Nov. 16, 2007

Game Notes - University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff in PDF Format

Game Day Information
Opponent: The TCU men's basketball program will continue its four-game homestand on Saturday (Nov. 17) as the Horned Frogs welcome Southwestern Athletic Conference-foe University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff to the Daniel-Meyer Coliseum for a 1:30 p.m. tip-off.

Radio: KTCU (88.7 FM) and ESPN Radio (103.3 FM) in Dallas/Fort Worth Brian Estridge (play-by-play) and John Denton (analyst) will call the game on the TCU/ISP Sports Network. The game can also be heard online at www.GoFrogs.com and viewed on the TCU Athletics website via GameTracker.

Next on the Schedule: The Frogs will conclude their four-game homestand at the DMC on Wednesday (Nov. 21) for a 7:00 p.m. tip-off time against Grambling State University. The game can be heard on KTCU (88.7 FM) and Fox Sports Radio (1460 AM). The game can also be heard online at GoFrogs.com and viewed via GameTracker.

Frogs Looking to Remain Dominant over SWAC
• The Frogs have had a lot of success over members of the Southwestern Athletic Conference over the last few decades as the Purple and White have recorded an 18-1 overall record against the conference. The last loss for TCU versus a member of the SWAC came against Texas Southern on December 29, 1988, when the Tigers recorded a 103-78 victory at the Daniel-Meyer Coliseum.

The Points Come Easy for the Frogs
• The Frogs have scored 165 points through the first two games - averaging 82.5 points per evening - which is the most points scored in the opening two games since Neil Dougherty's first season in 2002-03 when the Purple and White opened up the campaign with 175 total points - an 87.5 points per game average.

If You Win Three that's a Winning Streak
• With a victory against the University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff, the Frogs will improve their record to 3-0 for third time in Dougherty's six seasons at the helm. The Frogs have averaged 17.0 wins (21 in 2002-03 and 13 in 2006-07) during those two seasons when beginning the campaign with a 3-0 record. It would also be the fourth time in the last 10 seasons that TCU?has started the campaign with a 3-0 record - average record at end of season: 19-12.

Board Brothers Dominate the Glass
• Alvardo Parker and Luke Tauscher became the first set of teammates since Neil Dougherty's first season to each record a double-digit rebounding performance in the same game - a span of 131 games. The last set of Frogs to record double-digit rebounds came against UAB on Feb. 18, 2003, in Chudi Chinweze (13) and Bingo Merriex (11).

Time to Make a Statement in Mountain West Conference
• In the 2007-08 pre-season rankings for the Mountain West Conference - the Frogs were predicted to finish seventh overall with a total of 58 points, holding advantages over the Air Force Academy (54 points)?and Colorado State (33 points).

• Prior to the start of the 2006-07 season, TCU was predicted to finish ninth overall, but the Frogs were able to more than double their win's record from six to 13 at the conclusion of the season.

• The Mountain West Conference recorded a strong opening week as there are six teams are undefeated and eight of the nine teams have each recorded at least one victory.

• Teams in the Mountain West Conference have combined for a record of 17-3 (.850 winning percentage) with Air Force and San Diego State each off to a 3-0 start. Colorado State is the lone MWC program yet to notch a victory during the 2007-08 campaign.

Frogs Improve to 2-0 with 76-49 Victory over Rice
• The Frogs improved to 2-0 on the season for the third time under head men's basketball coach Neil Dougherty with a 76-49 victory over Conference USA-foe Rice on Tuesday (Nov. 13) at the Daniel-Meyer Coliseum.

• The Purple and White recorded a 32-8 run over the final 15 minutes of the first half en route to taking a 40-18 lead into intermission. The Frogs held the Owls to 25.0 percent (7-of-28) shooting in the first half and forced them to commit 10 turnovers in the half.

• Alvardo Parker recorded his second career double-double with a 10-point, 11-rebound performance as the TCU senior connected on 5-of-8 field goal attempts. He collected six offensive and five defensive boards in 18 minutes of action.

