Nov. 12, 2007
Game Notes - Rice in PDF Format
Game Day Information
Opponent: The TCU men's basketball program will continue its four-game homestand on Tuesday (Nov. 13) as the Horned Frogs welcome Conference USA-foe Rice University to the Daniel-Meyer Coliseum for a 7:00 p.m. tip-off.
Radio: KTCU (88.7 FM) and FOX Sports Radio (1460 AM) in Fort Worth/Dallas.
Brian Estridge (play-by-play) and John Denton (analyst) will call the game on the TCU/ISP Sports Network. The game can also be heard online at www.GoFrogs.com and viewed on the TCU Athletics website via GameTracker.
Television: The contest between TCU and Rice will be carried by The Mtn. Network with Bill Doleman serving as the play-by-play announcer and Joe Cravens as the analyst. The satellite coordinates will be G-17 / 74-degrees West / 14071 (H) / 11771 (V) / K4 Lower / Symbol Rate - 10.5 / Data Rate 14.514706 / FEC 3/4 / Video Profile - 4:2.0
Next on the Schedule: The Frogs will be back in action at the DMC on Saturday (Nov. 17) for a 1:30 p.m. tip-off time against the University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff. The game can be heard on KTCU (88.7 FM) and ESPN Radio (103.3 FM). The game can also be heard online at GoFrogs.com and viewed on the TCU Athletics website via GameTracker.
Horned Frogs Strong in Season Openers
• The Horned Frogs have been a strong team in season openers in the first six years of the Neil Dougherty Era as TCU has posted a 5-1 overall record in the first game of the season. The Frogs recorded an 89-70 victory over Angelo State - a member of the Lone Star Conference - in their season opener at the DMC on Saturday evening.
• The Horned Frogs have recorded an all-time record of 61-36 (.629) in season openers and have also notched a 48-13 (.787) overall record in their home openers. TCU has won 26 of its last 27 homes openers with their lone loss in the span coming during the 2005 season against Tarleton State (59-68).
• In the first game of the season at the Daniel-Meyer Coliseum under Neil Dougherty, TCU is averaging 81.3 points per game compared to 67.3 points for opponents. Only one opponent has scored more than 71 points in the home opener against the Horned Frogs over the last six years.
Time to Make a Statement in Mountain West Conference
• In the 2007-08 pre-season rankings for the Mountain West Conference - the Horned Frogs were predicted to finish seventh overall with a total of 58 points, holding advantages over the Air Force Academy (54 points)?and Colorado State (33 points).
• Prior to the start of the 2006-07 season, TCU was predicted to finish ninth overall, but the Horned Frogs were able to more than double their win's record from six to 13 at the conclusion of the season.
• The Mountain West Conference recorded a strong first weekend of the season as eight of the nine teams in the conference notched victories in their season openers. Colorado State was the lone team to suffer a setback as the Rams fell to 79-35 to Montana State.
• In the first weekend of the season, the nine teams in the conference combined for a record of 11-1 (91.7 winning percentage) with San Diego State is off to a 3-0 start while the Air Force Academy triumphed in its first two games of the season.
Frogs Triumph over Rams in Season Opener, 89-70
• In their first game of the season, the Frogs notched an 89-70 victory over Angelo State at the Daniel-Meyer Coliseum on Saturday (Nov. 10) to collect their 26th victory in season openers in the last 27 seasons. TCU has recorded a 5-1 record in season openers and home openers under Neil Dougherty in the last six seasons.
• After holding a tight 38-35 lead heading into intermission, the Frogs came out strong in the final 20 minutes of action and connected on 50.0 percent (21-of-42) en route to out-scoring the Rams by a 51-35 margin.
• TCU senior Brent Hackett led the scoring attack for the Frogs as he recorded a game-high 19 points on 6-of-15 shooting, including 4-of-10 from behind the three-point line, to go along with three assists in 28 minutes of action.
• Alvardo Parker contributed in a big way for the Frogs as the TCU forward notched a near double-double with 18 points and eight rebounds in 28 minutes of action. The 6-8 forward connected on 9-of-11 field goal attempts to go along with a game-high three blocks.
