Feb. 12, 2008

Game Notes - University of Wyoming in PDF Format

Game Day Information
Opponent: The TCU men's basketball team will hit the road for its next two games in Mountain West Conference action as the Horned Frogs will make their first stop in Laramie, Wyo., for a Wednesday showdown with the University of Wyoming for a 7:30 p.m. tip-off.

Radio: Fox Sports Radio (1460 AM) 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
Tim Neverett (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 travel to one of the most difficult places in play in the Mountain West Conference at The Pit in Albuquerque, N.M. for a rematch against the University of New Mexico on Saturday.

The Big Score
• The Frogs have scored 1,569 points through 22 games of the 2007-08 campaign - averaging 71.3 points per evening. The Purple and White is currently ranked fourth in the Mountain West Conference in scoring average sitting behind the University of New Mexico, BYU and UNLV.

• The Frogs are averaging 76.1 points per game at the Daniel-Meyer Coliseum and are averaging 80.4 points per every contest that they are the victors. TCU has scored 70 or more points in 11 of 12 victories this season.

Stealing the Show
• The Frogs will enter the game against the Cowboys ranked eighth in the nation in steals per game with an average of 9.91 picks per evening. In the NCAA rankings, the Frogs are slated behind VMI (Virginia Military Institute) at 13.2 steals per game followed by Tennessee, Clemson, Minnesota, Seton Hall, Austin Peay State and Siena.

• The defense of the Purple and White has notched 12 games of 10 or more steals this season with their season-high coming against Texas Southern with a 17-steal performance - which is the second-highest tally among all Mountain West Conference programs.

• Jason Ebie is ranked 53rd among all NCAA Division I student-athletes in steals per game as the TCU sophomore has recorded an average of 2.0 steals per game. The TCU point guard has collected three or more steals in seven of 21 games this season and has notched at least one steal in 21 of 22 games during the 2007-08 campaign.

Statement Time in the Mountain West Conference
• Teams in the Mountain West Conference have combined for a record of 123-81 (.603 winning percentage) with BYU leading the way with a 7-1 mark in conference action followed by UNLV (7-2), San Diego State (6-3), New Mexico (5-4) and Utah (5-4)

• After the first round of Mountain West Conference games, the Frogs have recorded a 3-5 record - which lands them in seventh place in league action. The Purple and White tied their mark of four conference wins from last season as they stand 4-5 in league action.

• The Frogs have notched a 3-2 record against Mountain West Conference programs at the Daniel-Meyer Coliseum and a 1-3 mark on the road against conference foes.

Frogs Post 68-62 Home Victory over San Diego State
• The TCU men's basketball program snapped a four-game losing skid as the Horned Frogs posted a 68-62 victory over San Diego State to earn their fourth conference victory of the season at the Daniel-Meyer Coliseum on Saturday.

• Kevin Langford notched his 20th consecutive double-digit scoring performance as the TCU forward finished with 15 points on 6-of-13 shooting to go along with five rebounds.

• Henry Salter finished with a team-high 18 points on 6-of-13 shooting - including a pair of three-pointers and four makes from the charity stripe. He also finished with seven rebounds and one steal in 31 minutes of action.

• Ryan Wall finished with 11 points in 11 minutes of action as he finished 3-of-4 from the field - including 4-of-4 from the charity stripe to go along with a pair of assists. It was the second straight game that Wall has finished with the same amount of points as minutes.

• Ryan Amoroso finished with a game-high 20 points on 7-of-8 shooting from the field to go along with six rebounds, two assists and two steals in 37 minutes of action to lead the Aztecs.

• The Horned Frogs never held the lead during the first half of action en route to heading into the locker room with at a 25-25 tie. However - John Ortiz scored the first basket of the second half and gave the Horned Frogs their first lead of the game and a lead that they would never let go for the final 20 minutes of action.

• The Purple and White finished with 13 offensive rebounds (38 total boards) - marking the fifth time in the last six games that TCU has posted double-digits in offensive rebounds. The Horned Frogs lead the Mountain West Conference in offensive boards per game.

• The victory for the Frogs marked the first time that TCU has defeated SDSU in the MWC.

Frog Defense Standing Tall
• The defense of the Purple and White has been one of the strong points for the Frogs this season as TCU is holding opponents to a shooting percentage of 44.7 percent - which is on-pace to be the fifth-lowest shooting percentage for a foe in program history.

• The Frogs have forced opponents into 391 turnovers (17.8 turnovers per game) where they have scored 435 points off of the miscues of their foes - an average of 19.8 points.

