Frogs Travel to Wichita State for Saturday Evening Showdown
12/10/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Dec. 10, 2009
Game 10 - TCU (5-4) vs. Wichita State (8-1)
Wichita, Kansas • Charles Koch Arena
Saturday (December 12) • 7:05 p.m. Central Time
Radio - KHFX 1460 AM (Brian Estridge and John Denton)
Game Notes - Wichita State in PDF Format 
Too Tuff to Handle
• TCU sophomore Ronnie "Tuffy" Moss originally signed with Kent State, but was granted his release and signed with the Frogs after Christian was announced as the new head men's basketball coach in the Spring of 2008.
• Moss posted a career-high 26 points on 9-of-17 shooting, including five three-pointers, to go along with six assists, five rebounds, two steals and one blocked shot in 32 minutes of action in TCU's 74-69 victory over Mid-America Christian. The TCU sophomore became the first player since Junior Blount in 2002 to post 25 or more points in the season opener.
• The TCU sophomore is averaging 17.7 points per game and has posted a double-digit scoring performance in all nine games this season. In addition, Moss has recorded three 20-plus scoring performances and ranks third in the Mountain West Conference and 57th in the country in scoring average (17.7 P-G).
• Moss is also ranked third in the country and first in the Mountain West Conference in assists per game (6.9 A-G) and has dished out at least five assists in all nine games this season. The 6-2 guard is ranked third in the country in total assists (62) behind Ronald Moore (Siena) and Larry Drew II (North Carolina). Moss is the only player in the country to be ranked in the top-60 in both scoring average and assists per game.
• The Fort Worth standout posted his first career double-double in a triple overtime victory over Texas State after collecting 18 points and 12 assists. Moss became the first TCU player to post a double-double in points and assists since Corey Santee notched 20 points and 12 assists on Nov. 28, 2001 against Southwest Texas State (now known as Texas State).
• Moss is also coming up on a scoring milestone as the TCU sophomore needs 35 points to reach the 500-point mark for his career. The 6-2 guard has established himself as one of the top players in the conference this season as he ranks first in minutes played (35.0 MP-G), third in three-pointers (2.7 3FGM-G) and fifth in three-point percentage (.400 | 24-of-60).
Buljan Ranked Among League's Best
• 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.
• The TCU forward has posted four double-doubles this season, including a career-high 22 points and 16 rebounds in the Frogs' season opener against Mid-America Christian on Nov. 13th. In the following game, Buljan posted his second straight double- double following a 14-point and career-high 17-rebound performance against Cal State Northridge in the Preseason NIT.
• Buljan became the first Frog since Chudi Chinweze in 2004-05 to post a double-double in the season opener. The 16 rebounds for Buljan were the most for a Frog in the season opener since Kurt Thomas notched 18 rebounds against Midwestern State to begin the 1994-95 season.
• Buljan is currently listed 21st in the country and first in the Mountain West Conference in rebounds per game (10.4 R-G). In addition, he is ranked first in the Mountain West Conference in defensive rebounds per game (7.6 R-G) and sixth in offensive boards per evening (2.9 R-G).
• Through nine games this season, Buljan is the only player in the Mountain West Conference to be averaging a double-double at 14.4 points and 10.4 rebounds per game. Ranked as the 21st-best international player last season by The Sporting News, Buljan is only one of 34 players in the country averaging a double-double during the 2009-10 campaign.
• The TCU senior posted a scoring milestone in the second half of the Frogs' game against 23rd-ranked Texas Tech when he collected his 500th career point. In 40 career games with the Frogs, Buljan has averaged 12.8 points and 8.4 rebounds per game.
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.
Century Milestone
• The Frogs scored 108 points in a triple overtime victory over Texas State on Nov. 24, 2009, which marked the first time that TCU has surpassed the 100-point milestone since Jan. 4, 2003. In that game, the Frogs scored 102 points against Centenary. In addition, this is also the first time that TCU has scored 108 points in a game since Jan. 5, 2002, in a Conference USA contest against South Florida.
Scoring Tops
• Currently, the Frogs are the only team in the Mountain West Conference to have three players ranked in the top-10 in scoring average in Moss (3rd | 17.7 P-G), Buljan (7th | 14.4 P-G) and Ruzgas (8th | 14.3 P-G).
