Frogs Face No. 14 UNLV Wednesday in Las Vegas
1/17/2012 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jan. 17, 2012
GAME #17 - TCU (10-6; 0-1 MW) at #14/20 UNLV (16-3; 0-1 MW)
TCU GAME NOTES 
// UNLV GAME NOTES // LIVE AUDIO 
// 
GAME DAY INFORMATION
Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2012 // 7:30 p.m. PT // Las Vegas, Nev. // Thomas & Mack Center (18,500)
Series Record: UNLV leads, 16-2 // Last Meeting: Feb. 9, 2011 in Fort Worth (L, 79-94)
Television: The Mtn. (DirecTV ch. 616) // Talent: Ari Wolfe (pxp), Blaine Fowler (analyst)
Radio: 820 AM/96.7 FM (WBAP), 88.7 FM (KTCU)
Talent: Brian Estridge (pxp), John Denton (analyst)
Internet: GoFrogs.com (radio, GameTracker)
TCU Head Coach: Jim Christian (Rhode Island, `88)
Record at TCU: 48-64 (.429) in 4th season // Overall: 186-122 (.604) in 10th season
UNLV Head Coach: Dave Rice (UNLV, `91)
Record at UNLV: 16-3 (.842) in 1st season // Overall: 16-3 (.842) in 1st season
FORT WORTH--TCU returns to the road for its first matchup against a ranked opponent this season Wednesday, when it faces No. 14 UNLV in Las Vegas at the Runnin' Rebels' Thomas & Mack Center. Tip-off for the contest, which will be televised live by The MountainWest Sports Network (The Mtn.), is set for 7:30 p.m. PT.
The Horned Frogs will try to regroup from a tough double-overtime loss at Colorado State in Saturday's Mountain West opener, 95-89. The road will not be any easier Wednesday against a UNLV squad that owns a 16-3 record and is 10-0 at home this season. TCU, which is opening MW play with consecutive road games for the first time in seven seasons in the conference, will attempt to avoid an 0-2 start for only the third time as a league member.
TCU and UNLV will meet for the 19th time in the all-time series. The Rebels hold a 16-2 edge and have won five straight against the Frogs dating back to TCU's last win on Jan. 10, 2009.
Wednesday's matchup marks TCU's ninth televised game of the season and its fifth on the MountainWest Sports Network (The Mtn.). Ari Wolfe (play-by-play) and Blaine Fowler (analyst) will handle play-by-play duties.
Fans can also follow the TCU-UNLV contest on the radio throughout the Metroplex on 820 AM/96.7 FM WBAP and 88.7 FM KTCU with Brian Estridge (play-by-play) and John Denton (analyst) calling the action. Links to both the live radio Internet feed and live stats will be available via TCU's official athletics website, GoFrogs.com.
FROG QUICK NOTES
* Amric Fields leads TCU with averages of 17.5 points and 2.0 steals over the last three games. He has shot 66.7% from the field overall (20-of-30) and 50.0% (5-of-10) from 3-point range.
* Fields has scored 10 more points (52) than in any previous three-game stretch of his career.
* Hank Thorns has equaled the best two-game scoring stretch of his career, averaging 18.5 points while shooting 54.2% (13-of-24) from the field overall and 46.2% (6-of-13) from 3-point range.
* TCU is forcing an average of 18.3 turnovers per game, 2.2 more than any other Mountain West team.
* TCU is No. 2 in the MW and No. 28 nationally in average turnover margin (+3.19).
* Thorns is No. 3 in the MW in assists (4.75 apg); No. 5 in minutes (32.06 mpg); tied for No. 6 in steals (1.63 spg); No. 9 in assist/turnover ratio (1.52) and 3-pointers made (1.81 3pg); and No. 10 in scoring (13.1 ppg).
* Thorns, who has played only 48 games as a Frog, is just 20 assists shy of entering the program's career top-10 list (321). He needs only 14 more helpers for 500 in his career overall.
* Garlon Green is No. 2 in the MW in free-throw shooting (84.6%) and No. 13 in scoring (12.0 ppg).
* J.R. Cadot is No. 2 in the MW in offensive rebounds (2.75 rpg); No. 3 in total rebounds (6.8 rpg); tied for No. 6 in steals (1.63 spg); No. 6 in defensive rebounds (4.06 rpg); and No. 9 in minutes played (29.63 mpg).
* Cadot leads MW guards and all league players shorter than 6-8 in rebounding. He is the only player averaging more than 6.5 boards per contest (SDSU's Jamal Franklin; 6.5 rpg).
* TCU is 7-0 when shooting 45.0% or better from the field, 6-0 when outrebounding the opposition, 9-1 when scoring 70 points or more and 10-1 when leading at halftime.