• Henry Salter was the third Frog to earn a double-digit scoring performance as the TCU junior collected 13 points on 6-of-11 shooting to go along with seven rebounds in 18 minutes of court time. All 13 points for Salter came in the second half of action after failing to connect on a field goal (0-of-1) in the opening frame.
• All 12 Frogs that saw action on the court scored at least one point in the contest with seven TCU players scoring five or more points in the game, and 11 of those 12 players recorded at least one rebound in the contest.
• The Frogs controlled the paint against the Rams as the Purple and White converted 22 offensive rebounds into 22 points and out-scored Angelo State, 44-32, in the paint. The Frogs also showcased their depth on the bench as they held a 28-14 advantage in points off of the bench.
• TCU held advantages over the Rams in field goals made (33-26), field goal attempts (73-64), field goal percentage (45.2-40.6), three-point field goals made (9-5), three-point field goal attempts (25-15), free throws made (14-13), free throw attempts (26-18), rebounds (52-34), assists (21-12), blocked shots (7-5) and steals (11-5).
Frogs and Owls Continue Tradition-Rich History
• This will be the 169th meeting between TCU and Rice - which will take over as the second-longest rivalry game in program history. Currently - SMU and the Frogs have met the most with 182 contests between the cross-town rivals while TCU has faced both Rice and Baylor 168 times heading into Tuesday's contest.
• The rivalry between the Frogs and Owls dates back to the 1919 season where TCU captured both games against Rice in that season. Overall, the Owls have controlled an 85-83 advantage over the Frogs, but TCU has triumped in six of the last 10 games.
• This will be the first meeting between the Frogs and Owls since the 2000-01 season where Rice recorded a 76-72 victory over the Purple and White.
• The match-up between the Frogs and Owls has also been a close contest as the scoring margin for the winning team has been 10.6 points. In their six victories in the last 10 match-ups, the Frogs have won by an average of 14.3 points while the Owls have won by an average of 5.0 points in their four victories.
Scouting the Opponents - Rice University
• The Owls will open up their season at the Daniel-Meyer Coliseum on Tuesday (Nov. 10) - one season removed from a 16-16 overall record, including a 2-8 mark away from their home court.
• The biggest loss for the Owls will come at the hands of Marcus Almond - who was the nation's fourth-leading scorer last season at a 26.4 points per evening mark. The former Rice guard was the 25th overall selection by the Utah Jazz in the 2007 NBA Draft this past June.
• Rice will also be without the services of Lorenzo Williams - who graduated as the program's all-time single-season career assists leader - and center Greg Killings - who recorded 6.2 rebounds per game in 2006-07.
• The Owls lost their top three scorers from a season ago - which accounted for 69.4 percent of their total points total. Rice scored 2,222 total points last season (69.4 points per game average) - and will return eight players who tallied 702 total points during the 2006-07 season.
• Rice comes into the 2007-08 season ranked 156th in CBN's The RPI Report and 156th in the Saragin Ratings. The mark in CBN's The RPI Report is ranked eighth among all opponents in Conference USA while the Owls are ninth in the conference according to the Saragin Ratings.
• Rice head men's basketball coach Willis Wilson is entering his 15th season - which makes him one of 17 coaches in the country that have spent 14 or more years at their respective institution. Wilson has recorded a 216-219 overall record with the Owls during his tenure at the helm.
• During his 15 seasons at the helm for the Owls, Wilson possesses a record of 10-5 in season openers and has collected an 8-2 mark in the last 10 seasons. After dropping his first three season openers, Wilson has guided the Owls to a 12-2 mark in the first game of the season.
• The Owls are currently in the middle of a $25-million renovation to their home court - Autry Court - and will be playing seven "home" games at Reliant Arena in Houston, which is the site of the 2008 NCAA Men's Basketball Regional Tournament. Along with Reliant Arean, the Owls will be playing at the Murrell Center in Katy, Texas.
• The NCAA waived the transfer year-in-residence requirement for Rice sophomore Bryan Beasley, who red-shirted last season at Texas A&M, and the Owls' squad will now have four years of eligibility beginning this season.
• The Owls have played once this season in a 76-63 victory in exhibition action against Incarnate Word on November 7th where Rice had four players reach double figures in the scoring department.
