March 11, 2008

Game Notes - UNLV in PDF Format

Game Day Information
Opponent: The TCU men's basketball team enter the Mountain West Conference Tournament as the number-seven seed as the Horned Frogs will open action at the Thomas & Mack Center against the number-two seed UNLV in Las Vegas, Nev., on Thursday (Mar. 13) with game time slated for 8:00 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: CSTV
James Bates (play-by-play) and Joe Cravens (analyst) will handle the game-day duties for The Mtn. Network.

Stealing the Show
• The Frogs will enter the game against the Rebels ranked 12th in the nation in steals per game with an average of 9.36 picks per evening. In the NCAA rankings, the Frogs are slated behind VMI (12.7 S-G), Austin Peay State, Marquette, Robert Morris, Pepperdine, Clemson, Tennessee State, Seton Hall, Siena, Tennessee and Duquesne.

• The defense of the Purple and White has notched 14 games of 10 or more steals this season and have notched a record of 9-5 record in contests where the Frogs post double-digit pick tallies.

• The Frogs have posted two of the top-three steal performances this season in the Mountain West Conference with a 17-pick victory over Texas Southern and a 16-steal triumph over Jackson State. The only team in the conference to notch more picks in a game this season was San Diego State's 19-steal performance against Loyola-Marymount.

• Jason Ebie is ranked 87th among all NCAA Division I student-athletes in steals per game as the TCU sophomore has recorded an average of 1.82 steals per game. The TCU point guard has collected two or more steals in 14 games and has notched at least one steal in 26 of 29 contests - including a string of 24 consecutive games.

Rebirth at the Free Throw Line
• For the majority of the season, the Frogs have been found towards the bottom of the Mountain West Conference standings in free throw percentage - but recently jumped up two spots from ninth to seventh after connecting on 96.4 percent (27-of-28) of their charity stripe attempts against Colorado State on February 20th at the Daniel-Meyer Coliseum.

Statement Time in the Mountain West Conference
• Teams in the Mountain West Conference have combined for a record of 154-113 (.581 winning percentage) and has a trio of teams with at least 20 wins during the 2007-08 campaign in BYU (25-6), University of New Mexico (24-7) and UNLV (24-6).

• BYU - who enters this week of action ranked 24th in the country in the latest polls - became the first team in Mountain West Conference history to claim back-to-back regular season conference championships as the Cougars finished with a 14-2 record.

• The Frogs have notched a 6-10 conference record and find themselves in seventh place in the Mountain West Conference standings behind Utah and Air Force Academy. For the first time since joining the Mountain West Conference - the Frogs finished seventh heading into the conference tournament this week at the Thomas & Mack Center.

• The Purple and White have notched six victories in Mountain West Conference action - which is their highest tally since joining the league three seasons ago and tie the number of total triumphs in the league over the past two seasons.

Frogs Drop 61-54 Decision to BYU on Senior Night
• The TCU men's basketball team dropped a hard-fought 61-54 decision to 24th-ranked BYU at the Daniel-Meyer Coliseum on Saturday evening in the last home game of four TCU seniors in Brent Hackett, Neiman Owens, Ryan Wall and Alvardo Parker.

• For the second consecutive game - the Purple and White struggled from the field as the Frogs connected on 29.0 percent (18-of-62) from the field - including 30.4 percent (7-of-23) from behind the three-point line.

• Jonathan Tavernari finished with a game-high 17 points on 6-of-15 shooting - including a pair of three-pointers - to go along with four rebounds, two assists, two steals and one blocked shot in 34 minutes of action.

• Lee Cummard - the Co-Player of the Year in the Mountain West Conference - finished with 16 points on 6-of-11 shooting to go along with eight rebounds, three blocked shots, two steals and a pair of assists in 35 minutes of action.

• The Cougars did a solid job of distributing the ball against the Horned Frogs as BYU finished with 15 assists compared to seven for the Purple and White.

• In his final home game of his career with the Purple and White - Ryan Wall finished with a team-high 15 points on 5-of-8 shooting to go along with 3-of-6 from behind the three-point line in 19 minutes of action.