• In Mountain West Conference action, the Frogs have forced opponents to connect on 35.6 percent (67-of-188) of their three-point field goal attempts. Mountain West Conference foes have only connected on more than three treys in three of nine games.

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 29.1 minutes of court time per evening. The Fort Worth talent is joined in that category by Brent Hackett (25.9 M-P), Henry Salter (25.8 M-P) and Jason Ebie (20.5 M-P).

• The Frogs have five other players who are averaging double-digits in minutes played in Alvardo Parker (19.8 M-P), John Ortiz (19.4 M-P), Neiman Owens (15.0 M-P), Mike Scott (13.9 M-P) and Keion Mitchem (12.5 M-P).

Scouting the Opponents - Wyoming
• The University of Wyoming will enter the contest with a 9-13 overall record - including a 2-7 mark in Mountain West Conference action en route to possessing eighth-place in the league standings. The Cowboys have won three of their last five games with two of them being conference victories (Colorado State and Utah).

• The Cowboys are coming off of their worst setback of the season as Wyoming dropped a 100-55 decision to the University of New Mexico this past Saturday at The Pit. The Cowboys have dropped four of their last time decision on the road in Mountain West Conference action and their eighth setback in their last 10 road games.

• Brandon Ewing is one of the most dangerous scorers in the Mountain West Conference as the Cowboy guard is ranked second in scoring average with 17.0 points per game and listed second in assists per game (4.45 A-G), seventh in free throw percentage and ninth in field goal percentage.

• Brad Jones makes up the other half of the Wyoming backcourt that is considered one of the best in the conference. Jones is averaging 12.6 points per game to go along with 6.1 rebounds per contest - which is ranked eighth in the Mountain West Conference.

• Ryan Dermody has been the main force in the low post as the Cowboy center is averaging 10.1 points per game to go along with 5.6 boards per contest to go along with a team-high 29 blocked shots on the season.

• The Cowboys are connecting on 44.2 percent (517-of-1169) of their field goal attempts to go along with 31.0 percent (132-of-426) of their attempts from behind the three-point line. Opponents have connected on 41.3 percent (553-of-1340) of their field goal attempts and 33.3 percent (169-of-507) of their three-point attempts.

• The University of Wyoming is one of the best shot-blocking teams in the Mountain West Conference as the Cowboys are ranked 24th in the nation in blocks per game. The Cowboys have four players ranked in the top-10 in that category in Ryan Dermody, Joseph Taylor, Travis Nelson and Mikhail Linskens.

• The Cowboys have found great success when holding their opponents to under 70 points in a game as Wyoming is 8-1 on the season. The only Cowboy opponent to score less than 70 points and win came in league action vesus Air Force where the Falcons recorded a 64-62 triumph.

Frogs Closing in on 400th Victory at the DMC
• Following a 68-62 victory over San Diego State on February 9th, the Purple and White recorded their 396th triumph inside the confines of the Daniel-Meyer Coliseum since its' opening on December 18, 1961.

Charity Stripe Blues
• This season, the Frogs have steadily improved on their shooting percentage at the charity stripe as the Purple and White has connected on 65.5 percent (292-of-446) of their free throw attempts compared to 66.1 percent (263-of-398) for their opponents. The Frogs notched a perfect 15-of-15 against UNLV on January 30th.

• Of the 10 players that have attempted 10 or more free throws - only four players (Kevin Langford, Brent Hackett, Mike Scott and Ryan Wall) are shooting above 70.0 percent at the charity stripe.

• The Frogs have started to improve their free throw shooting ability since the beginning of Mountain West Conference action as the Purple and White have connected on 76.1 percent (105-of-138) of their attempts.

• The Purple and White has connected on 70.2 percent (85-of-121) of their free throw attempts on the road compared to a shooting percentage of 63.7 percent (207-of-325) at the Daniel-Meyer Coliseum.

Always Be Ready to Play
• In Neil Dougherty's system, every player has to be ready to play at any given time. This season, all 14 players that have suited up for TCU have played - that feat wasn't reached until the 24th game on the road at Colorado State during the 2006-07 campaign. This season - all 14 players on the roster have played at least five games.

Home-Grown Talent Pays Dividends for Horned Frogs
• The Horned Frogs will get plenty of action from a quintet of Dallas/Fort Worth 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 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.

• A pair of honorable mention All-Mountain West Conference players last season, Hackett and Langford are currently ranked first and third on the Frogs in scoring average at 14.4 points and 11.4 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 1.9 points and 3.3 rebounds per game in his 18 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 18 of the 21 games. The TCU guard has recorded back-to-back double-digit scoring games versus BYU (10) and San Diego State (18).

