Game 32 - Regular Season Concludes at TCU

Cougars to Conclude Regular Season at TCU

No. 14/15 BYU men’s basketball (27-4, 12-3 MWC) will conclude the regular season at TCU on Saturday, March 6, at 5 p.m. CST. The Cougars will be looking to tie the school record for wins in a single season — 28 in 1950-51. The game can be heard live on KSL Newsradio beginning with the pregame show at 4 p.m. CST on 102.7 FM and 1160 AM or via the Internet at KSL.com. The game will be televised live on The Mtn.

Up Next

The Cougars head to Las Vegas as the No. 2 seed in the Mountain West Conference Tournament at the Thomas and Mack Center. BYU opens against the No. 7 seed on Thursday, March 11, at 6 p.m. PST. Listen to the game live on the radio beginning with the pregame show at 5 p.m. PST on KSL Newsradio 102.7 FM and 1160 AM or via the Internet at KSL.com. The game will be televised live on The Mtn.

Cougar Quick Hits

— At 27-4 overall, BYU has surpassed last season’s win total (25) and has the best record in program history through 31 games. This also marks the fourth-straight season with 25-plus wins, a first in program history.

— Jimmer Fredette set BYU single-game records with 49 points and nine threes against Arizona in the Fiesta Bowl Classic in Tucson, Ariz., at the McKale Center. BYU handed Arizona its worst loss at the McKale Center, 99-69.

— Fredette is 15th all-time in scoring at BYU with 1,380 career points. He leads the conference in scoring at 20.7 points per game. He is also fourth at BYU in career threes (161), 10th in assists (330) and 12th in steals (112).

— Junior guard Jackson Emery has 80 steals this season, a BYU record for steals in a season. The previous record was 66, set by Marty Haws in 1989-90.

— Two-time MWC Coach of the Year Dave Rose has guided BYU to three-straight MWC regular season titles and three-straight trips to the NCAA Tournament. Under Rose, BYU also has five-straight 20-win seasons and four-straight postseason appearances. At 124-38 (.765) overall, he is BYU’s all-time leader in winning percentage.

— Senior forward Jonathan Tavernari became BYU’s all-time leader in three-pointers with two treys vs. San Francisco to give him 214. He is now at 253 after hitting two threes vs. San Diego State. He is also climbing the lists for points (12th with 1,470) and steals (3rd with 155).

— With the win at Utah, Jonathan Tavernari played in his 100th BYU victory — first in school history. Tavernari’s teams have won 104 games, the best four-year stretch in program history.

BYU Game #32 Fast Facts

No. 14/15 BYU (27-4, 12-3) at TCU (13-17, 5-10)

Saturday, March 6, 2010

Daniel-Meyer Coliseum (7,201)

Fort Worth, Texas

5 p.m. CST

Coaches

BYU, Dave Rose (124-38 in fifth season; same overall)

TCU, Jim Christian (27-34 in second season; 165-92 in eighth season overall)

Series

BYU leads 14-3, with the Cougars winning 76-56 in Provo on Feb. 2, 2010

TV

Live on The Mtn. (Dan Gutowsky, play-by-play; Bob Donewald, game analysis)

Radio

KSL Newsradio (102.7 FM/1160 AM and online at KSL.com) and the Cougar Sports Network (4 p.m. CST pregame show — Greg Wrubell, play-by-play; Mark Durrant, game analysis)

Web

Live stats links are available on the basketball schedule page at www.byucougars.com/basketball_m/

Looking at TCU

TCU is 13-17 overall and 5-10 in the Mountain West Conference. The Frogs have dropped three of four, losing to San Diego State at home, at UNLV, defeating Colorado State at home and losing at New Mexico. Ronnie Moss leads the team in scoring (14.6 ppg) and assists (6.1 apg) while Zvonko Buljan adds 12.5 ppg and a team-best 8.7 rpg. Edvinas Ruzgas also averages double figures (10.7 ppg) and has made a team-best 58 threes while shooting .417 from downtown. Greg Hill adds 7.9 ppg, while Nikola Cerina and Kevin Butler contribute 5.6 and 5.3 ppg, respectively. As a team TCU averages 66.9 ppg and 32.4 rpg while shooting .441 from the field, .346 from three and .691 from the free throw line. Opponents average 68.9 ppg and 33.4 rpg against the Frogs while shooting .459 from the field, .326 from three and .666 from the free throw line. Jim Christian is in his second season at TCU where he is 27-34.

