 78.0 percent (103-of-132) of their charity stripe tries at the DMC during conference action.

• The Purple and White connected on 15-of-15 of their free throw attempts against UNLV at the Daniel-Meyer Coliseum - which tied a program record for free throw percentage in a single-game. The Frogs also connected on 96.4 percent (27-of-28) of their free throw tries against Colorado State - which was the highest free throw shooting percentage in program history for any game where TCU attempted 22 or more tries.

Always Be Ready to Play
• This season, all 14 players that have suited up for TCU have played - that feat wasn't reached until the 24th game at Colorado State during the 2006-07 campaign.

Home-Grown Talent Pays Dividends for Horned Frogs
• The Frogs have filled their roster with a quintet of DFW talents in Brent Hackett (Southwest H.S.), Kevin Langford (North Crowley H.S.), Ryan Wall (Coppell H.S.), Daniel Ford (Aledo H.S.) and Luke Tauscher (Southwest H.S.).

• Hackett was the first player that Neil Dougherty signed from the Dallas/Fort Worth Area, and he also ties with Langford as his brother, Keith, was a recruited and coached by the TCU head coach at the University of Kansas.

• A pair of honorable mention All-Mountain West Conference players last season, Hackett and Langford are currently ranked second and third on the Frogs in scoring average at 13.2 points and 11.1 points per game.

• Ryan Wall is in his second season with the Frogs' program after spending a pair of seasons at the University of New Mexico. The TCU guard connected on the game-winning three-pointer to defeat the Lobos on Jan. 15th. Wall's shot was ranked fifth on SportsCenter's Plays of the Day on Wednesday (Jan. 16th).

• TCU newcomer Luke Tauscher sat out last season due to an injury, but the 6-11 center has averaged 2.0 points and 3.0 rebounds per game in his 24 games on the floor for the Frogs.

Frogs Adding a Little Salter to Their Diet
• TCU newcomer Henry Salter has made a tremendous impact on the Frogs' lineup in his first season with the program as he has collected 10 or more points in 20 of the 24 games. The TCU guard has recorded double-digit scoring evenings in four of the last five games that he has appeared.

• The TCU junior is currently ranked fifth in the country in three-point field goal percentage as he has connected on 47.7 percent of his attempts and 90th in three-point field goals made per game.

• Salter is ranked 11th in the Mountain West Conference in scoring average (13.3 P-G) and 16th in rebounds per game (5.0) and is one of four players (Lee Cummard, J.R. Giddens and Luke Nevill) to be ranked in the top-20 in more than six statistical categories.

• The former NJCAA All-American is also ranked third in the Mountain West Conference in three-point field goals made per game with an average of 2.58 treys per contest and has connected on 46.6 percent (27-of-58) of his trey attempts against Mountain West Conference competition.

The "Langford" Road Home
• Kevin Langford has been one of the Frogs' top all-around players this season as the Fort Worth native is ranked second on the team in scoring average (13.2 P-G) and leads the Purple and White in free throws made (134), free throw attempts (185) and free throw percentage (72.4%). During his two-year career, Langford has attempted 422 free throws - which ranks eighth in the record books.

• The TCU forward was selected as the Mountain West Conference Player of the Week on December 24th after averaging 24.0 points and 5.5 rebounds per game in a pair of victories for the Frogs. Langford scored a career-high 31 points against Prairie View A&M and became the first player since Junior Blunt during the 2001-02 season to score 30 or more points in a game.

• The Fort Worth native has notched a double-digit scoring performance in 23 of 28 games this season - including a Mountain West Conference-high 22 consecutive games that was snapped against the University of New Mexico on February 16th following a four-point output.

• Langford received his degree in sociology with a minor in criminal justice this past December.

The Hackett Man
• Senior Brent Hackett recently etched his name in the TCU record books as he became the 28th player in program history to record over 1,000 points for the Purple and White and currently sits tied for 22nd place in the all-time rankings with 1,066 career scores.

• The TCU guard is also ranked fifth in the all-time record books in three-point field goals attempted (556) and three-point field goals made (183) and seventh in career steals (121).

• During his career with the Frogs - Hackett has appeared in 120 career games and has earned a spot in the starting lineup on 86 occasions - missing only four starts in the last three seasons.

• An honorable mention All-Mountain West Conference performer during the 2006-07 campaign, Hackett has been one of the top scorers for the Frogs over the last four seasons as he has collected 10 or more points in 52 career games - 16 (Senior) / 18 (Junior) / 18 (Sophomore).

Welcome to the Parker's
• Alvardo Parker has been a force for the Frogs under the basket for the past two seasons as the TCU senior is ranked third in the all-time record books in blocks per game (1.56 B-G) and fifth in career blocked shots (91).

