Nov. 12, 2012

TCU (0-0) vs. Charlotte (1-0)
Date (Time)	Wednesday, Nov. 14 (7 p.m. CT)
Location	Daniel-Meyer Coliseum | Fort Worth, Texas
TV	None
TV Talent	None
Radio Listing	KTCU 88.7 FM, FrogVision
Listen Online	Listen Live
Radio Talent	Jeff Williams (PBP), Jeff Lewis (color)
Gametracker	GAMETRACKER
Game Notes	Game Notes
Twitter Updates	Women's Basketball Twitter
Series Record	4-2 (TCU Leads)
Last Meeting	Feb. 18, 2005 (W, 76-51)

FORT WORTH, Texas - TCU will open its 2012-13 season Wednesday night with a home game against Charlotte. The Horned Frogs and 49ers will battle for only the seventh time in program history, but the two teams haven't met since 2005.

The Frogs are 2-1 all-time at Daniel-Meyer Coliseum against Charlotte and have won four-straight in the series.

The Opponent
Charlotte comes into Wednesday's showdown, boasting a 1-0 record after taking down North Carolina Central last Saturday night, 80-31. The 49ers are coming off a season in which they played in the WNIT and won 16 games last season.

UNC-Charlotte was recently picked to place third in the Atlantic 10 preseason poll, including one first-place vote. Senior Jennifer Hailey was tabbed a preseason first team all-conference selection, while also earning all-defensive team honors.  

In its game last Saturday, Charlotte cruised to an 80-31 season-opening victory over North Carolina Central. Amanda Dowe led three Niners in double-figures with 12 points. Joining her in double-digit scoring was Hailey, who had a double-double with 10 points and 10 boards and Jai Forney with 11 points on 5-of-7 shooting.

The Series
TCU and Charlotte will be meeting for the seventh time in program history Wednesday. The Horned Frogs lead the all-time series, 4-2. In all, the Frogs have won four-straight, but haven't played the 49ers since a 76-51 victory in 2005.

Freshman Starters In Season Opener
TCU could open the year starting at least one freshman in the season-opener against Charlotte. Last season, Natalie Ventress became only the seventh freshman in head coach Jeff Mittie's tenure  to start a season-opener, joining the likes of teammate Delisa Gross in 2009. Former Horned Frogs, Starr Crawford (2009), Helena Sverrisdottir (2007), Shayla Moore (2006), Natasha Lacy (2003) and Sandora Irvin (2001) also started for Mittie in their first game in a Horned Frog uniform. 

A Prelude Of Things To Come
TCU shot 36 triples in its exhibition, which would have broke the former DMC record. The last time the Frogs attempted that many treys during a contest was when they hoisted 37 against Iowa State in 2010. TCU also made 13 three's, which were the most since the Frogs connected on a program record 17 against East Carolina in 2004. Last season, the Frogs made 12 against Colorado State in January. 

Opening A Season Strong
The Horned Frogs have won 11 season openers in 13 seasons under head coach Jeff Mittie. Two out of the last three seasons, the Frogs have surpassed the 90-point mark in their season opener. TCU last played its season-opener at home during the 2010-11 season, dropping Houston Baptist, 96-38. TCU opens the season against Charlotte. The Frogs are 4-2 all-time against the 49ers. In all, the Purple and White are 11-4 all-time against A10 opponents under Mittie.

Simply Young
The average age of the TCU roster in 2012-13 is 19 years old. To put it into perspective, the Frogs youngest player is freshman Veja Hamilton, who entered the fall as a 16-year old, while senior Whitney Williams will turn 23 in January. TCU has three players on its roster that are 18 years old or younger, while six different student-athletes are only 19 years old. 

In the Big 12, TCU ranks second behind Texas amongst the most inexperienced teams in the NCAA. Nationally, the Frogs are tied at No. 24 for the most inexperienced teams returning in the NCAA.

A Brand New Season
Eight letterwinners who accounted for 107 of 150 starts from a season ago return for TCU in 2012-13.

The Frogs' returning starters are seniors Whitney Williams, who made 22 starts a season ago, and Delisa Gross, who has been a three-year starter during her time in Fort Worth. Sophomore Natalie Ventress is by far the most experienced starter from a year ago, starting 28 of the 30 games, while junior Latricia Lovings started 17 games at the post.

Frogs Will Rely On Newcomers
TCU added five players to its roster in the offseason, including four freshmen and the addition of Donielle Breaux, who won't be eligible to play until late December.

The four freshmen consists of Kamy Cole, Caitlin Diaz, Veja Hamilton and Zahna Medley. 

Cole, a four-star rated recruit, will don the Purple and White in 2012-13 after ranking as the No. 46 overall rated guard nationally according to ESPN/HoopGurlz. She also ranked as high as the No. 14 rated player in the state of Texas according to Premier Basketball Report.

Diaz, who was a McDonald's All-America nominee, was ranked as the 34th-best forward according to ESPN/HoopGurlz. She was also rated as the No. 18 ranked player in the state of Texas according to Premier Basketball Report.

