Frogs Welcome New Mexico for Mountain West Conference Action
1/29/2010 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jan. 29, 2010
Game 22 - TCU (10-11 | 2-4) vs. New Mexico (19-3 | 5-2)
Fort Worth, Texas • Daniel-Meyer Coliseum
Saturday (January 30) • 5:05 p.m. Central Time
Radio - KHFX (1460 AM) • KTCU (88.7 FM) | Brian Estridge (pxp) and John Denton (analyst)
TV - CBS College Sports | Tom Hart (pxp) and Steve Lappas (analyst)
Coaches vs. Cancer "Suits and Sneakers"
• Both coaching staffs for TCU and New Mexico will be wearing sneakers as part of their game-day attire on Saturday to show their support of the American Cancer Society and the Coaches vs. Cancer "Suits and Sneakers" awareness weekend.
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 13.8 points per game and has posted a double-digit scoring performance in 15 of 21 games this season. In addition, Moss has recorded five 20-plus scoring performances and ranks seventh in the Mountain West Conference in scoring average (13.8 P-G).
• Moss is also ranked fifth in the country in assists per game (6.3 A-G) and is ranked first in the Mountain West Conference in assists per game (6.3 A-G). Moss has dished out at least five assists in 17 of 21 games, including four double-digit assist contests. The TCU sophomore is ranked fifth in the conference and 145th in the country in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.6 A-T Ratio).
• The Fort Worth standout has posted two double-doubles this season with his most recent coming against UT Pan American following a 15-point, 11-assist performance in TCU's victory. Moss also recorded a double-double against Texas State where he became the first TCU player to post a double-double in points and assists since Corey Santee on Nov. 28, 2001.
• Moss reached a milestone on the road at Houston when he scored his 500th career point in only his 42nd career game. The 6-2 guard has established himself as one of the top players in the conference, ranking first in assists per game (6.3 A-G), third in minutes played (33.5 MP-G), seventh in scoring average (13.8 P-G) and three-point field goals made per game (2.0 3FGM-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 six 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 46th in the country and first in the Mountain West Conference in rebounds per game (9.1 R-G). In addition, the 6-9 forward is ranked first in the conference in defensive rebounds per game (7.0 R-G) and ninth in offensive rebounds per game (2.2 R-G). The TCU senior has recorded at least five rebounds in 20 games this season.
• The TCU senior posted a scoring milestone in the Frogs' conference opener against the Air Force Academy when he collected his 600th career point. In Mountain West Conference play, Buljan is averaging 10.6 points and 9.0 rebounds per game.
• Buljan has recorded 16 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).
• A native of Split, Croatia, Buljan has recorded six double-doubles this season and is the only player in the Mountain West Conference to collect over 250 points and 175 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.
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 (13.8 P-G | 7th), Buljan (13.4 P-G | 8th) and Ruzgas (12.7 P-G | 10th). The only other conference program to have more than one player ranked in the top-11 is New Mexico (Darington Hobson, 4th | Roman Martinez, 5th).
• The Frogs are also the only team in the Mountain West Conference to have three players with over 260 points on the season in Moss (290), Buljan (268) and Ruzgas (267).
Hey Everybody, It's Niko
• Freshman Nikola Cerina made his first collegiate start for the Frogs against SMU as part of the State Farm DFW Duel. The TCU newcomer has appeared in all 21 games where he is averaging 4.7 points, 3.7 rebounds and 0.5 blocked shots per game. The 6-9 freshman is averaging 19.0 minutes per game and has seen action in at least 15 minutes on 15 occasions.
• A native of Topola Oplenac, Serbia, Cerina is the first-ever international true freshman to play for the Frogs. Every international player that has appeared on the Frogs' roster has gone to either high school, prep school or junior college in the United States.
• Cerina posted a career-high 15 points on 6-of-7 shooting in a home victory over Rice. The TCU freshman has recorded four double-digit scoring performances, including back-to-back efforts against UT Pan American (13 points) and UNLV (14 points). In the last three games, Cerina is averaging 11.3 points and 3.7 boards while connecting on 70.6 percent (12-of-17) of his shots.
No Three for You!
• The Frogs have held 10 opponents to less than 30 percent shooting from behind the three-point line this season. During one stretch, TCU held Louisiana Tech (1-of-13), SMU (0-of-13) and St. Gregory's (2-of-19) to less than 15 percent from beyond the arc.
• The Frogs are currently ranked 75th in the country in three-point field goal defense, allowing opponents to connect on 31.4 percent (119-of-379) of their field goal attempts. In addition, the Frogs are ranked third in the Mountain West Conference in that category and have held opponents to fewer than four three-pointers in nine of 21 games this season.
• The Frogs held SMU to zero three-point field goals in their road victory on Dec. 2, which marked the first time in 492 games that TCU held an opponent to zero three-pointers. The last time came against Louisiana Tech on Jan. 3, 1994, when the Bulldogs finished the game 0-of-4 from behind the three-point line.
Call to Duty
• This season, three walk-ons have seen action in their first-ever game donning the Purple and White in Marin Bavcevic, Tory Woods and Zach Huie. Bavcevic has appeared in four games while Woods and Huie made their collegiate debuts in a home victory over St. Gregory's. Woods has seen action in three games and scored his first career points against the Cavaliers.
Mountain West Conference History
• In five seasons as members of the Mountain West Conference action, the Frogs have recorded a 19-49 (.279) overall record.
Frogs Increase Scoring Mark
• This season, the Frogs are averaging 68.9 points per game, which ranks them sixth in the Mountain West Conference. The Frogs have tallied 70 or more points in 11 of 21 games. Last season, TCU collected 70 or more points on seven occasions.
Injury Report
• Cheick Kone will miss the entire 2009-10 season due to a knee injury.
TCU Athletics Media Relations