• Brent Hackett - who appeared in his 121st career game with the Horned Frogs - finished with 11 points to go along with two steals in 20 minutes of action. Hackett was one of two players (Kevin Langford) to start in all 29 regular season games this season - and has earned a spot in the starting lineup in 85 games during his career.

• With the setback to the Cougars - the Frogs finished their home record with a 13-4 mark, which was the seventh time in the 46-year history of the Daniel-Meyer Coliseum that the Purple and White has notched 13 or more victories on their home court.

Frog Defense Standing Tall
• The Frogs have forced opponents into 501 turnovers (17.3 turnovers per game) where they have scored 519 points off of the miscues of their foes - an average of 17.9 points.

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 10 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 29.7 minutes of court time per evening. The Fort Worth talent is joined in that category by Brent Hackett (25.8 MP-G), Henry Salter (25.3 MP-G) and Jason Ebie (21.2 MP-G).

• The Frogs have six other players who are averaging double-digits in minutes played in John Ortiz (19.7 MP-G), Alvardo Parker (19.2 MP-G), Neiman Owens (15.0 MP-G), Keion Mitchem (13.3 MP-G), Mike Scott (12.6 MP-G) and Ryan Wall (10.5 MP-G).

Scouting the Opponents - UNLV
• UNLV will come into the contest against the Horned Frogs with a 23-7 overall record - including a 12-4 mark in Mountain West Conference action - which places them in second-place in the league standings. The Runnin' Rebels have won four of their last five conference games with three of them coming at home.

• Wink Adams - a first team All-Mountain West Conference selection - averaging 15.9 points per game to go along with 3.9 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.6 steals per game. Adams is ranked first in the Mountain West Conference in free throw percentage (85.4%) and listed third in scoring average (15.9 P-G), seventh in assists per game (3.4 A-G) and eighth in field goal percentage (40.3%)

• Joe Darger - an honorable mention All-Mountain West Conference selection - is having a strong junior campaign as the Runnin' Rebel forward is ranked second on the team with a 11.5 points per game average to go along with 4.7 boards per contest in 30 games this season.

• Curtis Terry - a third team All-Mountain West Conference pick - is enjoying a standout senior season as the UNLV point guard is averaging 10.5 points per game to go along with 3.2 rebounds per game while connecting on 41.3 percent (102-of-247) of his field goal attempts.

• Junior Rene Rougeau - an honorable mention All-Mountain West Conference pick - is one of the top pick-artists in the Mountain West Conference as the UNLV guard is averaging a league-high 2.26 steals per game - which also ranks him 26th among all NCAA Division I players.

• The Thomas & Mack Center is one of the hardest places to play in the Mountain West Conference as UNLV has notched a 33-2 record over the last two seasons and 129-31 mark over the last 160 games on their home floor.

• UNLV is ranked 32nd in the country according to the Collegiate Basketball News Men's RPI College Basketball Rankings - which is the second-best mark in the Mountain West Conference behind BYU's 26th-place listing. The Runnin' Rebels have recorded the highest strength of schedule at 46th followed by BYU's 117th ranking.

• The Runnin' Rebels have collected their second consecutive 20-plus winning season as UNLV notched 30 wins during the 2006-07 campaign - accumulating a 51-13 record over the last two seasons COMBINED. The Runnin' Rebels have won 20 or more games in 31 of the 50 years existence of the program.

Frogs Closing in on 400th Victory at the DMC
• Following a 67-61 victory over the University of Utah on February 27th, the Purple and White recorded their 399th triumph inside the confines of the Daniel-Meyer Coliseum since its' opening on December 18, 1961.

Charity Stripe Levels on the Rise
• Over the course of the Mountain West Conference schedule - the Horned Frogs have improved their shooting percentage from the free throw line as the Purple and White are ranked fourth in the league after connecting on 73.6 percent (209-of-284) of their charity stripe attempts through 16 games.

• Prior the beginning of conference action, the Frogs connected on 60.7 percent (187-of-308) of their free throw attempts - which ranked them last in the Mountain West Conference. After 16 conference games, the Frogs have moved up two spots to seventh in the league in free throw percentage at 66.9 percent (396-of-592).

• The Frogs have connected on 66.7 percent (262-of-393) of their free throw attempts at the Daniel-Meyer Coliseum and 78.0 percent (103-of-132) of their charity stripe tries at the DMC during conference action.

