Lady Frogs to meet Buffs in WNIT Quarterfinals
3/29/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
March 29, 2008
Complete Release in PDF Format
The Opponent: Colorado Buffaloes
Women's NIT Homepage | TCU Women's NIT Tracker | Women's NIT Bracket
Game #35
WOMEN'S NATIONAL INVITATION TOURNAMENT
Quarterfinal Round
TCU (23-11; 13-3 MWC) at Colorado (18-14; 5-11 Big 12)
Boulder, Colo. -- Coors Events Center (11,064)
Sunday, March 30 -- 3 p.m. CDT
Television: None
Radio: 88.7 KTCU-FM, gofrogs.com
Internet: Live Radio via KTCU; Live Video Stream via CUBuffs.com
FORT WORTH--TCU faces its second straight opponent from the Big 12 Conference Sunday, when it travels to Boulder, Colo., to take on Colorado in quarterfinal-round action of the Women's NIT. The Lady Frogs and Buffaloes are scheduled to tip off at 3 p.m. CDT at CU's Coors Events Center.
The Lady Frogs qualified for the round of eight with Wednesday's 81-74 road victory at Texas Tech, which was the program's first-ever win over the Lady Raiders. The squad earlier rolled over Boise State, 85-56, in Fort Worth during second-round competition.
Colorado defeated Gonzaga at home, 82-68, in Round 2 before posting a 64-58 home win over Villanova on Thursday to reach the quarterfinals. Sunday's winner will advance to the semifinals, where it will play the winner of Marquette-Kentucky the period of April 2-3.
TCU enters the meeting with CU having won six of its last seven contests and 13 of 15 since the end of January. The teams share six common opponents: Rice, Colorado State, Wyoming, Texas A&M, Texas Tech and Oklahoma State. The Frogs are 5-3 against the group with wins over CSU (twice), Wyoming, Texas Tech and OSU, while the Buffs have posted a 3-3 mark while defeating Rice, CSU and Wyoming.
The matchup marks TCU's fourth contest this season against a squad from the Big 12, and the Frogs currently hold a two-game winning streak against teams from the league. In addition to its win over Texas Tech, TCU handed previously unbeaten Oklahoma State a 97-63 loss back on Dec. 18. The squad also played a close contest with Texas A&M in Fort Worth this season that resulted in a 68-58 setback.
Saturday's game can be heard live on the radio in the Metroplex on 88.7 KTCU-FM with Jeff Williams and John Denton calling the action. All games this season will be broadcast live on KTCU. A link to an Internet radio feed will be available via GoFrogs.com, while a live video stream will be available on Colorado's web site, CUBuffs.com.
FROG QUICK NOTES
-TCU is 2-1 this season against the Big 12 and 3-1 in its last four matchups against the league.
-Lorie Butler-Rayford has recorded two straight 15-rebound games against Big 12 squads.
-Adrianne Ross has scored at least 22 points in each of her two WNIT appearances this season.
-TCU is 7-1 in its last eight road games following an 0-6 start away from Fort Worth this season.
-Sunday's game will be TCU's 35th this season, breaking the program record for most in a season as a member of NCAA Division I (39 games in 1980-81 as member of TAIAW Div. II).
-The game will mark the latest date TCU has ever played (previously March 26 vs. Texas Tech). TCU is the lone Mountain West Conference team, women's or men's, still in action this season.
-TCU owns a 7-7 all-time record in national postseason tournaments (5-7 in NCAA tourney).
-TCU has won 13 of its last 15 games and 18 of 22 following a 5-7 start to the season.
-TCU has held each of its last eight opponents under their season team rebound averages.
-TCU has recorded a program-record 15 home wins for the second straight season.
-TCU is on pace to record the second-lowest figures in school history for opponent scoring average (59.1 ppg) and turnovers per game (16.4 pg).
-TCU leads the MWC in scoring (70.6 ppg) and offensive rebounds (14.6 pg) and ranks second in turnover margin (+5.18) and steals (10.6 spg).
-TCU has reached the 20-win level for the seventh time in the last eight seasons.
-TCU is 18-0 when allowing 59 points or fewer this season.
