Frogs Welcome Mid-America Christian for Season Opener
11/12/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Nov. 12, 2009
Game Notes - Mid-America Christian in PDF Format 
Frogs Picked Seventh in MWC Polls
• The Frogs were predicted to finish seventh in the preseason Mountain West Conference rankings after receiving 82 points. BYU was picked first followed by San Diego State, UNLV, Utah, New Mexico, Wyoming, TCU, Colorado State and Air Force.
• Last season, the Frogs were predicted to finish ninth in the preseason Mountain West Conference polls. The Frogs concluded the season seventh overall.
Buljan on the Rise
• 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.
Frogs Ready for Preseason NIT
• The Frogs will travel to Tempe, Ariz., as part of the West Bracket in the Preseason NIT. The Frogs are slated as the seventh-seed in the 16-team, four-bracket tournament. TCU will square-off against Cal State Northridge in its first round game and will play the winner-loser of the Arizona State-Texas State contest.
• If the Frogs WIN the West Bracket, TCU will travel to New York City on Nov. 25th and 27th for the semifinals and finals of the Preseason NIT. In addition, the Frogs will also play Louisiana Tech on Nov. 29th at Daniel-Meyer Coliseum.
• If the Frogs DO NOT WIN the West Bracket, TCU will host a pair of games at Daniel-Meyer Coliseum on Nov. 23rd and 24th. In addition, the Frogs will then play Louisiana Tech on Nov. 28th at Daniel-Meyer Coliseum.
Buljan Ranked Among League's Best
• Last season, Buljan was selected as the Mountain West Conference Newcomer of the Year after the 6-9 forward averaged 12.3 points and a team-high 7.8 rebounds per contest. Buljan concluded the season ranked second in the conference in rebounds per game (7.8 R-G), eighth in field goal percentage (145-of-290 | .500) and 15th in scoring average (12.3 P-G).
• In addition to earning honorable mention All-Mountain West Conference accolades, Buljan became the first player since Lee Nailon in 1997-98 to capture Conference Newcomer of the Year laurels. The TCU forward also earned Mountain West Conference Player of the Week accolades on January 12th after averaging 16.0 points and 11.0 boards in victories over UNLV and Texas Tech.
• Buljan finished the season ranked first on the Frogs in double-digit scoring performances (21) while collecting nine double- doubles, which were the most for a Frog since Jamal Brown (9) during the 2001-02 campaign. In addition, Buljan finished the season ranked 87th in the country in rebounds per game following a 7.8 boards per evening average.
• The Sporting News tabbed Buljan as the 21st-best international player in collegiate basketball last season and the second-best international player in the Mountain West Conference behind Utah's Luke Nevill, who was ranked fifth by the publication.
New Faces; New Team; Same Main Ingredient
• A key ingredient that Christian looks for when building his roster is finding and signing players from winning high school and junior college programs. This past signing class was no exception for Christian as all six players were part of teams that recorded at least 19 victories a season ago. During the 2008-09 campaign, the six newcomers to the TCU men's basketball program helped their programs to a 140-53 combined record (.725 winning percentage).
Christian Strong in Season Openers
• TCU head men's basketball coach Jim Christian has posted a 5-2 record in season openers during his seven seasons as a head coach. When his teams win their first game of the season, the program averages 19.8 victories to go along with three NIT appearances. When his teams drop their first game of the season, the program averages 26.5 victories to go along with two conference tournament championships and two appearances in the NCAA Tournament.
• Last season, Christian became the first TCU head men's basketball coach to win his debut game with the Frogs since Tim Somerville during the 1977-78 campaign and only the third head coach in the previous 81 seasons. The Frogs handed Western Michigan a 67-63 setback at the ESPN Charleston Classic to begin the 2008-09 campaign.
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.
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