Hamilton, who was ranked as high as the No. 18 overall rated wing in the country according to ESPN/HoopGurlz, is a four-star rated combo guard and the No. 16 ranked small forward nationally according to Dan Olson Collegiate Girls Report.

A three-star rated recruit by ESPN/HoopGurlz, Medley, was considered the 155th best player in the country and No. 33 amongst point guards overall by Dan Olson Collegiate Girls Report.

Breaux, a transfer from Kansas, won't be eligible to play until the second semester for the Purple and White. Breaux, who was tabbed the 35th-best guard in the country by ESPN/HoopGurlz following her senior season, will bring plenty of experience to the TCU roster, having played in 11 games for KU against the likes of Creighton, Wake Forest, SMU, Wisconsin and Oral Roberts.

Tough Schedule Once Again
The Horned Frogs will play one of the top schedules in the country with games against 13 opponents who reached a postseason tournament a year ago. The Frogs will play the last two NCAA Champions in Baylor and Texas A&M. TCU will play nine teams that played in the NCAA Tournament a year ago.

NCAA Tournament Breakdown
First Round: (3) Georgia; Iowa State;  Texas
Second Round: (3) Kansas State; Oklahoma; West Virginia
Sweet 16: (2) Kansas; Texas A&M
National Champion: (1) Baylor 

• TCU will play both the NCAA Champion and WNIT Champion from a year ago in Baylor and Oklahoma State.

Stay In State
The Frogs will not leave the state of Texas until their Jan. 5 road game at Kansas State.

Playing The Big 12
The past five years, the Frogs have gone 4-5 overall against Big 12 teams. Against ranked Big 12 schools, TCU is 3-4 since the 2007-08 season, which includes wins over No. 18 Kansas, No. 14 Oklahoma and No. 20 Oklahoma State. Since 2007-08, TCU is averaging 77.1 points per game against Big 12 schools. Under Jeff Mittie, TCU's largest victory over a Big 12 school is a 97-63 victory over No. 20/23 Oklahoma State in 2007-08.

Playing Ranked Teams
TCU will play seven teams ranked in the ESPN/USA Torday Preseason Top 25, including four in the top-15. 

Baylor checks in at No. 1, while non-conference opponent, Georgia enters the season ranked No. 11. Texas A&M and Oklahoma sit at No. 12 and No. 14, respectively, heading into the season, while West Virginia ranks No. 22. Oklahoma State (24) and Kansas (25) round out the preseason top-25 ranked opponents.  

Ranked Teams Beware
TCU's schedule shapes up to be another tough one this season, which will provide it a chance to extend some impressive streaks. 

• TCU has defeated at least one ranked team in nine out of the last 10 seasons. The team has two such wins in three out of the past five years.

• TCU owns 17 victories all-time against ranked opponents, each of which has come in Jeff Mittie's 13-season tenure.

• TCU has notched at least one win over a ranked team away from Fort Worth in five of the last eight seasons.

• Three of the four victories over top-5 teams in program history have come in the last four seasons (vs. No. 10/5 Texas A&M in 2009-10; vs. No. 3/5 Maryland, at No. 3/3 Cal in 2008-09).

Home Sweet Home At The DMC
TCU saw a 27-game home winning streak come to an end in 2010-11. The streak ranked as the longest in the MWC and was No. 3 in the nation at the time. The previous school record of 19 straight home wins was set between Jan. 18, 2006 and Feb. 22, 2007. 

TCU is 74-12 (.860) in its last 86 games overall held at the DMC and 171-37 (.822) since Jeff Mittie's arrival on campus prior to the 1999-2000 campaign.

Headlines To Look At
During the Jeff Mittie era, the Frogs are 228-31 when leading at the half. TCU, who went 18-2 last season when leading at the half, is also 133-3 when leading by 10+ at the half. 

Overall, when the Frogs score 80+ points in regulation, TCU is 78-1 under Mittie. The Frogs are also 179-14 when the opponent scores 60 or less.

Out-Rebounding The Opponent Is Key
The Horned Frogs are an impressive 173-36 (.827) during the Jeff Mittie era when out-rebounding an opponent, including 28-7 the last three season's alone. 

MITTIE ENTERS 14TH SEASON AT TCU
Jeff Mittie has taken TCU to previously unreached heights during his first 13 years on campus. The 46-year-old Mittie has guided the program to winning seasons in each of his 13 previous campaigns, while taking TCU to 11 postseason tournaments, including nine NCAA berths.

Since his arrival in Fort Worth, Mittie has compiled a 276-140 (.663) record, while exceeding the win total the program accomplished in the first 22 seasons of existence. Mittie's 276 victories account for 57 percent of the school's wins in 35 seasons of basketball.

Overall, Mittie has been a head coach for 20 seasons, compiling a 427-199 (.682) record. He ranks in the top-40 in winning percentage among all active coaches nationally and in the top-25 among head coaches with at least 15 years experience. Mittie also ranks in the top-50 on the NCAA's all-time list in terms of winning percentage by coaches with a minimum of 10 years experience.

Up Next
TCU will return to action Friday against Central Florida. Tip-off is set for 7:00 p.m. CT from the DMC.