TCU Set for Road Tilt at No. 25 UNLV
1/7/2011 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jan. 7, 2011
GAME #17
TCU (9-7; 0-1 MWC) at #25 UNLV (12-3; 0-1 MWC)
TCU GAME NOTES 
| UNLV GAME NOTES | LISTEN LIVE 
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GAME DETAILS
Saturday, Jan. 8, 2011 | 7 p.m. PT | Las Vegas, Nev. | Thomas & Mack Center (18,500)
Television: The Mtn. (DirecTV ch. 616) | Talent: Rich Cellini (pxp), Dave Bollwinkel (analyst)
Radio: 820 AM (WBAP), 88.7 FM (KTCU) | Talent: Brian Estridge (pxp), John Denton (analyst)
Internet: GoFrogs.com (radio, GameTracker)
Series Record: UNLV leads, 14-2 | Last Meeting: Feb. 24, 2010 (L, 62-78)
TCU Head Coach: Jim Christian (Rhode Island, '88)
Record at TCU: 36-43 (.456) in 3rd season | Overall: 174-101 (.633) in 9th season
UNLV Head Coach: Lon Kruger (Kansas State, '75)
Record at UNLV: 149-65 (.696) in 7th season | Overall: 467-298 (.610) in 25th season
FORT WORTH--TCU returns to the road Saturday, when it takes on No. 25 UNLV in Las Vegas in a contest televised by The MountainWest Sports Network (The Mtn.). Tip-off between the Horned Frogs and Runnin' Rebels is set for 7 p.m. PT at the Thomas & Mack Center.
TCU, 9-7 overall this season, looks to even its Mountain West Conference record at 1-1 while putting a stop to a three-game skid Saturday. The Frogs dropped their league opener at home Wednesday against No. 6 San Diego State. The matchup against the Rebels marks the fourth time in the last calendar year that the squad will face nationally ranked teams in back-to-back outings.
UNLV also will be looking for its first MWC victory of the season after dropping a home decision to No. 15 BYU on Wednesday. The Rebels, 12-3 on the season, are 3-3 in their last six games following a 9-0 start.
TCU will aim for its first victory over UNLV since the 2008-09 season and its first win against the Rebels in Las Vegas since1998-99.
Saturday's game marks TCU's fifth televised matchup this season and its fourth on The Mtn. Broadcast duties will be handled by Rich Cellini (play-by-play) and Dave Bollwinkel (analyst). The Mtn. is available nationwide on DirecTV channel 616.
In addition to television coverage, the contest also will be broadcast live on the radio throughout the Metroplex on both 820 AM WBAP and 88.7 FM KTCU with Brian Estridge (play-by-play) and John Denton (analyst) serving as the on-air talent. Live stats and a link to an Internet radio feed will be available via TCU's official athletics website, GoFrogs.com.
FROG QUICK NOTES
- TCU will face a ranked team in back-to-back games for the fourth time in the last 28 contests since Jan. 30, 2010. Prior to the current stretch, the Frogs had not faced rated squads in consecutive games since Feb. 22-26, 2003.
- TCU is looking for its first win over a ranked team since Feb. 24, 2007, when it upended No. 14 Air Force, 71-66. The squad's last win over a rated opponent on the road came against No. 24 Hawaii, 83-76, on Jan. 26, 1998, the same season as its last victory at UNLV.
- Ronnie Moss needs only nine assists to tie Brent Atwater for ninth place (321) on TCU's career assists list. He is only six points shy of George McLeod for No. 28 (1,013) on the career scoring chart and only 19 short of James Cash for 27th (1,026).
- Hank Thorns leads the MWC in assists (5.4 apg) and ranked No. 24 nationally as of Jan. 3. He is the only player in the MWC this season with three double-figure assist outings, having totaled 10 helpers three times. Thorns also is No. 3 in the MWC in assist/turnover ratio (2.03).
- J.R. Cadot leads the MWC in offensive rebounding average (3.13 rpg) and is fifth in total rebounds (6.8 rpg). He totaled 10 offensive boards in Wednesday's loss to SDSU, the most for a Frog since Nov. 21, 2001.
- Garlon Green is 16-of-28 from 3-point range over the last eight games. He has totaled his career high of three treys four times during the stretch.
- TCU ranks second in the MWC in keeping opponents off the offensive glass with a defensive rebounding percentage of 71.8%. The squad ranks No. 3 in 3-point field-goal shooting (35.9%) and 3-pointers made (6.88 pg).
- Of the 15 players who have played this season, nine had never previously seen game action for the Frogs.
- Only six Frog letterwinners return from last season's squad, which is tied for the fewest total in the Mountain West Conference with New Mexico and Utah.