• Parker and TCU newcomer Luke Tauscher became the first set of teammates in 131 games (since Dougherty's first season) to each record 10 or more rebounds in the same game. Tauscher notched a career-high 12 boards to go along with six points in the game.

• Henry Salter recorded a double-digit scoring performance for the second consecutive game as he collected 11 points to go along with seven rebounds in 25 minutes of work.

• The Frogs played all 14 players in the contest with 12 of them recording at least two points in the game. Last season, it took the Frogs 24 games before all players on the roster were able to see some action on the court.

• TCU held several advantages over the Owls, but completely dominated their opponents in the paint where the Frogs doubled up Rice by a 36-18 margin. TCU also held the Owls scoreless on fast break points, 11-0, and the Purple and White bench out-scored Rice's role players by a 35-19 count.

• The Frogs held Rice to a 24.1 (13-of-54) shooting percentage and forced the Owls into their second lowest point total in the last six seasons. It was only the second time during that span that Rice had failed to score at least 50 points in the game.

Frog Defense Standing Tall
• The TCU football team is known for having a strong defense under Gary Patterson, but now the Frog basketball team is making their own identity as a defensive force.

• In two games, the Frogs have limited opponents to a combined 33.1 (39-of-118) shooting performance - including 25.9 percent (7-of-27) from behind the three-point arc.

• Since the 1960-61 season, the Frogs have never held opponents to a shooting percentage lower than .400 - their lowest field goal defense came during the 1985-86 season when opponents shot 41.5 percent from the field.

• The Frogs have forced opponents into 44 turnovers (22.0 turnovers per game) where they have scored 58 points off of the miscues of their foes.

Frogs Seeking 400th Victory at the DMC
• With their second straight victory at the Daniel-Meyer Coliseum, the Frogs have recorded their 388th triumph inside of the DMC since its' opening on December 18, 1961.

Charity Stripe Blues
• One of the areas still in need of improvement for the Frogs comes at the free throw line where TCU has connected on 58.5 percent (31-of-53) free throw attempts compared to 69.4 percent (34-of-49) attempts from the charity stripe for opponents.

Scouting the Opponents - University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff
• The University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff has fallen to the Frogs in each of its four previous meetings with the Purple and White - with three of those setbacks coming during the Neil Dougherty era. In the previous four meetings, the Golden Lions have been outscored by an average of 87.3 to 59.0, and UAPB has yet to score above 60 points in each of its last three trips to the Daniel-Meyer Coliseum.

• The Golden Lions will come into the Daniel-Meyer Coliseum with a 0-2 record after suffering setbacks to UTEP (77-50) and Wichita State (61-56) - both of those losses came on the road. The Golden Lions have dropped nine of their last 10 non-conference road games with their lone victory coming against NAIA's Philander Smith.

• Senior William Byrd was selected as the Pre-Season Southwestern Athletic Conference Player of the Year prior to the start of the 2007-08 campaign. This season, Byrd is averaging 11.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 3.0 steals per game while connecting on 47.6 percent of his field goal attempts.

• Larry Williams is the team's top scorer through two games as the 6-3 guard has recorded a pair of 12-point performances against both the Miners and Shockers. In both of those games, Williams connected on 5-of-14 shots.

• Jarvis Gunter - the Golden Lions' tallest player at 6-10 - is the team's top board grabber as the UAPB senior is averaging 8.0 rebounds per game to go along with 5.0 points and 1.0 assists per game.

• Arkansas-Pine Bluff entered the 2007-08 season ranked 269th in The College Basketball News' RPI?Report - which was the fourth highest among all Southwestern Athletic Conference programs.

• The Golden Lions were predicted to finish second in the Southwestern Athletic Conference standings alongside Grambling State - who the Frogs will be playing in their following game.

• Van Holt begins his sixth season as head men's basketball coach at the University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff. In his first five seasons at the helm for the Golden Lions, UAPB has notched a 37-108 overall record.

• TCU will be the first of three Mountain West Conference opponents that the Golden Lions will be playing against as the University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff will also make trips to Wyoming and Colorado State.

