TCU Opens MW Home Slate vs. Boise State
1/20/2012 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jan. 20, 2012
GAME #18 - BOISE STATE (10-7; 0-2 MW) vs. TCU (10-7; 0-2 MW)
TCU GAME NOTES 
// BOISE GAME NOTES // LIVE AUDIO 
// 
GAME DAY INFORMATION
Saturday, Jan. 21, 2012 // 2:30 p.m. // Fort Worth, Texas // Daniel-Meyer Coliseum (7,201)
Series Record: Boise State leads, 1-0 // Last Meeting: Dec. 23, 1977 in Reno, Nev. (L, 43-69)
TV: The Mtn. (DirecTV ch. 616) // Talent: Dan Gutowsky (pxp), Blaine Fowler (analyst)
Radio: 1460 AM (KCLE), 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: 48-65 (.425) in 4th season // Overall: 186-123 (.602) in 10th season
BSU Head Coach: Leon Rice (Washington State, `86)
Record at BSU: 32-20 (.615) in 2nd season // Overall: 32-20 (.615) in 2nd season
FORT WORTH--TCU returns home for its Mountain West home opener Saturday when the squad plays host to conference newcomer Boise State at Daniel-Meyer Coliseum. Tip-off for the contest, which will be televised live by The MountainWest Sports Network (The Mtn.), is set for 2:30 p.m.
The Horned Frogs will be looking for their first league win after opening Mountain West play with consecutive road losses at Colorado State and No. 14 UNLV. The squad has not started 0-3 in conference play since its inaugural MW campaign in 2005-06, when the Frogs dropped their first four contests. Boise State (10-7; 0-2 MW) will enter the DMC with the same record as TCU following losses to Air Force and Colorado State.
TCU and Boise State will be meeting for only the second time ever. The Broncos posted a 69-43 victory over the Frogs back on Dec. 23, 1977 in the Wolf Pack Classic in Reno, Nev.
Saturday's matchup marks TCU's 10th televised game of the season and its sixth on the MountainWest Sports Network (The Mtn.). Dan Gutowsky (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 1460 AM KCLE 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
* TCU is 4-2 all-time in MW home openers. San Diego State snapped a TCU four-game win streak last season.
* TCU has collected 10 or more offensive rebounds in six straight games and 13 of the last 14 contests.
* TCU is forcing an average of 18.1 turnovers per game, 2.2 more than any other Mountain West team.
* TCU is No. 2 in the MW and No. 27 nationally in average turnover margin (+3.18). The Frogs are scoring nearly 20 ppg off turnovers (19.6 ppg).
* Hank Thorns needs only eight more assists for 500 in his career.
* Despite having played only 49 games as a Frog, Thorns is just 14 helpers shy of entering the program's career top-10 list (321).
* Since the Dec. 19 loss at USC, Thorns has dished out 36 assists against only 10 turnovers. Prior to that point, he had recorded 46 assists and 42 miscues on the season.
* Amric Fields leads TCU with averages of 16.0 points and 1.5 steals over the last four games. He also paces the squad in field-goal percentage (64.1%) and 3-point rate (41.7%) in the stretch.
* Fields has scored 10 more points (64) than in any previous four-game stretch of his career. He is tied for 20th in the MW in scoring average overall (10.5 ppg).
* Thorns is No. 4 in the MW in assists (4.82 apg); No. 5 in minutes (32.12 mpg); No. 7 in steals (1.59 spg) and assist/turnover ratio (1.58); and No. 9 in scoring (13.1 ppg) and 3-pointers made (1.82 3pg).
* Garlon Green is No. 2 in the MW in free-throw percentage (85.2%) and No. 17 in scoring (11.4 ppg). His free-throw rate is on pace to rank No. 8 in TCU single-season history.
* J.R. Cadot is No. 2 in the MW in offensive rebounds (2.76 rpg); No. 3 in total rebounds (6.8 rpg); tied for No. 5 in defensive rebounds (4.00 rpg); and tied for No. 8 in steals (1.53 spg).
* Cadot leads MW guards and all league players shorter than 6-8 in rebounding. He is the only player averaging more than 6.4 boards per contest (SDSU's Jamal Franklin; 6.4 rpg).