• The TCU forward has recorded at least one blocked shot in 44 of 58 career games with the Purple and White and has notched at least one swat in 19 of 28 games in his final campaign.

• Parker is ranked sixth among all Mountain West Conference players in blocked shots per game (1.07 B-G), eighth in offensive boards per game (1.96 R-G) and 20th in boards per game (4.7 R-G).

• This is only the fourth year of organized basketball for the Turks & Caicos Islands' native as he spent his first two seasons at Frank Phillips Junior College followed by his TCU career.

Frogs Strong on the Glass
• The Frogs are currently ranked third in the Mountain West Conference in rebounds per game with a 35.6 boards per contest average - but sit at the top of the rankings in offensive rebounds per game where the Purple and White has collected 12.46 rebounds per game.

• At one point in the 2007-08 season - the Frogs were ranked as high as fourth in the nation in rebounds per game, but have struggled grabbing boards on the road where they are averaging 32.2 rebounds per game compared to 38.1 rebounds per game at the Daniel-Meyer Coliseum.

• In games that the Frogs win - the Purple and White is averaging 40.1 boards per evening compared to 31.1 rebounds per game in contests where TCU suffers a defeat.

It's All About the Ebie, Baby!
• TCU sophomore Jason Ebie has made tremendous progression in the Frogs' lineup during his second campaign with the Purple and White as he is ranked 87th in the nation in steals per game with a 1.82 picks per contest average.

• Ebie is ranked third in the Mountain West Conference in steals per game (1.82 S-G) and has produced at least two steals in 14 of 28 games and one steal in 25 of 28 contests - including a string of 24 games earlier this season.

• The Houston, Texas, native has appeared in all 28 games this season - including 13 trips to the starting lineup - while finding himself ranked fifth in the TCU record books with Al Thomas (1991) for steals per game average (1.82 S-G). Ebie needs only five steals over the final stretch of the season to break in the top-10 single-season marks for steals.

Great Scott!
• In his first season with the Purple and White, Mike Scott has made an immediate impact as he has started in 15 of 28 games this season while averaging 3.4 points, 2.2 assists, 1.0 rebounds and 0.9 steals per game.

• The Frogs' point guard scored a career-high 11 points on two occasions against SMU and Jackson State during his rookie season while notching eight games of five or more points this season.

• Though he's only a freshman, Scott is not the youngest member for TCU as the Philadelphia native is 21-years-old.

Neon Keion in Primetime
• Sophomore Keion Mitchem has given the Frogs an added burst of energy off of the bench as the TCU guard is averaging 4.6 points to go along with shooting 37.9 percent (44-of-116) from the field during his second season.

• Mitchem earned his first career trip to the starting lineup against the Air Force Academy where he finished with a season-high 10 points - including a trio of three-pointers - in addition to one assist and one steal.

• The TCU sophomore collected several career-highs against the Air Force Academy at Clune Arena - including points (16), three-point field goals made (5), three-point field goal attempts (10), rebounds (5) and minutes played (28).

Standing "O" for Ortiz
• Junior John Ortiz has played a vital role for the Frogs in the low post as he is averaging 5.2 points to go along with 5.1 rebounds per game during the 2007-08 campaign. The TCU newcomer is ranked fifth in the Mountain West Conference in offensive rebounds per game (2.04 R-G) and 12th in rebounds per game (5.1 R-G) this season.

• Ortiz notched a career-high 12 boards on the road at UNLV and posted an earlier performance of 11 boards against the University of Wyoming. The TCU forward has grabbed five or more rebounds in 15 of 27 contests this season.

• Ortiz has collected five double-digit scoring performances this season for the Frogs with a career-high 13 points coming at the Daniel-Meyer Coliseum against New Mexico. He has notched 10 or more points in three conference games.

Never Shy Away from the National Spotlight
• Neil Dougherty is not one to shy away from a nationally-ranked opponent as the Frogs have competed against 17 squads ranked in the top-25 during his six-year tenure. To put the numbers into perspective - TCU played 19 nationally-ranked teams during the entire decade of the 90s - a span of 303 games.

• The Purple and White recorded four victories over nationally-ranked foes during Dougherty's tenure with their latest victory coming against 14th-ranked Air Force Academy where TCU notched a 71-66 victory at the February of 2007 at the Daniel-Meyer Coliseum - which snapped a six-game losing skid against nationally-ranked opponents.

• The Horned Frogs are 12-89 (.118) all-time against nationally-ranked teams and has dropped 16 of their last 18 games against teams ranked in the top-25. The Frogs haven't had much success against ranked teams on the road as they have dropped 48 of their last 49 contests with their lone victory coming against Hawaii (83-79) on January 19, 1998.