• The University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff is not the strongest shooting team in the SWAC as the Golden Lions have connected on 38.8 percent (40-of-103) of their field goal attempts and 40.5 percent (15-of-37) from behind the three-point line. The biggest setback for the Golden Lions comes at the free throw line where UAPB is shooting a dismal 47.8 percent (11-of-23).

You Never Know When You are Going to Play
• In TCU head men's basketball coach Neil Dougherty's system, every player has to be ready to play at any time. This season, all 14 players that have suited up in the Purple and White have played.

• During the 2006-07 campaign - that feat wasn't reached until the 24th game on the road at Colorado State.

Home-Grown Talent Pays Dividends for Horned Frogs
• The Horned Frogs will get plenty of scoring from a trio of home-grown talents in Brent Hackett (Southwest H.S.), Kevin Langford (North Crowley 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.

• The Fort Worth duo came into this season as the team's top scorers from a season ago as Langford averaged 13.2 points per game while Hackett was listed second in the scoring department with an 11.2 points per evening average. Hacketti currently ranked third on the team in scoring (11.0 P-G) and Langford is listed fourth with a 7.5 points per evening average.

• Langford and Hackett recorded their best years last season for the Horned Frogs as both players were selected as honorable mention All-Mountain West Conference award winners. The pair recorded 734 total points (Langford - 397 / Hackett - 337) and accounted for 38.8 percent of all the scoring for the Horned Frogs.

• The Frogs are also excited about another Fort Worth talent in Luke Tauscher - who begins his first season with the program after sitting out last season due to a red-shirt campaign. The 6-11 center - who is also the tallest member of the TCU squad - is ranked third in the Mountain West Conference with an 8.0 rebounds per game average while chipping into the offensive attack with a 6.5 scoring average.

Looking to Make it Nine in a Row
• Last season, TCU out-rebounded its opponents by one board - 1,018 to 1,017 - en route to recording their eighth straight season with a positive rebounding margin.

• This season, the Frogs are averaging 55.5 boards per evening and are tied for third in the NCAA with Alabama in rebounding average behind Lamar (58.0 R-G) and Texas State (56.5 R-G).

Langford Looking for BIG Junior Campaign
• In his first season with the Frogs, Kevin Langford was selected as an honorable mention All-Mountain West Conference selection after averaging a team-high 13.2 points and 6.0 rebounds per game.

• Langford was selected by CBS Sportsline as a pre-season second team award winner for the Mountain West Conference.

• This season, the TCU forward is averaging 7.5 points and 4.5 rebounds per game.

Back to Full Health - Hackett Ready for Standout Season
• For the first time in his career, TCU senior Brent Hackett had the opportunity to work out with the Frogs during the off-season as part of their strength and conditioning program. The hard work paid off for the Fort Worth native as Hackett is ranked third on the Frogs with an 11.0 scoring average - which is tied for 17th in the Moutain West Conference

• During his first three years - Hackett has appeared in 94 games and has earned a spot in the starting lineup on 60 occasions, missing only four starts in the last two seasons (two of those non-starting games coming on Senior Night).

• Hackett has been one of the top scorers for the Frogs over the last three seasons as he has recorded 10 or more points in 37 career games - 1 (Senior) / 18 (Junior) / 18 (Sophomore)

• The TCU senior only needs 24 points to reach the 800-point milestone.

Welcome to the Parker's
• TCU head men's basketball coach Neil Dougherty was expecting BIG things from forward Alvardo Parker, and after the first two games of the season, he was not disappointed. Parker recorded his second career double-double with a 10-point, 11-rebound performance against Rice (Nov. 13) and is ranked first at the top of the conference with a 9.5 rebounding average.

• This is only the fourth year of organized basketball for the Turks & Caicos Islands' native as he spent his first two seasons in organized basketball at Frank Phillips Junior College followed by a single season with TCU.

• With 65 career blocks under his belt, Parker only needs four more swats to move in the top-10 in the career record books for blocked shots.