Beyond the Arc
• Edvinas Ruzgas has been one been on the hottest scorers in the Mountain West Conference this season as the TCU senior is averaging 14.3 points per game, including six double-digit scoring games and three 20-plus scoring performances. Ruzgas tied a career-high with 24 points against Cal State Northridge in the first round of the Preseason NIT.
• The TCU senior is currently ranked third in the Mountain West Conference in three-point field goal percentage (.442 | 23-of-52), fourth in three-point field goals made (2.6 3FGM-G) and eighth in scoring average (14.3 P-G). Ruzgas is also ranked fifth in minutes played per game (31.6 MP-G) and has seen action in at least 30 minutes in seven of nine games.
• In TCU's triple-overtime victory over Texas State, Ruzgas finished with 20 points on 8-of-10 shooting, including 4-of-5 from behind the three-point line, in addition to grabbing seven rebounds in a career-high 49 minutes of action. The TCU guard has posted six double-digit scoring performances this season and needs 62 points to reach the 500-point milestone for his career.
• Ruzgas has connected on 50.0 percent or higher of his total field goal attempts in seven of nine games this season and ranks eighth in the Mountain West Conference in field goal percentage (.558 | 48-of-86). In addition, the 6-6 guard is ranked 46th in the country in field goal percentage (.558 | 48-of-86) and 66th in three-point field goals made (2.6 3FGM-G).
• The TCU guard has posted some of his biggest scoring games away from Daniel-Meyer Coliseum as Ruzgas is averaging 18.3 points on the road and 11.2 points on his home court. One of the top three-point shooters in the conference, Ruzgas has connected on at least one three-pointer in eight straight games and has notched at least three three-pointers on four occasions.
TCU Milestone
• In the Frogs' 108-99 triple overtime victory over Texas State, Ronnie Moss and Kevin Butler became the first set of TCU teammates to post their first-ever double-double in the same game. A pair of sophomores, Moss finished with 18 points and 12 assists while Butler collected 13 points and 11 rebounds.
New to the TCU Schedule
• The Frogs will square-off against three opponents that they have never faced before in Mid-America Christian (Nov. 13th), Cal State Northridge (Nov. 16th) and Northern Colorado (Dec. 30th). The Frogs are 2-0 against new faces to their schedule after defeating both Mid-America Christian and Cal State Northridge earlier this season.
Home Court Success
• The Frogs have notched 412 triumphs in the 49-year history of Daniel-Meyer Coliseum and have posted a winning percentage of .630 (412-242) on their home court. The Frogs played their 650th game at Daniel-Meyer Coliseum on Nov. 13th where TCU posted a 74-69 victory over Mid-America Christian University.
• Over the past 15 seasons, the Frogs have accumulated a 164-70 (.701) overall record at Daniel-Meyer Coliseum while posting at least 10 victories on their home court on 11 occasions.
Around the Nation
• The Frogs have five scholarship players from the State of Texas, which is the lowest number of home state scholarship players since the 1998-99 season when TCU had two players from the State of Texas. Moss (Fort Worth) and Butler (Duncanville) are natives of the Metroplex while Lancon (Houston), Roberson (Houston) and Green (Missouri City) are all from the Houston area.
Strong Family Tree
• The Frogs have three players who have family ties to professional and collegiate backgrounds in Thorns, Green and Bavcevic.
• Thorns' father, Henry, was a standout on the football field for UNLV before playing professionally in the Canadian Football League.
• Thorns' cousin, C.J. Watson, played four seasons at the University of Tennessee where he graduated ranked second in program history in assists and steals. Currently, Watson is a member of the Golden State Warriors.
• Green's brother, Gerald Jr., went directly from high school to the NBA and was drafted by the Boston Celtics with the 18th overall selection in the 2005 NBA Draft.
• Bavcevic's father, Niksa, is the head coach for TROGIR ZP, which is one of the best teams in Croatia's A-1 League.
Horned Frog 500
• Zvonko Buljan collected his 500th career point against 23rd-ranked Texas Tech on December 8th. Currently, the Frogs have three other players closing in on the 500-point milestone in Moss (465), Ruzgas (438) and Mitchem (436).
TCU Athletics Media Relations