Close Encounters of the Trey Kind
• The Frogs have made at least one three-pointer in 308 consecutive games dating back to the 1997-98 season where the last time that the Purple and White failed to connect on a trey came against LIU-Brooklyn on November 22, 1997. the Frogs have connected on at least on three-pointer in 525 of their last 526 games.

• Prior to that failed connection against LIU-Brooklyn, the Frogs recorded a three-pointer in 217 straight games dating back to the 1989-90 season when the University of Texas stopped TCU from behind the arc on February 11, 1990.

Home Sweet Home
• The Frogs have been very successful at the Daniel-Meyer Coliseum since its opening prior to the 1961-62 campaign as the Purple and White has notched a career mark of 399-234 (.630) on their home floor.

• Over the past decade, the Frogs have recorded a 139-59 (.702) overall record at the Daniel-Meyer Coliseum and have won at least 10 games at home in seven of the last 10 campaigns.

• The Purple and White have recorded 13 victories at home this season - which marks the seventh time in the 46-year history of the Daniel-Meyer Coliseum that the Frogs have notched 13 or more wins in a season.

Finding Nemo
• Senior Neiman Owens is one of the most experienced and durable players on the Frogs as the TCU guard has appeared in 121 games - including 60 starts during his career with the Purple and White. The TCU senior did not start against Angelo State in the season opener - which snapped his 60-game starting streak dating back to the 2005-06 campaign.

• Owens has appeared in more games than any other player on the Frogs' roster and appeared in his 103rd consecutive game against Colorado State on February 20, 2008. The Channelview, Texas, native scored his 400th career point against UT Arlington on December 17, 2007 and has notched 445 points during his career with the Frogs.

• The TCU senior has collected at least two rebounds in 21 of 28 games this season with a season-high seven boards coming against Jackson State. Owens posted a season-high 10 points in his homecoming to the Houston area against Rice where he also added four rebounds, three steals and two assists in 26 minutes of action.

The Wall
• Even though TCU has only been a member of the Mountain West Conference for the last three seasons, Ryan Wall has been affiliated with the conference in each of his five collegiate seasons. The TCU senior was a member of the University of New Mexico for two seasons (2003-04 and 2004-05) before transferring to the Frogs prior to the start of the 2005-06 campaign en route to appearing in 58 career games with the Purple and White - including starts in the last three games.

• The TCU senior connected on the game-winning three-pointer with 1.5 seconds remaining to give the Purple and White a 74-72 victory over the University of New Mexico on January 15th at the Daniel-Meyer Coliseum. Wall's shot was highlighted on SportsCenter's Top-10 Plays of the Day as it registered as the Number-Five Play of the Day.

Cool Hand Luke
• After missing the 2006-07 season due to back surgery, Luke Tauscher made his return to the Frogs' lineup this season where he has averaged 8.2 minutes of court time. On nine occasions, the TCU freshman has competed in 10 or more minutes and has recorded at least three boards in 11 of 23 games during the 2007-08 campaign.

• The Fort Worth, Texas, native recorded his first career double-digit rebounding performance against Rice where he grabbed 12 boards and notched a pair of eight-rebound affairs against MWC-foes Colorado State and Utah. The TCU center is ranked sixth among all freshmen in the Mountain West Conference with a 3.0 boards per game average.

Morones Making Most of Opportunities
• TCU sophomore Martiese Morones has been making the most of his opportunities on the court as the Frogs' point guard has appeared in 22 games this season - including 10 or more minutes in six of the last seven games.

• Morones has already set career-highs in 20 season statistical categories and career-highs in 15 single-game statistical categories this season while scoring a career-high three points on five occasions during the 2007-08 campaign.

• The Frogs' point guard is the son of TCU assistant coach, Sean Woods - who was a standout at the University of Kentucky where he was a member of the "Unforgettables" on the 1992 team that fell 104-103 to Duke in the NCAA Elite Eight in what is considered the greatest basketball game of all-time.

The Scoring Frenzy
• Three times during the 2007-08 campaign, every member of the Purple and White that saw action on the court scored at least one point in the game. The Frogs accomplished this feat against Angelo State, Grambling State and Colorado State. The same feat was reached twice all of last season against San Diego State and Air Force.

The Woes of the Road
• The Purple and White has struggled on the road this season where the Frogs have accumluated a 1-11 mark away from the Daniel-Meyer Coliseum. The Frogs dropped three games on the road where they held a double-digit lead in the second half of action - including a seven-point advantage over nationally-ranked University of Texas.

• With a victory at Colorado State, the Frogs snapped their 12-game road losing streak, but have dropped 21 of their last 23 games. In the Mountain West Conference, the road victory over the Rams was the second victory in league action.

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