Nov. 7, 2007
Complete Release in PDF Format
-Purchase Tickets Today
-Tournament Bracket
-Preseason WNIT Web Site
-TCU Visitors Information
-The Opponent: Radford Highlanders
Game #1
Preseason WNIT
Radford (0-0) vs. TCU (0-0)
Fort Worth, Texas -- Daniel Meyer Coliseum (7,201)
Friday, Nov. 9 -- 6:30 p.m. CST
Radio: 88.7 KTCU-FM, gofrogs.com
Internet: Live Video, Radio and Stats via TCU All-Access
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TCU Set to Host Preseason WNIT First Round
The Preseason WNIT returns to TCU for the first time since the 1999-2000 season Friday, Nov. 9, as the Lady Frogs open their regular-season schedule with a 6:30 p.m. first-round matchup against Radford. Admission to the game is $8 for adults, while the first 100 students will be admitted for free. Additional student tickets are $5.
For those fans unable to attend, live video and audio streaming will be offered free of charge on the Internet at GoFrogs.com, in addition to live statistics via Gametracker. The game also can be heard live in the Metroplex on 88.7 KTCU-FM with Jeff Williams (play-by-play) and Marcy Girton (analyst) calling the action. All games this season will be broadcast live on KTCU.
TCU owns a 7-1 record in season openers under ninth-year Head Coach Jeff Mittie. The Lady Frogs recorded the lone loss under Mittie last season against No. 1 Maryland, 82-64, during the first round of the BTI Classic in College Park, Md.
The winner of Friday's TCU-Radford matchup will advance to play the winner of Friday's LSU-Samford contest. The Lady Frogs' opponent, site and date of the matchup will be announced shortly following Friday's game, although it is certain that it will be held between Nov. 11 and 13.
Scouting Radford
Radford, a member of the Big South Conference, is coming off one of its most successful seasons in recent history. The Highlanders, led by Head Coach Jeri Porter, posted a 21-11 record in 2006-07 to tie for second in the Big South. The squad also reached its conference tournament title game for the first time since 1996-97, and it was selected as the league favorite for the upcoming campaign during the preseason.
Four starters return from last year's Radford squad, including posts Kelli Darden and Corrie Fertitta, who were tabbed preseason all-conference. Darden was the 2006-07 Big South Defensive Player of the Year and a first-team all-conference selection, posting 13.1 points, 7.0 rebounds and 2.7 blocks per game a year ago. She set the Radford program record for blocks in a career. Fertitta was named second-team all-conference after averaging 11.5 points and 8.3 rebounds per game. She led the Big South in conference-only games in rebounds (9.0) and finished second overall in the league.
About the Preseason WNIT
The Preseason WNIT is an invitation-only tournament involving 16 teams in a three-game guarantee format. It will be played over a 10-day period from Nov. 9 through 18, with each game being hosted at the site of a participating school. Only one team per conference is allowed to play in the Preseason WNIT, and that team may only participate once every four years. Teams are selected for the tournament based on expected success for that season, relevant past, conference standings, fan base and geographical location, among other criteria.
Other teams among this year's field include: Delaware (Colonial Athletic Association), Delaware State (MEAC), East Tennessee State (Atlantic Sun), Evansville (Missouri Valley), IUPUI (Summit League), LSU (SEC), Marshall (Conference USA), Maryland (ACC), Miami (MAC), Michigan State (Big Ten), Notre Dame (Big East), Princeton (Ivy League), Samford (Ohio Valley) and Western Kentucky (Sun Belt).
Frogs in the Preseason WNIT
TCU will make its second appearance all-time in the Preseason WNIT, which was founded in 1994 with a single-elimination format. Jeff Mittie opened his tenure as the Lady Frogs' head coach during the program's first showing in 1999-2000. That squad, which went on to tie the then-program record for wins as members of Division I, opened with a 62-51 victory over St. Mary's (Calif.) before dropping an 86-61 decision in the second round to UC-Santa Barbara, which finished as the event's runner-up.
TCU in Season, Home Openers
TCU owns an all-time record of 16-14 in season openers and is 20-10 in home openers. Head Coach Jeff Mittie is 10-5 and 14-1 in the two categories for his career. Mittie dropped his first season opener with TCU last season at No. 1/1 Maryland, which was the defending NCAA champion.
Ross Watch: Climbing the Record Books
Adrianne Ross, an honorable-mention All-America selection as a junior, returns for her senior season with several of TCU,s career records within reach.
Steals (No. 2)--Ross owns 251 career thefts and trails the top position currently held by former Lady Frog Rachel Hesse (1989-93) by only 33.
Points (No. 5)--Ross has scored 1,226 career points and enters the season 666 points behind current Director of Ops Sandora Irvin for the top spot.
Games Played (NR)--Ross has appeared in 100 career games, only 30 shy of record-holder Ebony Shaw (2000-04). TCU played 32 games a year ago.
Field Goals Made (No. 4)--Ross owns 447 career made field goals and trails No. 1 Irvin (686) by 239. She made 204 FGs last season.
Field Goals Attempted (No. 4)--Ross has attempted 1,106 career shots, only 397 behind Irvin (1,503). She attempted 465 field goals in 2006-07.
TCU Earns Votes in Preseason Polls
TCU appeared among the teams receiving votes in the initial releases of both major national polls last week. The Lady Frogs finished the 2006-07 season unranked after reaching a high rating of No. 23 in the USA Today/ESPN Coaches' poll. Despite being one of the top teams in the receiving votes column several times mid-season, the squad never cracked the top 25 in the Associate Press poll.
The Purple and White were among a group of 59 teams to receive votes in the first release of this season's coaches' poll, as they collected seven points to tie for 43rd with Marist, Montana, Nebraska and Temple. The squad landed in a tie for No. 49 in the AP poll as one of seven teams to garner one vote.
This season's schedule already is shaping up to be another challenging one for the Lady Frogs, as two squads ranked in the top 14--No. 11/11 Texas A&M and No. 13/14 California--highlight the lineup. Five additional opponents--Wyoming, BYU, Oklahoma State, New Mexico and Utah--are currently among those teams receiving votes in the coaches' and/or AP polls.
Tough Road Ahead for Lady Frogs
As has been the case nearly every season during Head Coach Jeff Mittie's tenure, the Frogs face another challenging non-conference schedule in 2007-08. Included among TCU's 15 non-MWC tests will be home matchups with No. 11/11 Texas A&M, No. 13/14 California and Oklahoma State, a 2007 NCAA Tournament participant.
Additional early-season challenges include a road trip to Gainesville, Fla., to face national power Florida on Dec. 16, as well as a visit from 2007 MEAC champion Coppin State. With a win over Radford on Friday, TCU could potentially match up with No. 5/5 LSU in the second round of the preseason classic the period of Nov. 11 through 13. Also on tap for the Frogs this season are home games against Fresno State, Grambling State and UT Arlington and in-state road contests at SMU, Rice and Houston.