• Sophomore guard Chris Hagan tied for tops in the scoring department as he finished with 16 points on 6-of-9 shooting, including three rebounds and two assists in 23 minutes of action. Cory Pflieger also chipped in with 16 points on 6-of-11 shooting, including a quartet of three-pointers, to go along with five rebounds.
• The Owls have extremely high expectations for freshman forward Suleiman Braimoh - who stands at 6-7, but possesses a wing-span of 7-3. In his first exhibition game with the Owls, Braimoh notched eight points on 4-of-6 shooting to go along with five rebounds in 14 minutes of action.
Home-Grown Talent Pays Dividends for Horned Frogs
• The Horned Frogs will get plenty of scoring from a trio of home-grown talents in Brent Hackett (Southwest H.S.), Kevin Langford (North Crowley H.S.) and Luke Tauscher (Southwest H.S.).
• Hackett was the first player that Neil Dougherty signed from the Dallas/Fort Worth Area when he became head men's basketball coach at TCU. Langford also had ties with Dougherty as his brother, Keith, was a recruited and coached by Dougherty at the University of Kansas.
• The Fort Worth duo came into this season as the team's top scorers from a season ago as Langford averaged 13.2 points per game while Hackett was listed second in the scoring department with an 11.2 points per evening average. After the first game of the season, Hackett is averaging 19.0 points per game while Langford has chipped in with 7.0 points per evening.
• Langford and Hackett recorded their best years last season for the Horned Frogs as both players were selected as honorable mention All-Mountain West Conference award winners. The pair recorded 734 total points (Langford - 397 / Hackett - 337) and accounted for 38.8 percent of all the scoring for the Horned Frogs.
• The Frogs are also excited about another Fort Worth talent in Luke Tauscher - who begins his first season with the program after sitting out last season due to a red-shirt campaign. The 6-11 center - who is also the tallest member of the TCU squad - collected seven points on 3-of-4 shooting, including 1-of-1 from behind the three-point line against Angelo State (Nov. 10) in his collegiate debut.
Looking to Make it Nine in a Row
• Last season, TCU out-rebounded its opponents by one board - 1,018 to 1,017 - en route to recording their eighth straight season with a positive rebounding margin.
• This season, the Frogs are off to a great start in notching their ninth-straight season with a positive margin as TCU out-rebounded Angelo State by 18 rebounds, 52-34, in its season opener.
Langford Looking for BIG Junior Campaign
• In his first season with the Horned Frogs, Kevin Langford was selected as an honorable mention All-Mountain West Conference selection after averaging a team-high 13.2 points and 6.0 rebounds per game. This season, Langford opened up the campaign with a seven-point, four-rebound performance against Angelo State (Nov. 10).
• Langford was selected by CBS Sportsline as a pre-season second team award winner for the Mountain West Conference.
• The Fort Worth native recorded 21 games of 10 or more points, including 20-plus performances in five of the final 10 games of the season. Langford recorded a career-high 23 points after he connected on 9-of-19 field goal attempts, including 4-of-5 shots from beyond the three-point line, against Wyoming (Feb. 28)
Back to Full Health - Hackett Ready for Standout Season
• For the first time in his career, TCU senior Brent Hackett had the opportunity to work out with the Horned Frogs during the off-season as part of their strength and conditioning program. The rewards of hard work paid off for Hackett in the first game of the season as he led all scorers with 19 points on 6-of-15 shooting against Angelo State (Nov. 10).
• During his first three years - Hackett has appeared in 93 games and has earned a spot in the starting lineup on 59 occasions, missing only four starts in the last two seasons (two of those non-starting games coming on Senior Night).
• Hackett has been one of the top scorers for the Frogs over the last three seasons as he has recorded 10 or more points in 37 career games - 1 (Senior) / 18 (Junior) / 18 (Sophomore)
• The TCU senior only needs 27 points to reach the 800-point milestone.
Welcome to the Parker's
• TCU head men's basketball coach Neil Dougherty was expecting BIG things from forward Alvardo Parker, and after the first game of the season, he was not disappointed. Parker finished with a near double-double as he recorded 18 points on 9-of-11 shooting to go along with eight rebounds and a game-high three blocked shots in TCU's 89-70 victory over Angelo State.
