SB Nation - TCU Horned Frogs

Checking in With the RPI: 12/17/09

Michael Rueckert — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 06:59:16 -0000

It's now time for our twice a week segment where we take a look at the RPI rankings for the Mountain West Conference teams.

As a league the Mountain West is rated 7th in the RPI.

All the RPI info was found at Real Time RPI. Ratings are after the jump.

Air Force

Record = 5-3

RPI = 226

SOS = 187

Great Wins (RPI 1-50) =

Solid Wins (RPI 51-100) =

Bad Wins (RPI 100+) = Western States (D-II), Dickinson State (D-II), Charleston Southern, North Carolina Central, Prairie View A&M

Bad Losses (RPI 100 or greater) =Northern Colorado

Eh Losses (RPI 51-100) = Washington State

Good Losses (RPI 1-50) = Missouri State

BYU

Record = 9-1

RPI = 65

SOS = 228

Great Wins (RPI 1-50) =

Solid Wins (RPI 51-100) = Bradley,

Bad Wins (RPI 100+) = Idaho State, Hawaii, Southern University, Weber State, San Francisco, Arizona State, Fresno State, Wagner

Bad Losses (RPI 100 or greater) = Utah State

Eh Losses (RPI 51-100) =

Good Losses (RPI 1-50) =

Colorado State

Record = 7-3

RPI = 106

SOS = 209

Great Wins (RPI 1-50) =

Solid Wins (RPI 51-100) =

Bad Wins (RPI 100+) = UC Davis, Winston Salem, Mayville State (D-II), San Francisco, Colorado, Montana, Denver

Bad Losses (RPI 100 or greater) = Oregon, Northern Colorado

Eh Losses (RPI 51-100) =

Good Losses (RPI 1-50) Indiana State

New Mexico

Record = 11-0

RPI = 16

SOS = 104

Great Wins (RPI 1-50) = California, Texas A&M

Solid Wins (RPI 51-100) = Louisiana Tech, San Diego

Bad Wins (RPI 100+) = New Mexico State (2 wins), Nicholls State, Miami (OH), Hawaii, UC Riverside, Northern Arizona

Bad Losses (RPI 100 or greater) =

Eh Losses (RPI 51-100) =

Good Losses (RPI 1-50) =

San Diego State

Record = 8-2

RPI = 27

SOS = 72

Great Wins (RPI 1-50) =

Solid Wins (RPI 51-100) = San Diego, Arizona

Bad Wins (RPI 100+) = UC San Diego (D-II), Santa Clara, Fresno State, Northern Arizona, UCSB, Cal State Fullerton

Bad Losses (RPI 100 or greater) =

Eh Losses (RPI 51-100) = Pacific

Good Losses (RPI 1-50) = St. Mary's

TCU

Record = 5-5

RPI = 143

SOS = 94

Great Wins (RPI 1-50) =

Solid Wins (RPI 51-100) =

Bad Wins (RPI 100+) = Mid-American Christian (non D-I), Cal State Northridge, SMU

Bad Losses (RPI 100 or greater) = Arizona State, Nebraska, Wichita State

Eh Losses (RPI 51-100) = Louisiana Tech

Good Losses (RPI 1-50) = Texas Tech

UNLV

Record = 9-1

RPI = 34

SOS = 74

Great Wins (RPI 1-50) = Pittsburgh

Solid Wins (RPI 51-100) = Nevada, Arizona, Louisville

Bad Wins (RPI 100+) = Southern Illinois, Holy Cross, Santa Clara, Southern Utah, Weber State

Bad Losses (RPI 100 or greater) =

Eh Losses (RPI 51-100) =

Good Losses (RPI 1-50) = Kansas State

Utah

Record = 5-5

RPI = 200

SOS = 138

Great Wins (RPI 1-50) =

Solid Wins (RPI 51-100) = Illinois

Bad Wins (RPI 100+) = Utah State, Southern University, Weber State, Idaho State, Michigan

Bad Losses (RPI 100 or greater) = Idaho, Seattle, Oklahoma

Eh Losses (RPI 51-100) =

Good Losses (RPI 1-50) = Oklahoma State

Wyoming

Record = 5-5

RPI = 281

SOS = 277

Great Wins (RPI 1-50) =

Solid Wins (RPI 51-100) =

Bad Wins (RPI 100+) = Peru State (non D-I), Boise State, Pepperdine, LMU, Northern Colorado

Bad Losses (RPI 100 or greater) = South Dakota State, Denver, Monmouth, Hampton,

Eh Losses (RPI 51-100) =

Good Losses (RPI 1-50) = Tennessee

In a Perfect World (Conference Realignment)

Evan Pfaff — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 21:30:13 -0000

by Tony Gutierrez - AP

Could a University of Houston QB be soon hoisting the Big 12 Championship trophy? (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

View full size photo »

Today the Big Ten conference issued a statement that they are exploring the possibility of expanding.