| UNLV PROJECTED STARTERS | ||||||
No. | Name | Pos. | Ht. | Wt. | Year | 2011-12 Statistics |
0 | Oscar Bellfield | G | 6-2 | 185 | Sr. | 9.3 ppg, 2.2 rpg, 5.2 apg |
3 | Anthony Marshall | G | 6-3 | 200 | Jr. | 11.4 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 4.7 apg |
12 | Brice Massamba | C | 6-10 | 240 | Sr. | 5.7 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 0.7 apg |
22 | Chace Stanback | F | 6-8 | 210 | Sr. | 14.4 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 1.2 apg |
43 | Mike Moser | F | 6-8 | 195 | So. | 13.9 ppg, 11.2 rpg, 1.9 spg |
| TCU PROJECTED STARTERS | ||||||
No. | Name | Pos. | Ht. | Yr. | Year | 2011-12 Statistics |
5 | Kyan Anderson | G | 5-11 | 165 | Fr. | 6.8 ppg, 1.4 rpg, 2.6 apg |
10 | Hank Thorns | G | 5-9 | 165 | Sr. | 13.1 ppg, 2.2 rpg, 4.8 apg |
23 | J.R. Cadot | G | 6-5 | 210 | Sr. | 9.9 ppg, 6.8 rpg, 1.6 spg |
33 | Garlon Green | G/F | 6-7 | 215 | Jr. | 12.0 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 0.7 spg |
41 | Craig Williams | F | 6-8 | 265 | Sr. | 7.3 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 0.4 apg |
SCOUTING THE UNLV REBELS
UNLV, 16-3 this season under first-year head coach Dave Rice, enters Wednesday looking to regroup from a rare loss suffered Saturday at the buzzer at No. 16 San Diego State, 69-67. The squad hopes to continue its home success that has led to a 10-0 record at the Thomas & Mack Center. The Rebels own two wins this season over ranked opponents: No. 1 North Carolina (90-80) in Las Vegas and at No. 19 Illinois (64-48). In addition to the loss to SDSU, the team also dropped a 62-51 road decision at No. 14 Wisconsin.
UNLV returned nine lettermen and four starters from last season's group that finished with a 24-9 overall record while reaching the NCAA Tournament Second Round. The squad placed third in the Mountain West with a 11-5 league mark. The Runnin' Rebels rank among the nation's top teams in several statistical categories, including: No. 5 in assists (18.3 apg); No. 12 in scoring (80.5 ppg); No. 16 in scoring margin (+15.4 ppg) and assist/turnover ratio (1.33); No. 28 in steals (8.7 spg) and No. 29 in blocked shots (5.2 bpg).
Senior forward Chace Stanback paces UNLV in scoring (14.4 ppg), while sophomore forward Mike Moser (13.9 ppg) and junior guard Anthony Marshall (11.4 ppg) also average double figures. Moser leads the MW in rebounding at 11.2 rbg, and senior guard Oscar Bellfield (5.36 apg) is No. 2 in assists. Sophomore forward Carlos Lopez is No. 2 in the league in blocked shots (1.17 bpg).
INSIDE THE SERIES
UNLV has won 16 of 18 games in the all-time series with TCU, including 12 of 13 since the Frogs joined the Mountain West prior to the 2005-06 season. TCU is 1-9 against the squad in Las Vegas, with its lone road victory coming on Feb. 22, 1999, 76-72. UNLV has taken each of the last five meetings since Jim Christian's first game against the Rebels in January 2009.
| TCU vs. UNLV - Last 10 Meetings | |||||
Date | W/L | Score | Site | ||
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 | ||
Jan. 8, 2011 | L | 49-83 | Las Vegas | ||
Feb. 9, 2011 | L | 94-79 | Fort Worth | ||
LAST TIME WE MET: UNLV 94, TCU 79
Hank Thorns scored a career-high 21 points and added nine assists, but UNLV shot lights-out from the field to down TCU, 94-79, on Feb. 9, 2011.
The Frogs had a solid offensive night, shooting 52.0% from the field and making eight 3-pointers, but it was far from enough to keep up with the pace set by the Runnin' Rebels. UNLV made 61.1% of its field goals, including 62.5% from 3.
TCU opened the contest sharp, jumping out to an early 9-0 lead while making its first four field-goal attempts. UNLV quickly regrouped, scoring 29 of the game's next 39 points to gain a 29-19 advantage. UNLV started the game 4-for-4 from outside, but its hot shooting also included work inside the arc. The squad shot 66.7% overall in the opening stanza.
UNLV extended its lead to 20 points in the second half on a basket by Justin Hawkins at the 13:41 mark, but TCU refused to give up. The Frogs went on a 22-8 run midway through the period and cut the deficit to only six points with 7:24 remaining. The Rebels answered to put the Frogs away late with Chace Stanback, who scored a game-high 24 points, making three 3-pointers down the stretch.
FIELDS HITTING STRIDE
Sophomore Amric Fields appears to have made the next step as a young player in his second season on the court for the Frogs after playing all 33 games as a true freshman and finishing No. 2 among all MW freshman in scoring (6.8 ppg) in 2010-11.
* Fields currently is in the best three-game stretch of his career, having scored 10 more points (52) than in any previous run.
* Fields leads TCU with averages of 17.5 points and 2.0 steals over the last three games. He has shot 66.7% from the field overall (20-of-30) and 50.0% (5-of-10) from 3-point range.
* Fields ranks third on the team this season in scoring (10.4 ppg), and leads the squad in blocked shots (0.7 bpg), field-goal percentage (56.2%) and 3-point shooting (41.2%).
* Fields twice forced extra periods of play during TCU's Jan. 14 double-overtime loss at Colorado State. He hit a pair of free throws with only 3.2 seconds remaining to send the game to extra time, then pushed it to double overtime on a running layup with only 0.3 ticks left in the first extra frame.
* Fields was named Mountain West Player of the Week for the first time in his career Jan. 9 for his play against Rice (Jan. 4). He became only the fifth Frog to earn the MW weekly honor and the first since former Frog Edvinas Ruzgas on Dec. 21, 2009. He totaled 18 points and his career best of six rebounds to lead a TCU comeback against the Owls.
* Fields scored double digits in points in five straight games from the Nov. 21 loss to Ole Miss until the Dec. 10 loss to Nebraska, a career-best streak. He has 10 such efforts overall this season.
* Fields has played in 49 straight games, the team's second-best active streak.
* Fields was fifth last season among Frogs with a 6.8 ppg scoring average, while he led the team in blocked shots (0.6 bpg). In addition to making nine starts, Fields scored eight or more points 13 times and had seven double-figure performances.
