TCU Opens Against Prairie View A&M Friday
11/12/2014 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
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Friday, Nov. 14, 2014 | 7:00 p.m. CT | Fort Worth, Texas | Radio Network: 1460 AM KCLE; SiriusXM (84) |
Nov. 12, 2014
FORT WORTH, Texas - The TCU men's basketball program will open its 2014-15 regular-season Friday with a contest against Prairie View A&M. Start time is set for 7:00 p.m. CT inside Wilkerson-Greines.
Fans not able to attend the non-conference showdown against the Panthers can follow it live on FrogVision and SiriusXM (Channel 84) with Brian Estridge (Play-By-Play) and John Denton (Color) calling the action live.
The Opponent
Prairie View A&M is coming off back-to-back SWAC Tournament Finals appearances and is led by ninth-year head coach Byron Rimm II. The Panthers, who were picked to finish sixth overall in the SWAC Men's Basketball Preseason poll, will look to senior guard Montrael Scott to carry the load during non-conference play.
Scott, who was twice named SWAC Player of the Week in 2013-14, recently received preseason first team all-conference accolades after averaging 14.9 points per game a year ago. Prairie View, who won 11 games in 2013-14, including six during league play, closed last season winning three out of its last four contests.
The Series
TCU and Prairie View A&M will be battling for the fourth time in program history Friday. TCU currently leads the all-time series, 4-0. Head coach Trent Johnson is 1-0 against the Panthers after defeating Prairie View, 44-39, in 2012.
A Double Take
Only two players on TCU's roster played against Prairie View A&M the last time the two teams met on the hardwood in 2012. Senior Kyan Anderson totaled eight points on 3-of-6 shooting in 32 minutes of action, while junior Devonta Abron tallied 10 points and eight boards.
TCU Announces Signing of Miller
TCU men's basketball head coach Trent Johnson announced the signing of Jalon Miller Wednesday morning. Miller, a Dallas native, will don the Purple and White next season after being ranked a four-star recruit and the 19th best small forward in the nation by ESPN.com. He also currently ranks No. 10 overall among ESPN's 2015 Top Texas Recruits and sits just outside the top-10 among all players in the Midlands region.
The 6-foot-8 forward, who is a three-star rated recruit according to Rivals and Scout.com, averaged 22.5 points and 13.6 rebounds a game as a junior at Seagoville High School. This past summer, Miller, who currently sits as the No. 28 rated power forward nationally according to Scout.com, averaged 13.5 points and 7.7 rebounds per game for Texas Select Elite.
TCU Headlines
• TCU is coming off a 69-61 exhibition victory over Tarleton State.
• Kyan Anderson scored 31 points in the exhibition, including going a perfect 13-for-13 from the free throw line.
• TCU is 15-4 when leading at the half under head coach Trent Johnson.
• TCU went 7-3 last season when leading at the half.
• TCU was 4-3 a year ago when Karviar Shepherd grabbed double-digit rebounds.
• TCU held 12 opponents to 65 points or less in 2013-14.
• TCU held 16 opponents to under 70 points a year ago.
• TCU will have Devonta Abron, Trey Zeigler and Chris Washburn this season.
• All three sat out the 2013-14 season.
• Three returning players in Anderson, Brandon Parrish and Christian Gore played in every game a year ago.
• Anderson, a returning all-conference honoree, has scored in double-figures in 14-straight games.
• With 1,183 career points, Anderson is 17th all-time in program history in scoring.
• Anderson has 17 20-point games in his three-year career.
Season Openers
TCU is 66-37 all-time in season-openers and has won 12 of its last 14, including seven out of its last eight heading into Friday night. The last time the Frogs lost a season-opener prior to last season came in a 68-59 setback to Tarleton State at the Las Vegas Holiday Invitational in 2005.