• This will only be the fourth year of organized basketball for the Turks & Caicos Islands' native as he spent his first two seasons in organized basketball at Frank Phillips Junior College followed by a single season with TCU.
• With 64 career blocks under his belt, Parker only needs five more swats to move in the top-10 in the career record books for blocked shots.
TCU Looking to Make Name in National Spotlight
• TCU head men's basketball coach Neil Doughery is not one to shy away from a nationally-ranked opponent as the Horned Frogs have competed against 16 squads ranked in the top-25 during his tenure. To put the numbers into perspective - TCU only played 19 nationally-ranked teams during the entire decade of the 1990s - a span of 303 games.
• The Horned Frogs has recorded four victories over nationally-ranked opponents during Dougherty's tenure with their latest victim coming against 14th-ranked Air Force Academy where TCU notched a 71-66 win in February of 2007.
• TCU is 12-88 (.120) all-time against nationally-ranked teams and has dropped 15 of its last 17 match-ups against teams ranked in the top-25. The victory over the Falcons snapped a six-game skid against ranked opponents.
• The Horned Frogs haven't had much success against nationally-ranked opponents on the road as they have dropped 47 of 48 match-ups when away from the DMC. Their lone victory came against Hawaii (83-79) on January 19, 1998.
Frogs Return Lots of Scoring
• Coming into the 2007-08 campaign, the Frogs will have plenty of options when it comes to putting the ball in the bucket as six of their top scorers from a season ago return to the lineup in Kevin Langford (13.2 P-G), Brent Hackett (11.2 P-G), Alvardo Parker (8.8 P-G), Neiman Owens (7.1 P-G), Ryan Wall (6.4 P-G) and Keion Mitchem (5.3 P-G).
• The returning scorers for the Horned Frogs will return 1,507 total points from the 2006-07 season - which equals 79.6 percent of their scoring from a season ago.
• When it comes to shooting, the Frogs' returning scorers connected on a combined 42.3 percent (512-of-1,225) of their field goal attempts from a season ago. Three returning players connected on 40.0 percent or higher of their field goal attempts in Parker (54.6 / 118-of-216), Owens (50.0 / 75-of-150) and Langford (46.3 / 136-of-294).
New Faces Begin Life in a New Place
• The Frogs will have several new faces entering their lineup this season that the fans of the DMC will quickly come to know, especially in the forms of junior college-transfers Henry Salter and John Ortiz.
• Salter was a NJCAA All-American third team member last season after finishing fourth in the country in scoring at 24.6 points per game. He was the only player in the country to rank in the top-10 in both scoring and rebounding as he finished sixth with an 11.8 boards per evening.
• In his first game of the season, Salter was one of three players to finish in double digits as he notched 13 points - all coming in the second half. The TCU guard also added seven rebounds in 18 minutes of action.
• Ortiz was a two-year standout at Colby Community College where the Colombian native notched 8.3 points and 8.6 rebounds per game while swatting a team-high 41 shots last season. In his debut with the Frogs, Ortiz finished with five points - all coming at the charity stripe where he finished with a 5-of-8 evening at the free throw line.
Ebie Makes Early Impact on TCU Lineup
• TCU sophomore Jason Ebie has made a dramatic improvement from his freshman to his sophomore campaigns, and the Houston native will see plenty of court action this season at the point guard position. In his first game, Ebie came off of the bench where he finished with two points - both coming at the free throw line - but contributed in several areas for the Frogs with five rebounds, four assists, three steals and his first career blocked shot in 17 minutes of action.
Mitchem Makes Return to Lineup
• One of the biggest additions to the Frogs' lineup will come in the return of sophomore Keion Mitchem, who appeared in the team's first 15 games of the 2006-07 season. Last season, the TCU guard was averaging 5.3 points, 1.3 rebounds and 1.0 steals per game while recording 13.6 minutes per evening as a rookie.
• In his return game to the lineup, Mitchem finished with six points - both shots coming off of three-pointers - to go along with three rebounds and two steals in 15 minutes of action.
Great Scott!