* Kyan Anderson is No. 3 among all MW freshmen in scoring average (7.5 ppg) and No. 2 in assists (2.47 apg).
* TCU is 7-0 when shooting 45.0% or better from the field, 6-0 when outrebounding the opposition, 10-1 when leading at halftime and 9-2 when scoring 70 points or more.
| BOISE STATE PROJECTED STARTERS | ||||||
No. | Name | Pos. | Ht. | Wt. | Year | 2011-12 Statistics |
3 | Anthony Drmic | G | 6-6 | 200 | Fr. | 7.5 ppg, 1.7 rpg, 2.5 apg |
11 | Jeff Elorriaga | G | 6-2 | 180 | So. | 6.8 ppg, 2.2 rpg, 1.8 apg |
23 | Ryan Watkins | F | 6-8 | 247 | So. | 8.3 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 0.6 apg |
30 | Westly Perryman | G | 6-1 | 180 | Sr. | 7.4 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 3.2 apg |
33 | Jarrell Crayton | F | 6-7 | 210 | Jr. | 1.9 ppg, 1.7 rpg, 0.3 spg |
| TCU PROJECTED STARTERS | ||||||
No. | Name | Pos. | Ht. | Yr. | Year | 2011-12 Statistics |
5 | Kyan Anderson | G | 5-11 | 165 | Fr. | 7.5 ppg, 1.7 rpg, 2.5 apg |
10 | Hank Thorns | G | 5-9 | 165 | Sr. | 13.0 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 4.8 apg |
23 | J.R. Cadot | G | 6-5 | 210 | Sr. | 10.0 ppg, 6.8 rpg, 1.5 spg |
33 | Garlon Green | G/F | 6-7 | 215 | Jr. | 11.4 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 0.7 spg |
41 | Craig Williams | F | 6-8 | 265 | Sr. | 7.0 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 0.4 apg |
SCOUTING THE BOISE STATE BRONCOS
Boise State, 10-7 overall this season and 0-2 in Mountain West play under second-year head coach Leon Rice, enters Saturday looking to put the brakes on a three-game losing streak featuring setbacks to Fresno State (59-72), Air Force (59-74) and Colorado State (55-66). The Broncos posted a 10-5 record in non-conference competition.
BSU returned five lettermen and two starters from last season's team that finished with a 22-13 overall record while advancing to the third round of the CBI Tournament. The Broncos placed second in the Western Athletic Conference with a 10-6 league mark. This season, the squad leads the MW in 3-pointers made per game (8.65); No. 3 in 3-point percentage (38.5%), turnover margin (+2.41) and offensive rebounding (12.00 rpg); and No. 4 in rebounding margin (+4.8) and assist/turnover ratio (1.09).
Freshman guard Anthony Drmic, who ranks No. 8 in the MW in scoring (13.4), leads the Broncos' offensive attack, while junior center Kenny Bucker is second on the squad at 9.0 ppg. Drmic also is No. 5 in the league in 3-point shooting rate (38.9%). Sophomore forward Ryan Watkins paces BSU and is No. 9 in the MW in rebounding (4.9 rpg), while senior Westly Perryman, the team's leader at the point, is No. 7 in the league in assists (3.24 apg).
LAST TIME WE MET: BSU 69, TCU 43 (DEC. 23, 1977)
TCU suffered a 69-43 loss to Boise State in the only previous meeting between the two schools in the Wolf Pack Classic back on Dec. 23, 1977 in Reno, Nev. The Horned Frogs finished the 1977-78 season with a 4-22 overall record.
BSU guard Steve Connor finished as the game's high scorer with 26 points on 9-of-18 shooting from the field, while he also went 8-of-9 at the free-throw line. Forward Trent Johnson also reached double figures for the Broncos with 14 points and added a game-high 10 rebounds for a double-double.
Forward Steve Scales led TCU in scoring with 18 points on 9-of-17 shooting, while Dick Hoyt totaled eight points. TCU shot only 33.3% from the field overall compared to a 53.1% rate for Boise State.