Last Season's Season Opener
Brandon Parrish led TCU in scoring in its season-opener a year ago against SMU, with a team-and game-high 13 points. The last time a freshman scored in double-figures in their opening game as a Horned Frog came from Amric Fields, who tallied 18 points against Jackson State in 2010. The last time a newcomer led TCU in scoring in his debut came during the 2008-09 season when junior college transfer Edvinas Ruzgas scored a team-high 16 points against Western Michigan.
Non-Conference Success
TCU posted a 9-3 mark in non-conference play a year ago, matching its non-conference win total from 2012-13. The Horned Frogs' .750 final non-conference winning percentage marked their best figure since going 11-4 (.733) in 2000. TCU is 12-3 in non-conference games at home under head coach Trent Johnson.
Home Openers
The Horned Frogs have won four out of the last five and 10 out of their last 13 contests in Fort Worth to begin their home season. TCU hadn't lost a home-opener in Fort Worth since falling to Nebraska, 62-50, during the 2008-09 season before being upset by Longwood in 2013-14. Prior to the loss to the Huskers, the Frogs last lost a home-opener during the 2001 campaign to Louisiana-Monroe.
What's Back
TCU returns 84.2 percent of its scoring and 82.8 percent of its rebounding in 2014-15. Six of the top seven scorers are expected to be in the lineup, while the Horned Frogs will also add three players to the lineup that sat out the 2013-14 campaign.
A Look At The Field General
Senior guard Kyan Anderson returns as the second-leading scorer overall in the Big 12 behind only West Virginia's Juwan Staten (18.1). Anderson (17.0) is followed by Iowa State's Georges Niang (16.7) and Oklahoma's Buddy Hield (16.5). He scored in double-digits in the final 14 games of the 2013-14 campaign, including 20 or more points seven times.
He ranks 17th on the TCU career scoring list with 1,183 points and has started 85 consecutive games. Anderson ranked in the top eight in the Big 12 in both scoring (8th, 17.0 ppg) and assists (7th, 4.5) a year ago. He has had at least 90 assists every season of his career.
Help Is On The Way
TCU's Chris Washburn and Trey Zeigler transferred to TCU following the 2012-13 season. Washburn and Zeigler will both be eligible to play this season after sitting out last year due to NCAA transfer rules.
Washburn appeared in all 32 games for UTEP in 2012-13 with four starts. He was third on the team in blocked shots, fourth in steals and fifth in rebounding.
Zeigler has totaled nearly 1,150 career points and 450 rebounds in his three college seasons at Pitt and Central Michigan. Zeigler last played for Pitt in 2012-13, appearing in 31 games.
A Tall Task
At 7-foot, 1-inch, Link Kabadyundi is the tallest player in program history since former Horned Frog Luke Tauscher checked in at 6-11 in 2007-08.
He is tied for the Big 12 Conference lead for tallest player in the league with Iowa State freshmen Georgios Tsalmpouris and is the sixth tallest player in conference history.
The Montreal native, will don the Purple and White after competing at Alma Academy in Quebec where he averaged 10 points, 12 rebounds and 3.5 blocks during his senior season.
Ranked Teams Staggering
TCU will play a total of eight teams either ranked or receiving votes in the preseason Associate Press poll, including four ranked in the top-25 in Kansas (5), Texas (10), Iowa State (14) and Oklahoma (19). Other teams receiving votes include K-State, Oklahoma State, West Virginia and Baylor.
A Lone Star State Of Mind
TCU will only leave the state of Texas once during non-conference play when it travels to Oxford, Miss., on Dec. 4. Following its contest against Ole Miss, the Frogs won't travel across state lines until their trip to Manhattan, Kan., on Jan. 7. In all, TCU will have 13 games in the Lone Star State prior to battling K-State.
Home Court Kings
TCU will open the season with five-straight home games. During non-conference play, the Frogs will play all but three games at Wilkerson-Greines, TCU's temporary home for 2014-15.
Up Next
TCU will return to the hardwood Monday versus Washington State, beginning at 7:00 p.m. CT.