• The faithful of the Purple and White will quickly get to know the name of Mike Scott as the TCU freshman could see a lot of playing time in his first season with the Frogs. Scott won the starting point guard position for the season opener against Angelo State where he made his collegiate debut and posted four points and three assists in 15 minutes.
• Even though he is only a freshman, Scott is not the youngest member of the squad by any stretch as the City of Brotherly Love native is 21-years-old.
Frogs Set to Take MWC by Storm
• The Frogs could be one of the sleeper teams in the Mountain West Conferece after they return four starters from a season ago, but coaches in the conference still predicted TCU to finish seventh out of nine teams by season's end.
• Last season, TCU was ranked towards the bottom in the conference in scoring, scoring margin, field goal percentage and free throw percentage, but towards the top of conference in scoring defense, rebounding defense and steals.
The Trey Comes Easy to the Frogs
• TCU has made at least one three-pointer in 284 consecutive games dating back to the 1997-98 season where the last time that the Frogs failed to connected on a trey came against LIU-Brooklyn on November 22, 1997.
• Prior to the failed connection, TCU recorded a three-pointer in 217 straight games dating back to the 1989-90 season when the Longhorns of Texas stopped the Frogs on February 11, 1990.
• The Frogs have connected on at least one three-pointer in 511 of their last 512 games.
Home Sweet Home
• The Frogs have posted a record of 387-231 (.626) since the Daniel-Meyer Coliseum opened during the 1961-62 campaign.
• Over the past decade, the Horned Frogs have recorded a 127-56 (.694) overall record and have won at least 10 games at home in seven of the last 10 seasons.
Finding Nemo
• Senior Neiman Owens is one of the most experienced players on the Frogs as the TCU guard has appeared in 94 career games and has started 60 contests during his career. Owens did not start against Angelo State in the season opener, which snapped his 60-game starting streak dating back to the 2005-06 season.
• In the game against the Rams, Owens finished with four points to go along with five rebounds, three assists and two steals in 24 minutes of action. The Channelview, Texas, native has averaged at least 25.0 minutes per game in each of the last two seasons.
• Owens has recorded 383 points for his career and needs 17 points to reach the 400-point milestone.
The Wall
• Even though TCU has only been a member of the Mountain West Conference, TCU senior Ryan Wall has been affiliated with the MWC for each of his five collegiate years. Wall was a member of the University of New Mexico's basketball team for two seasons (2003-04 and 2004-05) before transferring to TCU prior to the 2005-06 campaign. After red-shirting his first season, The Frog guard appeared in 30 games last season while averaging 7.1 points per game.
• Wall has slowly been coming back from an off-season injury, but played well in his first game against Angelo State as he connected on a three-pointer to go along with a blocked shot in eight minutes of action.
Tauscher Impresses in Collegiate Debut
• The TCU coaching staff was anxious to see how red-shirt freshman Luke Tauscher would return to the lineup after missing last season due to injury. The 6-11 Fort Worth product didn't disappoint anyone in attendance at the Daniel-Meyer Coliseum as he finished with seven points on 3-of-4 shooting to go along with four rebounds in 10 minutes.
• Tauscher is mostly known for his ability down-low, but he showcased his shooting range against the Rams as he connected on a three-pointer with 30 seconds remaining in the contest.
Family Roots Run Deep in TCU?Program
• Anyone affiliated with the TCU men's basketball program knows that Neil Dougherty presents a family environment for the Frogs. Once a member of the basketball program, you quickly become a member of the family.
• Dougherty had the opportunity to coach his son, Neil P., for four seasons, and now assistant coach, Sean Woods, will also have the same opportunity as his son, Martiese Morones, is a sophomore with the Frogs.
• Woods 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 college basketball game of all-time. A member of the University of Kentucky Hall of Fame, Woods connected on the shot to give the Wildcats a 103-102 lead on the Blue Devils before Christian Laettner connected on the shot heard round the world.
Everybody Gets into the Scoring Frenzy
• In the Frogs' 89-70 victory over Angelo State, every member of the TCU squad that saw action on the court scored at least one point in the game. That feat was reached twice last season against San Diego State (Jan. 31) and Air Force (Feb. 24).
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