Every few years we hear the same rumblings and every few years there are articles published about what realignment would look like. But not since Penn State was admitted into the Big Ten has anything official been released. With that, below is the definitive article on the topic.

And even though this is a basketball blog, I will focus on the BCS aspect of realignment to argue my points. I will discuss basketball, though, and all points held for football can loosely translate over to hoops as well.

Currently there are six BCS conferences and those 6 all get automatic BCS-bowl bids. Those conferences are Big East, SEC, Big 10, Big 12, Pac-10, ACC. Of those six, three of the conferences have enough football teams to have a conference championship game (the Big East would have enough if more of their charter schools had D1 football programs).

Part of the BCS issue is that you have some conferences without 12 schools, who don't currently have conference championship games. Adding conference championship games will ultimately help the BCS by crowing, on a field, a true conference champ. This will help with BCS bowl bids, and especially the BCS championship game. (Think of a rule where you have to at least win your division to get a BCS bid.

The other BCS issue is of the non-BCS schools and where they should lie. My realignment program take that into account.

Without further ado, after The Jump is the Big12Hoops.com Realignment plan.

MIZZOU MOVES TO THE BIG 10.

Why is this good for the Big 10? By admitting Mizzou into the Big 10, the Big 10 would secure a coveted TV market, namely St Louis. They would also get a share of the Kansas City TV market. By expanding westward, revenues from the Big 10 Network and apparel sales would grow. The Big 10 would also secure a 12^th team and legitimize a conference championship game. The divisions would be as follow:

Big 10 East: Ohio State, Michigan, Michigan State, Indiana, Purdue, Penn State

Big 10 West: Mizzou, Illinois, Northwestern, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa

Under this scenario all regional rivalries remain in tact

Why is this good for Mizzou? The Big 12 seems to forget about schools not named Texas, Oklahoma, Nebraska and Kansas (basketball). There is no television network, so Mizzou's games are generally only regionally shown. There is Big Monday for basketball, but that is mainly reserved for Texas and KU. Under this, Mizzou's football games could be carried on the Big 10 Network and basketball games will be tied into the Big 10 ESPN deal. All this leads to a major recruiting advantage in both revenue generating sports.

Mizzou also has a rival in Illinois that would heat up instantly and the heated rivalry with Kansas will replace the Illinois basketball and football games on the schedules. Instead of St Louis, though, the KU games will be played at the Sprint Center and Arrowhead in KC.

But what about... Iowa State? The Cyclones seem to also be a natural fit and could easily add fuel to the rivalry with in-state foe Iowa Hawkeyes. The problem is that the Big 10 gains little from that arrangement. They are already pretty entrenched in the Hawkeye State and the addition of ISU wouldn't help their regional or national reputation.

THE UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON JOINS THE BIG XII

Why is this good for the Big 12? The University of Houston is a large campus, in a region of Texas that is currently underdeveloped with college sports. Houston is the 4^th largest city in the country, and by planting a team there, the Big 12 will get even more Texas viewership.

The big question would be on alignment, since there will now be 5 Texas schools. My proposal is for

Big 12 "North": Nebraska, Kansas, Kansas State, Iowa State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State

Big 12 "South": Texas, Houston, Texas Tech, Texas A&M, Baylor, Colorado

The division names will have to be rebranded, but adding Colorado to the South is acceptable because Coloradoans joke that there are more Texans in the state than natives.

Why is this good for Houston? Historically, the Cougars have had a good football team, and have won a basketball national championship. Having a Big XII logo on their court will increase their recruiting presence in the city and state and potentially turn them into powerhouse.

But what about... TCU? TCU would be a good choice, if they were bigger. Their 8000 student just wouldn't cut it if the conference wishes to remain the BIG 12. Houston's enrollment is approximately 30,000 students. Commuter school or not, Houston would help retain the "Big" in Big 12.

BYU AND UTAH GO TO THE PAC-10

Why is this good for the Pac-10? By including Utah and BYU into the Pac-10, the conference will have the 12 schools needed for an automatic conference championship games. Both programs have historically legitimate football and basketball programs, and they will bring their rivalry with them. Geographically, they are far enough West to warrant admission into the conference.