TCU’s Last Outing — Frogs Drop 73-66 Decision to No. 8 New Mexico

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - The Horned Frogs had four players post double figures, but it was not enough as TCU dropped a 73-66 decision to No. 8 New Mexico on Wednesday evening at The Pit in Albuquerque, N.M. With the victory, the Lobos improved to 28-3 overall and 14-2 in Mountain West Conference action en route to securing their first outright conference championship since 1994. The Frogs fell to 13-17 overall and 5-10 in conference action. The Lobos came out of the gates strong in the first half and jumped out to a 9-2lead following a three-pointer by Phillip McDonald at the 18:01 mark, but the Frogs were able to weather the storm. After cutting the lead to one point at 20-19 at the 7:16 mark following a jumper by Edvinas Ruzgas, the Frogs proceeded to go on a 10-3 run to take a 29-23 lead with 4:18 remaining in the first half. New Mexico responded with a run of its own and scored the final eight points of the half to take a 31-29 lead at intermission. After trading baskets for the first part of the second half, the Lobos were able to take a four-point lead at 53-49 to 11 points (62-51) at the 6:19 mark following a three-pointer by Roman Martinez. Once again, the Frogs responded and were able to cut the lead to three points, 67-64, with 1:00 remaining in the game following a three-pointer by Keion Mitchem. In the final minute of action, the Lobos received four free throws by Dairese Gary and a lay-in by Martinez to secure the 73-66 home victory. Ronnie Moss finished with a team-high 14 points to go along with three assists, three rebounds and two steals in 28 minutes of action. Zvonko Buljan added his third consecutive double-double following a 12-point, 11-rebound performance in 31 minutes of action. Ruzgas collected 12 points, including a pair of three-pointers, to go along with five rebounds while Mitchem notched 11 points, including 3-of-3 from behind the three-point line, in 25 minutes of action. Hobson finished with a game-high 20 points on 8-of-15 shooting to go along with 14 rebounds and seven assists while Martinz collected 19 points, including five three-pointers, and five rebounds in 34 minutes of action. Gary chipped in with 16 points, four assists and two rebounds in 33 minutes of action.

Series Notes

BYU leads the all-time series against TCU 14-3. The Cougars have won 11 straight games against the Horned Frogs, including a WAC Tournament game in 1999 and 10-straight under Dave Rose. BYU extended the streak with a 76-56 win earlier this season in Provo. BYU is 4-1 all-time at TCU and has won four-straight in Fort Worth.

One Win From Tying...

At 27-4 on the season, the 2009-10 BYU men’s basketball squad has set the Cougar record for regular season wins and is one victory from tying the overall record for wins. The 2007-08 team set the previous regular season record with 25 regular season victories and finished 27-8 after the postseason. The 1950-51 team was 24-7 in the regular season and finished with a program record 28 wins to go with nine losses.

New Record for Thievery

With a steal at Colorado State, Jackson Emery broke the BYU record for steals in a single season. The record was previously held by Marty Haws, who had 66 steals in 1989-90. Emery now has 80 steals this season.

33-Point Games

Jimmer Fredette’s 36 points at Colorado State was his fifth game with 33-plus points this season. He is fifth all-time in BYU history for 33-point games and his five this season are the most by a BYU junior in a single season and the third-most in any BYU season. Devin Durrant had 11 33-point games as a senior in 1983-84 and Dick Nemelka had six as a senior in 1965-66.

Best Record Through 31 Games

At 27-4 overall, BYU men’s basketball has the best record in program history through 31 games. The 1987-88 team held the previous best record in program history through 31 games at 26-5. See below for the other best records through 31 games.

In the Rankings

BYU men’s basketball entered the top-25 rankings for the first time this season on Jan. 4 at No. 25 in the AP Poll and No. 23 in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll. The Cougars are currently ranked No. 14 in the AP Poll and No. 15 in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll. BYU has been ranked as high as No. 12 in the AP Poll and No. 10 in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll. Rose has led his teams to the rankings in each of the last four seasons to become the first Cougar coach to lead BYU into the rankings in four-straight seasons. The Cougar basketball program has now been ranked in the AP Poll during 18 seasons.

BYU as a Ranked Team

BYU owns a 150-61 record as a ranked team, including 13-3 this season. The Cougars are 86-13 at home, 42-30 on the road and 22-18 at neutral sites when nationally ranked. BYU is 22-9 as a ranked team under Dave Rose.

1,000-Point Scorers

With eight points vs. New Mexico, Jonathan Tavernari has 1,470 career points and is 12th all-time in scoring at BYU. He is 43 points from passing Kresimir Cosic for 11th all-time. After scoring eight points at Utah, Jimmer Fredette has 1,380 career points, good for 15th all-time in program history. He is nine points from passing Andy Toolson for 14th all-time.

Downtown Record Watch

Jonathan Tavernari hit two threes vs. San Francisco to become BYU’s all-time leader in career threes, passing Mark Bigelow who had 213 for his career. He is also the leader for career attempts. Tavernari owns the record for threes in a season with 88 in 2007-08. He now has 253 makes and 670 attempts. Jimmer Fredette is fourth with 161 makes and is third with 402 attempts.

Top-10 Pick Pockets

Senior forward Jonathan Tavernari had one steal at Utah to give him 155 for his career. He is third all-time in BYU history. Jackson Emery is sixth with 137 while Jimmer Fredette is 12th with 112.

When Jimmer Scores 20...

Jimmer Fredette had 26 points vs. San Diego State, his 18th 20-point game this season and 26th of his career. He has reached 33-plus points five times this season. BYU is 22-4 when Fredette scores 20 or more points.

BYU Freshman Scoring Leaders

With 363 points this season, Tyler Haws is on pace to become one of the highest scoring freshmen in BYU history. He is currently seventh and eight points from passing Devin Durrant.