Frogs Travel to Houston for Wednesday Night Showdown
12/22/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Dec. 22, 2009
Game 12 - TCU (6-5) vs. Houston (6-3)
Houston, Texas • Hofheinz Pavilion
Wednesday (December 23) • 7:00 p.m. Central Time
Radio - ESPN Radio 103.3 FM/KTCU 88.7 FM (Brian Estridge and John Denton)
Game Notes - Houston in PDF Format 
Too Tuff to Handle
• TCU sophomore Ronnie "Tuffy" Moss originally signed with Kent State, but was granted his release and signed with the Frogs after Christian was announced as the new head men's basketball coach in the Spring of 2008.
• Moss posted a career-high 26 points on 9-of-17 shooting, including five three-pointers, to go along with six assists, five rebounds, two steals and one blocked shot in 32 minutes of action in TCU's 74-69 victory over Mid-America Christian. The TCU sophomore became the first player since Junior Blount in 2002 to post 25 or more points in the season opener.
• The TCU sophomore is averaging 15.5 points per game and has posted a double-digit scoring performance in nine of 11 games this season. In addition, Moss has recorded three 20-plus scoring performances and ranks sixth in the Mountain West Conference and 189th in the country in scoring average (15.5 P-G).
• Moss is also ranked second in the country in assists per game (7.2 A-G) behind only Siena's Ronald Moore (8.0 A-G). The TCU sophomore is ranked first in the Mountain West Conference in assists per game (7.2 A-G) and has dished out at least five assists in all 11 games, including two double-digit assist performances (12 vs. Texas State | 11 vs. St. Gregory's).
• The Fort Worth standout posted his first career double-double in a triple overtime victory over Texas State after collecting 18 points and 12 assists. Moss became the first TCU player to post a double-double in points and assists since Corey Santee notched 20 points and 12 assists on Nov. 28, 2001 against Southwest Texas State (now known as Texas State).
• Moss is also coming up on a scoring milestone as the TCU sophomore needs only 23 points to reach the 500-point mark for his career. The 6-2 guard has established himself as one of the top players in the conference as he ranks first in assists per game (7.2 A-G), second in minutes played (33.9 MP-G), fourth in three-pointers (2.4 3FGM-G) and sixth in scoring average (15.5 P-G).
Buljan Ranked Among League's Best
• Senior Zvonko Buljan became the first player in program history to earn Preseason First Team All-Mountain West Conference accolades as voted on by the coaches and media. In addition, Buljan was selected as a Preseason First Team All-Mountain West Conference award winner by two publications in CBS Sportsline and Blue Ribbon Basketball Yearbook.
• The TCU forward has posted four double-doubles this season, including a 22-point and 16-rebound performance in the Frogs' season opener against Mid-America Christian. In the first game of the Preseason NIT, Buljan posted his second straight double-double with a 14-point and career-high 17-rebound effort against Cal State Northridge.
• Buljan is currently ranked 40th in the country and first in the Mountain West Conference in rebounds per game (9.6 R-G). In addition, the 6-9 forward is ranked first in the conference in defensive rebounds per game (7.1 R-G) and eighth in offensive rebounds per game (2.5 R-G). The TCU senior has recorded at least six rebounds in all 11 games this season.
• The TCU senior posted a scoring milestone in the second half of the Frogs' game against 23rd-ranked Texas Tech when he collected his 500th career point. In 42 career games with the Frogs, Buljan is averaging 13.1 points and 8.3 rebounds per game.
• Buljan has recorded nine double-digit scoring performances this season, including three 20-plus scoring efforts. The TCU senior collected a career-high 29 points on 11-of-16 shooting, including four three-pointers, on the road at Wichita State. In back-to-back games, Buljan notched career-highs in scoring against Texas Tech (24 points) then Wichita State (29 points).
• Buljan became the first player in the Mountain West Conference this season to reach 100 rebounds on the season. The TCU forward is the only player in the conference to have 170 points and 100 rebounds on the season.
Hail to the Chief
• Upon capturing the Northeastern Prep School Championship at Bridgton Academy, Ronnie Moss and Greg Hill took a tour of the White House in Washington, D.C. Even though President George W. Bush was unable to meet with the team during their visit, Moss and Hill were able to get their picture taken with an up-and-coming Senator from Illinois named Barack Obama.
Christian-Penders Connection
• TCU head men's basketball coach Jim Christian played two seasons under Houston head men's basketball coach Tommy Penders at the University of Rhode Island (1986-88). During his senior season, Christian helped the Rams reach the Sweet Sixteen of the 1988 NCAA Tournament. That season, the Rams posted a 28-7 overall record and 14-4 conference mark.