The division would be as follows

Pac-10 North: Washington, Washington State, Oregon, Oregon State, BYU, Utah

Pac-10 South: Arizona, Arizona State, California, Stanford, UCLA, USC

Why is this good for BYU and Utah? Both recruit well from the West, and inclusion into the conference will aid that. And by coming over as a pair (and as rivals) they bring legitimacy to the expansion eastward.

But what about... geography? The state of Utah doesn't border any states of current Pac-10 members, and that may cause some issues, but distance isn't really something the conference has ever regarded. Consider that Tucson, AZ to Seattle, WA is 1100 miles, or 400 miles farther than Tucson to Provo, UT.

ADD MORE TEAMS TO THE MOUNTAIN WEST

Why is this good for the Mountain West? As it stands under this scenario, the Mountain West is down to 7 members (the current 9, minus BYU and Utah). To get up with the big boys, the MWC needs to add 5 schools. The 5 that should move to the MWC should be: Boise State, Nevada, New Mexico State, Rice, SMU.

There is already talk of Boise coming over to the MWC, so that is a no brainer. The others are coming over as "rivals" to existing MWC schools. Nevada will face UNLV, New Mexico State will pair with New Mexico, Rice and SMU will pit against TCU is a three-way battle for Texas.

Having 12 schools will allow the conference to host a championship game, matching the winners of each division, which would be as follows:

MWC North: UNLV, Nevada, Air Force, Wyoming, Colorado State, Boise State

MWC South: San Diego State, New Mexico, New Mexico State, TCU, Rice, SMU

Why is this good for the 5 programs? The shift from either the C-USA or WAC will legitimize the programs (see the next point). All will also enter the new MWC with a foe. Everyone wins.

But what about... the MWC still remaining relatively minute as compared to their BCS brethren? Why would these schools shift from one conference to another, just for shits and giggles? See next point.

ADMIT THE MOUNTAIN WEST INTO THE BCS

Why is this good for the BCS? Controversy will mainly be avoided. By admitting the redesigned MWC into the BCS you are accepting the current BCS gate crashers. You are bringing in the current at-large schools causing heartache and giving yourself another conference champion that the country can latch onto.

Why is this good for the MWC? Why isn't it good for the MWC?

But what about... the C-USA and WAC? These two conferences are now in shambles. What to do? See next item.

MERGE THE C-USA AND WAC

Why is this good for the two conferences? Because of the success of some of their schools, and regional ability to move, the Conference USA and WAC are currently left in shambles (under this proposal). Essentially afterthoughts as they are, now they are left with 15 schools between them. They could either split them up 8 and 7 or combine forces and form a 15 league mega conference. In terms of basketball, as we have seen with the Big East, and their 16 school hoops conference, too many schools doesn't water down the pool.

But what about... regionality? The C-USA is currently a conglomerate of throw-ins from around the country. Under this plan, that would just increase to a truly national conference. The members of it would be: Fresno St, Hawaii, Idaho, La Tech, San Jose St, Utah St, UTEP, Tulane, Tulsa, UAB, Cent Florida, ECU, Marshall, Memphis, Southern Miss

Using the scenario outlined above, 18 schools will change conferences. This sounds like a lot, but as you can see many will be moving as groups and either with or to a rival.

But what about the Big East? Well, the Big East is the one conference I am leaving alone. In their football world, they are lacking the 12 members to create a championship game. But when you include their basketball members, they are a 16-team powerhouse.

One final thought. I reserve the right to claim this entire scenario null and void if Notre Dame ever decides to join the Big 10. If that were to happen, I would still endorse some shifting, but nothing to the extent of this proposal. More on that if a Notre Dame to the Big 10 rumor starts getting some legitimate traction.

Checking in With the RPI: 12/13/09

Jeremy Mauss — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 02:07:33 -0000

Checking in with the RPI will be twice a week Thursday's and Sunday's. That is because most of the games are on Wednesday and Saturday, so those next days will have the most change in RPI.

As a league the Mountain West is rated 6th in the RPI.

