Feb. 19, 2008

Game Notes - Colorado State in PDF Format

Game Day Information
Opponent: The TCU men's basketball team will return to the Daniel-Meyer Coliseum for a two-game home stand as the Purple and White will host Colorado State University in Mountain West Conference action. Tip-off between the Horned Frogs and Rams is slated for 6:30 p.m. Central Time.

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 Todd Christensen (analyst) will handle the game-day duties for The Mtn. Network.

Next on the Schedule: The Purple and White will return to their home court on Wednesday (Feb. 27) when the Horned Frogs welcome the University of Utah to the Daniel-Meyer Coliseum for Mountain West Conference play.

The Big Score
• The Frogs have scored 1,671 points through 24 games of the 2007-08 campaign - averaging 69.6 points per evening. The Purple and White is currently ranked fourth in the Mountain West Conference in scoring average sitting behind BYU, University of New Mexico 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 ninth in the nation in steals per game with an average of 9.71 picks per evening. In the NCAA rankings, the Frogs are slated behind VMI at 13.2 steals per game followed by Tennessee, Clemson, Minnesota, Robert Morris, Austin Peay State, Seton Hall and Pepperdine.

• The defense of the Purple and White has notched 13 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 40th among all NCAA Division I student-athletes in steals per game as the TCU sophomore has recorded an average of 2.04 steals per game. The TCU point guard has collected two or more steals in 14 games and has notched at least one steal in 23 of 24 contests - including 22 consecutive games.

Statement Time in the Mountain West Conference
• Teams in the Mountain West Conference have combined for a record of 131-89 (.595 winning percentage) with BYU leading the way with a 9-1 conference record followed by UNLV (8-3), New Mexico (7-4), Utah (6-4) and San Diego Sate (6-5).

• After the first round of action of Mountain West Conference play, the Purple and White stand in seventh place with a 4-7 league mark. The Frogs defeated San Diego State at the Daniel-Meyer Coliseum, but dropped decisions to Wyoming and New Mexico.

• The Horned Frogs have notched a 3-2 mark in Mountain West Conference action - but have notched a 1-5 record away from their home court in league play.

Lobos Capture 64-48 Victory over Frogs at The Pit
• The University of New Mexico finished the season with a split against the Horned Frogs as the Lobos recorded a 64-48 victory on Saturday evening at The Pit in Albuquerque, N.M., in Mountain West Conference action.

• J.R. Giddens finished with a game-high 25 points as the UNM forward connected on 10-of-18 field goal attempts to go along with eight rebounds (seven defensive) and three assists, two steals and one blocked shot in 38 minutes of court time.

• Jamaal Smith was the only other Lobo to finish in double figures as the UNM guard notched 10 points on 3-of-7 shooting - including 4-of-4 at the charity stripe.

• Henry Salter collected his fourth consecutive game with double figures as the TCU guard notched 13 points on 4-of-11 shooting - including a trio of three-pointers - to go along with six rebounds (3 offensive / 3 defensive) in 26 minutes of action.

• Kevin Langford had his 22-game double-digit scoring streak snapped as the Lobo defense held the TCU forward to four points - all on free throws - after finishing the game 0-of-6 from the field. He also added nine rebounds and three assists in 34 minutes.

• The Lobos made the most of TCU miscues as the Horned Frogs commited 23 turnovers - which were the most this season. The defense of the Purple and White forced 12 miscues on the Lobos, but were only able to notch four steals after entering the game ranked ninth in the country in steals per game at 9.91 picks per contest.

• The Frogs scored 23 points in the first half of action - which was the second lowest tally in the opening 20 minutes of the season. For the game - the Purple and White connected on 35.0 percent (14-of-40) of their field goal attempts while the Lobos notched 43.8 percent (21-of-48) of their field goal attempts in the game.

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 44.8 percent - including 34.8 percent from behind the three-point arc.

• The Frogs have forced opponents into 423 turnovers (17.6 turnovers per game) where they have scored 451 points off of the miscues of their foes - an average of 18.8 points.

• In Mountain West Conference action, the Frogs have forced opponents to connect on 35.7 percent (79-of-221) of their three-point field goal attempts. Mountain West Conference foes have connected on five or less treys in four of 11 league 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 29.5 minutes of court time per evening. The Fort Worth talent is joined in that category by Henry Salter (25.7 MP-G), Brent Hackett (25.5 MP-G) and Jason Ebie (20.7 MP-G).

• The Frogs have five other players who are averaging double-digits in minutes played in John Ortiz (19.7 MP-G), Alvardo Parker (19.5 MP-G), Neiman Owens (14.6 MP-G), Mike Scott (13.3 MP-G) and Keion Mitchem (12.6 MP-G).

Scouting the Opponents - Colorado State
• Colorado State will enter the game against the Horned Frogs with a 6-18 overall record - including a 0-10 mark in Mountain West Conference action. The Rams have currently dropped their last 11 games and recorded their last victory against Western State on December 29th, 2007.

