Frogs and Cougars to Square Off Saturday Night in Houston
2/17/2005 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Feb. 17, 2005
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Setting the Scene
A pair of hot Texas teams with postseason tournament ambitions collide in Houston on Saturday night when the TCU Horned Frogs (16-9, 6-5 C-USA) and Houston Cougars (16-10, 7-5) meet for the second time this season. After a seven-point TCU win exactly one month ago, the Frogs have now won three straight meetings with their longtime rivals. The Horned Frogs won last year's clash in Hofheinz Pavilion by virtue of a Chudi Chinweze buzzer beater. TCU is looking for its fourth straight conference win, which would be the Frogs' first four-game league streak since joining Conference USA and would match the team's longest winning streak this year. Houston is 11-1 at home this season, while TCU is 2-7 in true road contests.
Series History
TCU trails the all-time series with Houston 45 games to 23. TCU has won the three most recent games, earning a 2004 season sweep and taking the first meeting this year by a 58-51 count on Jan. 19 in Fort Worth. Last year marked just the fourth time in series history that the Frogs swept a two-game set from their longtime rivals. In their most recent meeting in Hofheinz Pavilion, TCU earned a 55-54 road victory on a Chudi Chinweze putback at the buzzer on Jan. 13, 2004. Houston had claimed two straight and six of the previous seven meetings heading into last year. Houston won 20 of the first 22 clashes from 1955 to 1979. TCU is just 6-24 versus the Cougars in Houston.
The Most Recent Meeting vs. Houston
The TCU Horned Frogs extended their winning streak to three over their instate rival Houston Cougars with a 57-51 victory on Jan. 19 in Fort Worth. The Frogs were led by Marcus Shropshire's 14 points, while Femi Ibikunle recorded his second career double-double with career highs in points (12) and rebounds (12). TCU held Andre Owens, who entered the game averaging 18 points per game, scoreless. Houston had a three-point advantage at halftime after leading by as many as 10 in the first stanza. However, the Horned Frogs scored the first 10 points after intermission and led for the game's final 17:55. Corey Santee arrived late to the game due to an illness but came off the bench to score 10 points in 23 minutes.
Fort Worth to Houston, Come in Houston
TCU has several Houston-area natives on its playing roster: senior Marcus Sloan (Eisenhower), senior Corey Valsin (Port Arthur Lincoln), junior Chudi Chinweze (Hightower), junior Nile Murry (Klein Forest), sophomore Blake Adams (Nimitz) and freshman Neiman Owens (Channelview).
TCU Individuals vs. Houston
Corey Santee has averaged 13.1 points and 3.6 assists per game in his seven career games against the Cougars. However, he has averaged just 10.3 points over his last four outings vs. Houston. Marcus Shropshire has averaged 16.0 points per game over three contests, which included a 27-point performance at home in 2004 that was highlighted by a career-best seven three-pointers. Houston native Marcus Sloan has averaged 8.8 rebounds per game over his last four meetings with the Cougars. Femi Ibikunle has posted 7.7 points and 7.7 rebounds per game in three meetings with UH.
Lone Star Statement
After downing Houston 58-51 on Jan. 19, TCU has now won eight of its last nine and 11 of its last 13 games against teams from the state of Texas over the past two years. Prior to that, the Frogs had lost four of six to Texas schools. TCU has played seven games against teams from the Lone Star State this season.
Bubble Boys
After winning three straight games to improve to 16-9 overall and 6-5 in Conference USA, media members around the country have taken notice. Andy Glockner of ESPN.com now lists the Horned Frogs on its "Bubble Watch" for the NCAA Tournament. In addition, thus far TCU has earned mention in the L.A. Daily News, Houston Chronicle and Birmingham News as a team on the bubble for the Field of 65.
Thinkin' `Bout Postseason
TCU is looking to make its first postseason tournament appearance since the 1998-99 season, which was capped off by a showing in the 1999 NIT. That year, the Frogs finished the campaign with a 21-11 record and reached the third round of the NIT after victories over Kansas State and Nebraska. TCU was upended by Oregon just one game prior to reaching the NIT semifinals in New York City. TCU's lone trip to the NCAA Tournament over the past 18 seasons came in 1998.