Century Milestone
• The Frogs scored 108 points in a triple overtime victory over Texas State on Nov. 24, 2009, which marked the first time that TCU has surpassed the 100-point milestone since Jan. 4, 2003. In that game, the Frogs scored 102 points against Centenary. In addition, this is also the first time that TCU has scored 108 points in a game since Jan. 5, 2002, against South Florida.
Scoring Tops
• Currently, the Frogs are the only team in the Mountain West Conference to have three players ranked in the top-10 in scoring average in Moss (6th | 15.5 P-G), Buljan (6th | 15.5 P-G) and Ruzgas (6th | 15.5 P-G). The only other conference program to have more than one player ranked in the top-10 is New Mexico (Darington Hobson, 3rd | Roman Martinez, 4th).
Beyond the Arc
• Edvinas Ruzgas was selected as the Mountain West Conference Player of the Week on Dec. 21 after scoring a career-high 32 points, including seven three-pointers, in a home victory over St. Gregory's. The TCU senior is averaging 15.5 points per game this season, including eight double-digit scoring performances and four 20-plus scoring efforts.
• The TCU senior is currently ranked second in the Mountain West Conference in field goal percentage (.587 | 61-of-104), three-pointers (2.8 3FGM-G) and three-point field goal percentage (.477 | 31-of-65). In addition, Ruzgas is ranked fifth in minutes played per game (31.4 MP-G) and sixth in scoring average (15.5 P-G).
• In TCU's triple-overtime victory over Texas State, Ruzgas finished with 20 points on 8-of-10 shooting, including 4-of-5 from behind the three-point line, in addition to grabbing seven rebounds in a career-high 49 minutes of action. On the road at SMU, Ruzgas collected 20 points on 7-of-10 shooting to go along with a career-high seven rebounds in 33 minutes of action.
• Ruzgas has connected on 50.0 percent or higher of his total field goal attempts in eight of 11 games this season and currently ranks 21st in the country in three-point field goal percentage (.477 | 31-of-65) and 30th in field goal percentage (.587 | 61-of-104).
• Ruzgas connected on seven three-pointers against St. Gregory's, which is the fifth-highest total in TCU single-game history. In addition, his seven three-pointers were the second-most in the Mountain West Conference (behind New Mexico's Roman Martinez, who connected on eight treys against San Diego). Ruzgas has connected on at least one three-pointer in 10 straight game and has connected on at least three three-pointers in five of 11 games this season.
• The TCU senior is coming up on a scoring milestone as Ruzgas only needs 20 points to reach the 500-point milestone. During his TCU career, Ruzgas is averaging 11.4 points per game and has posted a double-digit scoring performance in 23 of 42 games.
TCU Milestone
• In the Frogs' 108-99 triple overtime victory over Texas State, Ronnie Moss and Kevin Butler became the first set of TCU teammates to post their first-ever double-double in the same game. A pair of sophomores, Moss finished with 18 points and 12 assists while Butler collected 13 points and 11 rebounds.
Around the Nation
• The Frogs have five scholarship players from the State of Texas, which is the lowest number of home state scholarship players since the 1998-99 season when TCU had two players from the State of Texas. Moss (Fort Worth) and Butler (Duncanville) are natives of the Metroplex while Lancon (Houston), Roberson (Houston) and Green (Missouri City) are all from the Houston area.
Strong Family Tree
• The Frogs have three players who have family ties to professional and collegiate backgrounds in Thorns, Green and Bavcevic.
• Thorns' father, Henry, was a standout on the football field for UNLV before playing professionally in the Canadian Football League.
• Thorns' cousin, C.J. Watson, played four seasons at the University of Tennessee where he graduated ranked second in program history in assists and steals. Currently, Watson is a member of the Golden State Warriors.
• Green's brother, Gerald Jr., went directly from high school to the NBA and was drafted by the Boston Celtics with the 18th overall selection in the 2005 NBA Draft. Currently, Green is playing professionally in Russia.
• Bavcevic's father, Niksa, is the head coach for TROGIR ZP, which is one of the best teams in Croatia's A-1 League.
Horned Frog 500
• Zvonko Buljan collected his 500th career point against 23rd-ranked Texas Tech on December 8th. Currently, the Frogs have three other players closing in on the 500-point milestone in Ruzgas (480), Moss (477) and Mitchem (440).
TCU Athletics Media Relations