• The Rams have struggled with injuries during the 2007-08 campaign and could be without two of their top players in Willis Gardner and Ronnie Aguilar. Gardner dislocated his shoulder against UNLV while Aguilar recently had a MRI to determine the severity of a foot injury.

• Marcus Walker has been one of the top scoring threats in the Mountain West Conference as the CSU guard is averaging a league-high 18.0 points per game while being ranked in the top-20 in assists per game (2.6 A-G). Walker became the first CSU player to score 40 or more points in a game in over two decades as he notched 43 points at the Top of the World Classic Tournament against Tennessee State.

• Senior Stuart Creason made his return to the CSU lineup after sitting out due to a foot injury and scored 24 points on 7-of-13 shooting to go along with a perfect 10-of-10 from the charity stripe in his second game back against Mountain West Conference-leaders BYU.

• True freshman Andre McFarland has received plenty of playing time during his rookie campaign with the Rams as the CSU forward is averaging 7.3 points per game and is the team's top three-point shooter.

• Freshman Jesse Woodard is seeing a lot of action as well during his first campaign with the Rams as the CSU guard is averaging 7.2 points per game to go along with 1.9 rebounds per game in 19.3 minutes per contest.

• Freshman Josh Simmons has appeared in all 24 games - including 11 starts - where he is averaging 4.7 points to go along with 2.4 rebounds per game. He started the first five games of his collegiate career with the Rams.

• Senior center Stuart Creason has close ties to the Dallas/Fort Worth area as he was a high school teammate of current TCU senior Ryan Wall at Coppell High School.

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 65.1 percent (321-of-493) of their free throw attempts compared to 66.2 percent (299-of-452) 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 72.4 percent (134-of-185) of their attempts.

• The Purple and White has connected on 70.6 percent (161-of-228) 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 second and third on the Frogs in scoring average at 13.7 points and 11.0 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 2.1 points and 3.3 rebounds per game in his 20 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 23 games. The TCU guard has recorded double-digit scoring evenings in each of the last four games.

• The TCU junior is currently ranked seventh in the country in three-point field goal percentage as he has connected on 49.2 percent of his attempts and 74th in three-point field goals made per game.

• Salter is ranked 11th in the Mountain West Conference in scoring average (13.9 P-G) and 16th in rebounds per game (5.0) 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 2.7 treys per contest and has connected on at least four three-pointers in each of the Frogs' four of 11 conference games. Salter has connected on 49.1 percent (27-of-55) 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 second on the team in scoring average (13.7 P-G) and leads the Frogs in free throws made (119), free throw attempts (163) and free throw percentage (73.0%).

• 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 had the longest streak of double-digit scoring performances snapped at 22 games at the University of New Mexico where the TCU forward was held to four points.

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 (149), second in three-point field goals made (43) and third in scoring average (11.0 P-G).

• During his career with the Frogs - Hackett has appeared in 116 career games and has earned a spot in the starting lineup on 82 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 180 career three-pointers - which ranks him sixth 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 (1.08 B-G) and 19th in rebounds per game (4.8 R-G).

• The TCU senior has recorded 87 career blocked shots with the Frogs - which ranks him for sixth place in the all-time record books.

• Parker has notched at least one blocked shot in 18 of 24 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 36.5 rebounds per game - which ranks them 93rd 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 32.2 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 30.9 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 40th in the nation among NCAA Division I players in steals per game with 2.04 picks per evening.

• Ebie is ranked second in the Mountain West Conference in steals per game (2.04 S-G) and 10th in assists per game (3.0 A-G). The TCU sophomore is one of five players in the Mountain West Conference to be ranked in the top-10 in both steals per game as well as assists per game.

• The Houston native has recorded two of more steals in 14 of 24 games and collected at least one steal in 23 of 24 contests - including 22 consecutive games with a steal. Ebie has started nine of 11 conference games where he is averaging 5.7 points, 3.4 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.5 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 24 games. Scott is averaging 3.7 points and 2.3 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 4.4 points and 1.1 rebounds per game while connecting on 42.0 percent of his field goal attempts. Mitchem has scored five or more points in 10 of 24 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 5.1 points and 5.3 rebounds per game - which ranks him 14th in the conference. Ortiz has done a tremendous job at getting to the free throw line where he is ranked third on the team in free throw attempts (54) and fourth 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 304 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 521 of their last 522 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 19 of their 24 games and are ranked sixth in the Mountain West Conference in three-point field goals made per game (7.50 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 24 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 54 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 8.1 minutes of court time. On eight occasions, the TCU freshman has played in 10 or more minutes and has recorded at least three rebounds in 10 of 20 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.

JuCo Additions Making Impact on Frogs' Program
• The addition of a pair of junior college players in Henry Salter and John Ortiz have made an impression on the TCU lineup as the duo has combined for 46 games played to go along with 33 combined starts. Salter is ranked 11th in the Mountain West Conference in scoring average and 16th in rebounding while Ortiz is listed 14th in rebounds per game.

The Woes of the Road
• The Purple and White has struggled on the road this season where the Frogs have accumluated a 1-9 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 15 of their last 16 games. In the Mountain West Conference, the road victory over the Rams was the second victory in league action.

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