TCU Looking to Make Name in National Spotlight
• TCU head men's basketball coach Neil Doughery is not one to shy away from a nationally-ranked opponent as the Frogs have competed against 16 squads ranked in the top-25 during his tenure. To put the numbers into perspective - TCU only played 19 nationally-ranked teams during the entire decade of the 1990s - 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.

• TCU is 12-88 (.120) all-time against nationally-ranked teams and has dropped 15 of its last 17 match-ups against teams ranked in the top-25. The victory over the Falcons snapped a six-game skid against ranked opponents.

• The Frogs haven't had much success against nationally-ranked opponents on the road as they have dropped 47 of 48 match-ups when away from the DMC. Their lone victory came against Hawaii (83-79) on January 19, 1998.

Frogs Return Lots of Scoring
• Coming into the 2007-08 campaign, the Frogs will have plenty of options when it comes to putting the ball in the bucket as six of their top scorers from a season ago return to the lineup in Kevin Langford (13.2 P-G), Brent Hackett (11.2 P-G), Alvardo Parker (8.8 P-G), Neiman Owens (7.1 P-G), Ryan Wall (6.4 P-G) and Keion Mitchem (5.3 P-G).

• The returning scorers for the Frogs will return 1,507 total points from the 2006-07 season - which equals 79.6 percent of their scoring from a season ago.

Frogs Bangin' the Boards
• The Frogs have been dominate on the glass this season as they are out-rebounding their opponents 111 to 68 - and hold a rebounding of +21.5, which is tops in the conference.

• The Frogs have recorded 50 or more rebounds in each of their first two games - which is the first time since the first two games of the 2004-05 season that TCU has reached this feat - a span of 93 games. That season, TCU achieved that mark against UT Arlington (55) and Shawnee State (53).

Salter and Ortiz Making Immediate Impact on Frog's Lineup
• The Frogs will have several new faces entering their lineup this season that the fans of the DMC will quickly come to know, especially in the forms of junior college-transfers Henry Salter and John Ortiz.

• Salter was a NJCAA All-American third team member last season after finishing fourth in the country in scoring at 24.6 points per game. He was the only player in the country to rank in the top-10 in both scoring and rebounding as he finished sixth with an 11.8 boards per evening.

• The TCU guard is one of two players (along with Alvardo Parker) to record double-digit scoring performances in the team's first two games. Salter is averaging 12.0 points per game - ranking him 16th in the Mountain West Conference.

• Ortiz was a two-year standout at Colby Community College where the Colombian native notched 8.3 points and 8.6 rebounds per game while swatting a team-high 41 shots last season. Through two games, the TCU forward is averaging 3.5 points and 3.5 rebounds per game while collecting on 62.5 percent of his attempts from the charity stripe.

Ebie Makes Early Impact on TCU?Lineup
• TCU sophomore Jason Ebie has made a dramatic improvement from his freshman to his sophomore campaigns, and the Houston native will see plenty of court action this season at the point guard position. In his first two games, Ebie is averaging 4.0 points, 3.0 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.5 steals per game in 15.0 minutes of action a night.

Neon Keion in Primetime
• One of the biggest additions to the Frogs' lineup will come in the return of sophomore Keion Mitchem, who appeared in the team's first 15 games of the 2006-07 season. The TCU guard is averaging 6.5 points and 3.0 rebounds per game while connecting on 44.4 percent of his shots - all coming from behind the three-point line.

• Mitchem is currently ranked ninth in the Mountain West Conference in three-point field goals made per game (?2.0), 12th in three-point field goal percentage (.444) and 13th in steals per game (1.5)

Great Scott!
• The faithful of the Purple and White will quickly get to know the name of Mike Scott as the TCU freshman could see a lot of playing time in his first season with the Frogs. Scott won the starting point guard position for the team's first two games where he notched a career-high nine points against Rice (Nov. 13).

• Even though he is only a freshman, Scott is not the youngest member of the squad by any stretch as the City of Brotherly Love native is 21-years-old. The TCU guard is averaging 6.5 points, 2.5 assists and 2.5 steals per game.