• The Purple and White connected on 15-of-15 of their free throw attempts against UNLV at the Daniel-Meyer Coliseum - which tied a program record for free throw percentage in a single-game. The Frogs also connected on 96.4 percent (27-of-28) of their free throw tries against Colorado State - which was the highest free throw shooting percentage in program history for any game where TCU attempted 22 or more tries.

Always Be Ready to Play
• This season, all 14 players that have suited up for TCU have played - that feat wasn't reached until the 24th game at Colorado State during the 2006-07 campaign.

Home-Grown Talent Pays Dividends for Horned Frogs
• The Frogs have filled their roster with a quintet of DFW 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, and he also ties with Langford as his brother, Keith, was a recruited and coached by the TCU head coach at the University of Kansas.

• A pair of All-Mountain West Conference players this season, Hackett and Langford are currently ranked second and third on the Frogs in scoring average at 13.1 points and 11.1 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 3.1 rebounds per game in his 25 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 24 games. The TCU guard has recorded double-digit scoring evenings in four of the last five games that he has appeared.

• The TCU junior is currently ranked fifth in the country in three-point field goal percentage as he has connected on 47.7 percent of his attempts and 90th in three-point field goals made per game.

• Salter is ranked 11th in the Mountain West Conference in scoring average (13.3 P-G) and 16th in rebounds per game (5.0) and is one of four players (Lee Cummard, J.R. Giddens and Luke Nevill) to be ranked in the top-20 in more than six statistical categories.

• The former NJCAA All-American is also ranked third in the Mountain West Conference in three-point field goals made per game with an average of 2.58 treys per contest and has connected on 46.6 percent (27-of-58) of his trey attempts against Mountain West Conference competition.

The "Langford" Road Home
• Kevin Langford has been one of the Frogs' top all-around players this season as the Fort Worth native is ranked second on the team in scoring average (13.1 P-G) and leads the Purple and White in free throws made (139), free throw attempts (192) and free throw percentage (72.4%). During his two-year career, Langford has attempted 422 free throws - which ranks eighth in the record books.

• 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.

• The Fort Worth native has notched a double-digit scoring performance in 23 of 29 games this season - including a Mountain West Conference-high 22 consecutive games that was snapped against the University of New Mexico on February 16th following a four-point output.

• A third-team All-Mountain West Conference selection this season - Langford received his degree in sociology with a minor in criminal justice this past December.

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 for the Purple and White and currently sits tied for 22nd place in the all-time rankings with 1,077 career scores.

• An honorable mention All-Mountain West Conference selection this past season - Hackett is also ranked fifth in the all-time record books in three-point field goals attempted (559) and three-point field goals made (184) and seventh in career steals (123).

• During his career with the Frogs - Hackett has appeared in 121 career games and has earned a spot in the starting lineup on 87 occasions - missing only four starts in the last three seasons.

• An honorable mention All-Mountain West Conference performer during the 2006-07 campaign, 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 53 career games - 17 (Senior) / 18 (Junior) / 18 (Sophomore).

Welcome to the Parker's
• Alvardo Parker has been a force for the Frogs under the basket for the past two seasons as the TCU senior is ranked third in the all-time record books in blocks per game (1.56 B-G) and fourth in career blocked shots (92).

• The TCU forward has recorded at least one blocked shot in 45 of 59 career games with the Purple and White and has notched at least one swat in 20 of 29 games in his final campaign.

• Parker is ranked sixth among all Mountain West Conference players in blocked shots per game (1.07 B-G), eighth in offensive boards per game (1.96 R-G) and 20th in boards per game (4.7 R-G).

Frogs Strong on the Glass
• The Frogs are currently ranked third in the Mountain West Conference in rebounds per game with a 35.9 boards per contest average - but sit at the top of the rankings in offensive rebounds per game where the Purple and White has collected 12.46 rebounds per game.

• At one point in the 2007-08 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 rebounds per game compared to 38.5 rebounds per game at the Daniel-Meyer Coliseum.

• In games that the Frogs win - the Purple and White is averaging 40.1 boards per evening compared to 31.5 rebounds per game in contests where TCU suffers a defeat.

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