• The TCU junior is currently ranked seventh in the country in three-point field goal percentage as he has connected on 50.0 percent of his attempts and 62nd in three-point field goals made per game.

• Salter is ranked 12th in the Mountain West Conference in scoring average (14.1 P-G) and 16th in rebounds per game (5.1) and is one of two players (Lee Cummard) to be ranked in the top-15 in more than six statistical categories.

• The former NJCAA All-American is also ranked secondd in the Mountain West Conference in three-point field goals made per game with an average of 2.76 treys per contest and has connected on at least four three-pointers in each of the Frogs' four of nine conference games. Salter has connected on 52.3 percent (23-of-44) of his three-point field goal attempts against conference opponents.

The "Langford" Road Home
• Kevin Langford is picking up where he left off last season as the Fort Worth native is ranked first on the team in scoring average (14.3 P-G) and leads the Frogs in free throws made (110), free throw attempts (149) and free throw percentage (73.8%).

• 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.

• Langford is riding a 20-game double-digit scoring streak and currently holds the longest streak among all players in the Mountain West Conference for double-digit scoring performances.

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 following an 11-point evening against BYU.

• An honorable mention All-Mountain West Conference performer last season, Hackett is enjoying another standout season as the TCU senior is ranked first on the team in three-point field goals attempts (143), second in three-point field goals made (41) and third in scoring average (11.4 P-G).

• During his career with the Frogs - Hackett has appeared in 114 career games and has earned a spot in the starting lineup on 80 occasions - missing only four starts in the last three seasons.

• 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 50 career games - 14 (Senior) / 18 (Junior) / 18 (Sophomore). The TCU senior has connected on 177 career three-pointers - which ranks him seventh in the record books.

Welcome to the Parker's
• Alvardo Parker has been one of the main defensive standouts for the Frogs this season as the TCU forward is ranked seventh in the Mountain West Conference in blocked shots per game (1.05 B-G) and 18th in rebounds per game (4.8 R-G).

• The TCU senior has recorded 83 career blocked shots with the Frogs - which ranks him for sixth place in the all-time record books. Parker needs three more blocked shots to surpass Craig Sibley for fifth place in the record books.

• Parker has notched at least one blocked shot in 16 of 22 games this season and is ranked 17th among the career leaders for the Mountain West Conference in that statistical category.

• 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.

Team Filled with Mr. Cleans
• This season, the Frogs are averaging 37.0 rebounds per game - which ranks them 92nd in the nation in that statistical category. The Purple and White is ranked seventh in the State of Texas in boards per game behind Texas State, Sam Houston State, Texas A&M, University of North Texas, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and University of Texas-Arlington.

• At one point in the 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 32.4 boards per contest compared to 39.6 rebounds at the Daniel-Meyer Coliseum.

• In games that the Frogs win - the Purple and White is averaging 42.2 boards per evening compared to 30.8 rebounds per game in contests where TCU suffers a defeat.

It's All About the Ebie, Baby!
• TCU sophomore Jason Ebie has been an important ingredient in the Frogs' lineup as the Purple and White point guard is ranked 53rd in the nation among NCAA Division I players in steals per game with 2.0 picks per evening.

• Ebie is ranked second in the Mountain West Conference in steals per game (2.0 S-G), ninth in assists per game (3.09 A-G) and 10th in assist-to-turnover ratio. The TCU guard is one of two players in the Mountain West Conference to be ranked in the top-10 in assists per game, steals per game and assist-to-turnover ratio along with Wink Adams of UNLV

• The Houston native has recorded three of more steals in seven of 22 games and collected at least one steal in 21 of 22 contests. The TCU sophomore has started seven of nine Mountain West Conference games where he is averaging 5.6 points, 3.4 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.4 steals per game while appearing in 23.3 minutes per evening.

Great Scott!
• TCU newcomer Mike Scott has made an immediate impact on the Frogs' lineup as the freshman has started in 15 of 22 games. Scott is averaging 4.0 points and 2.6 assists per game this season while hitting on 41.1 percent of his shots.

• The Frogs' point guard scored a career-high 11 points on two occasions during his rookie campaign with the Purple and White against SMU and Jackson State. Scott has notched five or more points in eight games 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 4.3 points and 1.1 rebounds per game while connecting on 40.7 percent of his field goal attempts. Mitchem has scored five or more points in nine of 22 games - including a season-high 10 points against the Air Force Academy.