Frogs Set to Take MWC?by Storm
• The Frogs could be one of the sleeper teams in the Mountain West Conferece after they return four starters from a season ago, but coaches in the conference still predicted TCU to finish seventh out of nine teams by season's end.

• This season, the Frogs are ranked in the top three in 12th statistical categories - including first in rebounds per game (55.5), rebounding margin (+21.5), offensive rebounds (22.5) and defensive rebounds (33.0).

The Trey Comes Easy to the Frogs
• TCU has made at least one three-pointer in 285 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.

• 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.

• The Frogs have connected on at least one three-pointer in 512 of their last 513 games.

Home Sweet Home
• The Frogs have posted a record of 388-231 (.627) since the Daniel-Meyer Coliseum opened during the 1961-62 campaign.

• Over the past decade, the Horned Frogs have recorded a 128-56 (.696) overall record and have won at least 10 games at home in seven of the last 10 seasons.

Finding Nemo
• Senior Neiman Owens is one of the most experienced players on the Frogs as the TCU guard has appeared in 95 career games and has started 60 contests during his career. Owens did not start against Angelo State in the season opener, which snapped his 60-game starting streak dating back to the 2005-06 season.

• This season, Owens has played an important role off of the bench as he is averaging 4.0 points and 3.5 rebounds per game while playing in 20.5 minutes per evening - which is fifth on the team.

• Owens is closing in on some memorable milestones as he needs five games to reach the century mark for his career and 13 points to reach the 400-point level - currently he stands at 387.

The Wall
• Even though TCU has only been a member of the Mountain West Conference, TCU senior Ryan Wall has been affiliated with the MWC for each of his five collegiate years. Wall was a member of the University of New Mexico's basketball team for two seasons (2003-04 and 2004-05) before transferring to TCU prior to the 2005-06 campaign. After red-shirting his first season, the Frog guard has appeared in 32 games while wearing the Purple and White.

• Wall has slowly been coming back from an off-season injury, but has played in his first two games of the season where he is averaging 5.0 points and 1.5 rebounds per game. The TCU senior collected seven points in his last game vs. Rice.

Tauscher Continues to Impress Through Two
• The TCU coaching staff was anxious to see how red-shirt freshman Luke Tauscher would return to the lineup after missing last season due to injury. The 6-11 Fort Worth product hasn't disappointed anyone at the Daniel-Meyer Coliseum as the TCU newcomer recorded his first double-digit rebounding performance against Rice with 12 boards.

• The Frog center/forward is currently ranked second in the Mountain West Conference after averaging 8.0 rebounds per game through the team's first two games.

• Tauscher is mostly known for his ability down-low, but he showcased his shooting range against Angelo State as he connected on a three-pointer with 30 seconds remaining in the contest.

Family Roots Run Deep in TCU?Program
• 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.

Everybody Gets into the Scoring Frenzy
• In the Frogs' 89-70 victory over Angelo State, every member of the TCU squad that saw action on the court scored at least one point in the game. That feat was reached twice last season against San Diego State (Jan. 31) and Air Force (Feb. 24).

New Faces Set to Join the Frogs in 2008-09
• In the early signing period this past week, the Frogs signed a trio of players that will help the squad next season in Kevin Butler, Logan Lancon and James Blasczyk.

• A tremendous prospect from one of the top high school programs in the nation, Butler will bring great success to the Frogs' basketball program. He is ranked 16th in the State of Texas according to TexasHoops.com in the Class of 2008 after a stellar junior campaign, which was highlighted by earning MVP honors in the Texas State Championship Game.

• Lancon comes into the 2007-08 campaign as the 43rd top prospect according to TexasHoops.com. The newly-signed Frog averaged a team-high 11.3 points per game en route to earning first team All-District 24-5A honors.

• Blasczyk is listed as the 47th best prospect in the State of Texas according to TexasHoops.com after concluding a junior campaign where he averaged 8.3 points, 7.1 rebounds and 4.0 blocked shots per game.

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