Blazing Past UAB
TCU improved its postseason tournament credentials considerably last Saturday night when the Horned Frogs defeated the UAB Blazers by a 76-65 count. TCU erased a 10-point first-half deficit in the contest. The Frogs held the Blazers, who advanced to the NCAA Tournament's Sweet 16 last year, 16 points under their season average in the contest. TCU took its first lead of the game at the 13:51 mark of the second half and took control for good with just under 13 minutes remaining. The victory moved TCU over .500 in Conference USA and improved the Frogs to 13-2 at home this season. TCU outscored UAB 47-30 in the second half thanks to 50 percent shooting. In addition, in 40 minutes the Frogs turned the ball over just 13 times, while forcing 20, against the Blazers' pressure defense. Nile Murry paced the Frogs with 17 points, while Santee scored all 16 of his points in the second half. Aaron Curtis netted 11 points and added a team-high eight rebounds.
Streaks and Stones
TCU, riding its second three-game winning skein in league play this season, had won three straight Conference USA games just once previously in the school's first three years in the league (Feb. 6-12, 2002). TCU has never won four consecutive C-USA contests. TCU is looking to match its season-long winning streak of four, which was orginally accomplished from Dec. 21 through Jan. 3.
A Little Bracketology
Eight TCU opponents are picked to advance to the 2005 NCAA Tournament according to Joe Lunardi's most recent Bracketology report on ESPN.com (Feb. 14). Lunardi's current tourney teams on the Frogs' 2004-05 schedule and their predicted seeds include: #1 Kansas, #3 Louisville, #6 Texas Tech, #6 Charlotte, #7 DePaul, #8 Cincinnati, #9 Memphis and #11 Old Dominion. TCU is currently 2-6 against those teams, but played five of the games on the road. Each of the Horned Frogs' foes last week (Marquette and UAB) were knocked from the Bracketology predictions after both suffered losses to the Frogs.
Close Encounters For the Sixth Time
Six TCU games this season have been decided by six points or less and the Frogs have a 3-3 mark in those contests. TCU has three impressive narrow victories: a one-point victory (71-70) over Florida State, a two-point win (61-59) at Memphis and a one-point win (63-62) vs. Marquette. The Horned Frogs have suffered a trio of close losses, falling 67-62 to Old Dominion, 85-79 at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and 64-62 at DePaul. In the three years under Neil Dougherty, 25 games have been decided by six or fewer points. TCU is 11-16 in those games, but 10-8 in the past two years after going 1-8 in the first season. After nipping Marquette by a 63-62 count on Feb. 9 in DMC, TCU improved to 7-5 all time under Neil Dougherty in games decided by three points or less. After suffering defeats in three of the first four one-possession games under Coach D, the Horned Frogs have been victorious in six of their last eight games that have been determined by three or less and have won four of the last five.
If You Come to a Fork in the Road, Take It
TCU, 1-4 this year in league road matchups, is now 6-23 (.207) all time in Conference USA road contests since joining the league in 2002. TCU's victories are over UAB and Tulane in 2002; Houston, Marquette and USF in 2004; and Memphis in 2005. TCU has had just one .500 or better league road record in the past 12 seasons, owning a 30-64 record (.319) over that time. TCU's five road matchups in the league all have been against 2004 postseason tournament teams. Of TCU's first five C-USA road games, four of the teams shared the league's regular season title last year.
What a Stretch
Against Houston, the Horned Frogs are finishing an eight-game road stretch that rivals any in the country in terms of difficulty. Since Dec. 9, the Frogs have played at Kansas, Vanderbilt, Louisville, Memphis, Saint Louis, Charlotte, DePaul and now Houston. Six of the eight schools made the NCAA Tournament last year, while Saint Louis reached the NIT. Those eight teams are currently a combined 128-63 (.670) overall and 86-21 (.804) at home this season.