SCOUTING THE UNLV REBELS
UNLV, led by seventh-year head coach Lon Kruger, is 12-3 overall this season and 0-1 in the MWC following a Wednesday home loss to No. 15 BYU. The squad, which is 6-2 at the Thomas & Mack Center this season, owns a pair of victories over ranked opponents, No. 25 Wisconsin (68-65) and No. 11 Kansas State (63-59). Kruger's team returned 11 letterwinners and all five starters from last season's team that went 25-9 and finished tied for third in the MWC standings (11-5) while reaching the NCAA Tournament.
UNLV features one returning first-team all-conference honoree in senior guard Tre'von Willis, who is averaging 11.5 points, 3.4 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game. Junior guard/forward Chace Stanback, an All-MWC Third-Team pick a season ago, paces the team in scoring (12.1 ppg), while junior guard Oscar Bellfield (11.5 ppg) and sophomore guard Anthony Marshall (10.3 ppg) also average double figures. Senior guard Derrick Jasper (5.6 rpg) is the Rebels' top rebounder, while Bellefield paces the squad in assists (4.3 apg).
INSIDE THE SERIES
UNLV has won 14 of 16 games in the all-time series with TCU, including 10 of 11 since the Frogs joined the MWC prior to the 2005-06 season. TCU's lone win in Las Vegas came on Feb. 22, 1999 (76-72), when both teams were members of the WAC. The Frogs' last victory overall against the Rebels came in Fort Worth on Jan. 10, 2009, 80-73.
TCU vs. UNLV - LAST 10 MEETINGS
Date — W/L — Score — Site
March 4, 2006 — L — 61-72 — Las Vegas
Jan. 20, 2007 — L — 66-75 — Fort Worth
Feb. 7, 2007 — L — 67-82 — Las Vegas
Jan. 30, 2008 — L — 58-70 — Fort Worth
March 1, 2008 — L — 55-74 — Las Vegas
March 13, 2008 — L — 88-89 — Las Vegas
Jan. 10, 2009 — W — 80-73 — Fort Worth
Feb. 10, 2009 — L — 57-71 — Las Vegas
Jan. 23, 2010 — L — 70-79 — Fort Worth
Feb. 24, 2010 — L — 62-78 — Las Vegas
LAST SEASON VS. UNLV
- JAN. 23, 2010 - FORT WORTH (UNLV, 79-70)
UNLV connected on nearly 60 percent of its field goal attempts en route to posting a 79-70 victory over the Frogs at Daniel-Meyer Coliseum. With the game tied at 60-60, the Rebels went on a 9-0 run for a 69-60 lead with 4:33 left. A lay-in by TCU's Zvonko Buljan at the 1:05 mark cut the lead down to 72-70, but UNLV was able to close the game on a 7-0 run to pull out the win.
Nikola Cerina led the Frogs with 14 points on 4-of-7 shooting, while Greg Hill notched 13 points on 4-of-9 shooting, including a trio of three-pointers, while Buljan notched 13 points, five rebounds, four assists and two steals. Edvinas Ruzgas notched 11 points, including three 3-pointers, and Ronnie Moss collected nine points, six assists and four rebounds.
Tre'Von Willis led UNLV with 30 points on 9-of-14 shooting, including 11-of-14 from the charity stripe. Chace Stanback and Matt Shaw totaled 19 and 10 points, respectively.
- FEB. 24, 2010 - LAS VEGAS (UNLV, 68-51)
Tre'Von Willis and Chace Stanback each finished with 16 points to lead UNLV to a 78-62 victory over TCU in Las Vegas.
In the first half of action, the Runnin' Rebels were able to take an early double-digit lead. TCU was able to cut the lead to seven points with five minutes left in the half, but the Rebels went on a 14-6 run to close the frame and take a 40-25 advantage into the locker rooms. UNLV then opened the second half on a 24-8 run to take total control of the contest.
Ronnie Moss finished with a game-high 25 points, including four 3-pointers, to go along with six rebounds and five assists. Zvonko Buljan collected his seventh double-double of the season with a 21-point, 11-rebound performance.
AGAINST THE RANKED
TCU's game Saturday at UNLV will mark the fourth time in the last calendar year that the Frogs will have played nationally ranked teams in back-to-back contests, a period of 28 games.
- Prior to the current stretch, TCU had not played rated foes back-to-back since the 2002-03 season.
- TCU is looking for its first win over a ranked opponent since a 71-66 home victory over No. 14 Air Force on Feb. 24, 2007.
- The Frogs' last road win over a ranked team came against No. 24 Hawaii, 83-76, on Jan. 26, 1998.