• The TCU sophomore earned his first trip to the starting lineup as he started at shooting guard against Air Force.

Standing "O" for Ortiz
• TCU newcomer John Ortiz has played a pivotal role for the Frogs in the low post as he is averaging 5.5 points and 5.5 rebounds per game - which ranks him 11th in the conference. Ortiz has done a tremendous job at getting to the free throw line where he is ranked second on the team in free throw attempts (54) and third in free throws made (29).

• Ortiz notched his first collegiate start against the University of Wyoming where he posted a career-high 11 rebounds and scored a career-high 13 points versus Colorado State in his third start of the season.

Never Shy Away from the National Spotlight
• Neil Doughery 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 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 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 - snapping a six-game losing skid against nationally-ranked opponents.

• TCU is 12-89 (.118) all-time against nationally-ranked teams and has dropped 16 of its last 18 match-ups against teams ranked in the top-25.

• The Frogs haven't had much success against nationally-ranked opponents on the road as they have dropped 48 of 49 match-ups when away from the DMC. Their lone victory came against Hawaii (83-79) on January 19, 1998.

Close Encounters of the Trey Kind
• TCU has made at least one three-pointer in 303 consecutive games dating back to the 1997-98 season where the last time that the Frogs failed to connect on a trey came against LIU-Brooklyn on November 22, 1997. The Frogs have connected on at least one three-pointer in 520 of their last 521 games.

• 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.

• This season, the Purple and White has connected on at least seven three-pointers in 18 of their 22 games and are ranked fifth in the Mountain West Conference in three-point field goals made per game (7.68 3FGM-G).

Home Sweet Home
• The Frogs have posted a mark of 397-234 (.629) since Daniel-Meyer Coliseum opened during the 1961-62 campaign.

• Over the past decade, the Purple and White has recorded a 137-59 (.699) overall record and have won at least 10 games at home in seven of the last 10 seasons - including 11 victories during the 2007-08 campaign at the DMC.

• The Frogs have won 19 of their last 28 games at the Daniel-Meyer Coliseum, including seven of their last 10 games on their home court. The Frogs have dropped three home games this season to Oklahoma, UNLV and Air Force.

Finding Nemo
• Senior Neiman Owens is one of the most experienced players on the Frogs as the TCU guard has appeared in 115 career games - including 60 starts during his career with the Purple and White. Owens did not start against Angelo State in the season opener - which snapped his 60-game starting streak that dated back to the 2005-06 season.

• Owens competed in his 100th career game for the Purple and White on December 5th against SMU and reached another milestone against UT Arlington as he recorded his 400th career point for the Frogs.

• The TCU senior has collected at least two rebounds in 19 of 22 games this season with a season-high seven boards coming against Jackson State. Owens notched one of his best all-around games against Grambling State where he collected six points, six assists and six rebounds in 18 minutes of action in the Frogs' home victory.

The Wall
• Even though TCU has only been a member of the Mountain West Conference for three seasons, Ryan Wall has been affiliated with the MWC in each of his five collegiate years. Wall was a member of the University of New Mexico for two seasons (2003-04 and 2004-05) before transferring to TCU prior to the start of the 2005-06 campaign. After a red-shirt campaign during the 2005-06 campaign, Wall has appeared in 52 career games while wearing the Purple and White.

• Wall 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 15. The TCU senior 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 8.3 minutes of court time. On eight occasions, the TCU freshman has played in 10 or more minutes and has recorded at least four rebounds in six of 18 games this season.

• Tauscher recorded his first career double-digit rebounding performance against Rice where he grabbed 12 boards and is ranked fifth among all freshmen in the Mountain West Conference with a 3.3 rebounds per game average.

Family Ties
• 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.

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.

Putting 40 Minutes Together
• The Frogs have been successful in the first half of action where the Purple and White have built up a lead heading into intermission in 12 of 20 games this season. The Frogs have notched a 9-3 mark when leading at halftime with their three losses coming against Texas Tech, SMU and Rice.

The Woes of the Road
• The Frogs have dropped all three road decisions this season where they have held a double-digit lead against Texas Tech, SMU and Rice. The Purple and White has dropped decisions in all three contests when holding a second half lead of 10 or more points and suffered a setback to Texas where they had an early first half seven-point advantage.

• With a victory at Colorado State, the Frogs snapped their 12-game road losing streak, but have dropped 14 of their last 15 games. In the Mountain West Conference, the road victory over the Rams was the second victory in league action.

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