-TCU has allowed 42 points or fewer during a school-record four games this season.
-The Frog bench has outscored the opponent bench in 28 of 34 games by an average of 7.8 ppg.
-The Frogs have won the turnover battle in 25 of 34 games with five ties.
-Helena Sverrisdottir (9.5 ppg) is on pace to finish the season as TCU's highest-scoring freshman since Sandora Irvin (10.8 ppg) in 2001-02.
-Sverrisdottir is the only freshman to appear in the MWC statistical rankings for assists (14th), rebounding (15th) and scoring (21st).
-Moneka Knight has set single-season career bests for games started, points, rebounds, assists and steals as a senior. She also is on pace for highs in field-goal and free-throw percentage.
-Helen Roden (8.0 ppg) ranks second in the MWC for scoring by players with five starts or fewer (Aubrey Vandiver, Wyoming--10.9 ppg).
-The senior class of Lorie Butler-Rayford, Moneka Knight, Jenna Lohse, Helen Roden and Adrianne Ross ranks as the No. 2 group in program history in terms of wins (111-51 since 2003-04).
-The five seniors have combined for 4,038 points, 1,960 rebounds, 1,127 assists and 776 steals during their careers.
SCOUTING COLORADO (18-14; 5-11 BIG 12)
Colorado finished ninth in the Big 12 Conference standings this season with a 5-11 record. Third-year Head Coach Kathy McConnell-Miller led the Buffaloes into postseason play for the first time since the 2003-04 season. The squad has rebounded from a first-round loss to Iowa State in the Big 12 Tournament with two straight home WNIT wins.
The Buffs own a 66.1-point season scoring average and are +4.6 ppg in average scoring margin. The team ranks in the middle of the pack of the league in most categories, including rebounding margin (+3.6, 5th), field-goal percentage (.419, 7th) and field-goal percentage defense (.382, 7th). CU paces the league in free-throw percentage (.746) while ranking second in 3-pointers made (6.78 pg) and blocked shots (5.41 pg).
Senior forward Jackie McFarland, a first-team All-Big 12 selection, leads Colorado this season while rating third among league players in scoring (18.4 ppg) and fifth in rebounding (8.2). McFarland, who totaled 32 points and 12 boards in her most recent outing against Villanova, also owns the Big 12's top season field-goal percentage of .566. Freshman forward Brittany Spears is the Buffaloes' other lone double-figure scorer (13.8 ppg), and she has added a 7.7-rebound average. Senior guard Susie Powers (3.3 apg) paces the team in assists.
BUTLER-RAYFORD, ROSS HEAT UP IN WNIT
The start of the Women's NIT has benefitted no Frogs more than Lorie Butler-Rayford and Adrianne Ross. Butler-Rayford owns a pair double-doubles in two WNIT chances and is averaging 18.0 points and 15 rebounds for the tournament. Ross boasts two 20-pair efforts and is averaging 22.5 points per game while shooting 50.0 percent overall from the both the field (18-of-36) and behind the 3-point arc (5-of-10).
FROGS VS. THE BIG 12
While TCU has only a limited history playing against members of the Big 12 Conference, the squad has seen its highest level of success in the most recent matchups. The Frogs own only a 5-10 record against Big 12 teams since the conference's inaugural season in 1996-97, but TCU has posted a 3-1 mark over its last four matchups with the league, including two wins in three games this season.
Two of the three recent victories came against ranked teams--against No. 20/23 Oklahoma State this season and against No. 20/22 Texas A&M in the 2006 NCAA Tournament.
TCU ALL-TIME IN POSTSEASON PLAY
TCU owns a 7-7 record all-time in postseason non-conference tournament action as a member of NCAA Division I. The Lady Frogs had never qualified for postseason action prior to the arrival of Head Coach Jeff Mittie, but they now own an eight-year streak in such tournaments.
Each of the program's last seven seasons ended with NCAA Championship berths. TCU was able to advance to the second round during five of its seven NCAA appearances. This season marks the squad's first-ever berth in the Women's NIT. TCU opened both this season and the 1999-2000 campaign in the Preseason WNIT.