All the RPI info was found at Real Time RPI

Air Force

Record = 5-3

RPI = 200

SOS = 153

Great Wins (RPI 1-50) =

Solid Wins (RPI 51-100) =

Bad Wins (RPI 100+) = Western States (D-II), Dickinson State (D-II), Charleston Southern, North Carolina Central, Prairie View A&M

Bad Losses (RPI 100 or greater) =

Eh Losses (RPI 51-100) = Northern Colorado, Washington State

Good Loses (RPI 1-50) = Missouri State

BYU

Record = 8-1

RPI = 62

SOS = 222

Great Wins (RPI 1-50) =

Solid Wins (RPI 51-100) = Bradley,

Bad Wins (RPI 100+) = Idaho State, Hawaii, Southern University, Weber State, San Francisco, Arizona State, Fresno State

Bad Losses (RPI 100 or greater) = Utah State

Eh Losses (RPI 51-100) =

Good Losses (RPI 1-50) =

Colorado State

Record = 7-3

RPI = 117

SOS = 210

Great Wins (RPI 1-50) =

Solid Wins (RPI 51-100) =

Bad Wins (RPI 100+) = UC Davis, Winston Salem, Mayville State (D-II), San Francisco, Colorado, Montana, Denver

Bad Losses (RPI 100 or greater) = Oregon

Eh Losses (RPI 75-100) = Northern Colorado

Good Loses Indiana State

New Mexico

Record = 10-0

RPI = 14

SOS = 96

Great Wins (RPI 1-50) = California, Texas A&M

Solid Wins (RPI 51-100) = UC Riverside, San Diego

Bad Wins (RPI 100+) = New Mexico State (2 wins), Nicholls State, Miami (OH), Hawaii, Louisiana Tech

Bad Losses (RPI 100 or greater) =

Eh Losses (RPI 75-100) =

Good Loses (RPI 1-50) =

San Diego State

Record = 8-2

RPI = 37

SOS = 105

Great Wins (RPI 1-50) =

Solid Wins (RPI 51-100) = San Diego

Bad Wins (RPI 100+) = UC San Diego (D-II), Santa Clara, Fresno State, Northern Arizona, UCSB, Cal State Fullerton, Arizona

Bad Losses (RPI 100 or greater) =

Eh Losses (RPI 51-100) =

Good Loses (RPI 1-50) = St. Mary's, Pacific

TCU

Record = 5-5

RPI = 144

SOS = 109

Great Wins (RPI 1-50) =

Solid Wins (RPI 51-100) =

Bad Wins (RPI 100+) = Mid-American Christian (non D-I), Cal State Northridge, SMU

Bad Losses (RPI 100 or greater) = Arizona State, Nebraska, Wichita State, Louisiana Tech

Eh Losses (RPI 51-100) =

Good Loses (RPI 1-50) = Texas Tech

UNLV

Record = 7-1

RPI = 29

SOS = 40

Great Wins (RPI 1-50) = Pittsburgh

Solid Wins (RPI 51-100) = Nevada

Bad Wins (RPI 100+) = Louisville, Southern Illinois, Holy Cross, Santa Clara, Arizona

Bad Losses (RPI 100 or greater) =

Eh Losses (RPI 51-100) =

Good Loses (RPI 1-50) = Kansas State

Utah

Record = 5-5

RPI = 209

SOS = 155

Great Wins (RPI 1-50) =

Solid Wins (RPI 51-100) =

Bad Wins (RPI 100+) = Utah State, Southern University, Illinois, Weber State, Idaho State, Michigan

Bad Losses (RPI 100 or greater) = Idaho, Seattle, Oklahoma

Eh Losses (RPI 51-100) =

Good Loses (RPI 1-50) = Oklahoma State

Wyoming

Record = 5-4

RPI = 294

SOS = 314

Great Wins (RPI 1-50) =

Solid Wins (RPI 51-100) =

Bad Wins (RPI 100+) = Peru State (non D-I), Boise State, Pepperdine, LMU, Northern Colorado

Bad Losses (RPI 100 or greater) = South Dakota State, Denver, Monmouth, Hampton,

Eh Losses (RPI 51-100) =

Good Loses (RPI 1-50) =

TCU Travles to Wichita State and Looking to Rebound after tough loss to Texas Tech

Jeremy Mauss — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 19:02:03 -0000

Next Game

TCU Horned Frogs (5-4)
@ Wichita St. Shockers (8-1)

Saturday, Dec 12, 2009, 5:05 PM PST
Mountain West-Missouri Valley Challenge - Charles Koch Arena

Complete Coverage >

TCU is trying to overcome from their previous loss to Texas Tech, which would have been their best win in a couple of years. Wichita State is from the Missouri Valley Conference and this game is part of the MVC/MWC challenge, and the Shockers are not a push over. Their best win is against Iowa and their only loss is to Pitt. This game should be a slugfest, because of the Schockers defense that is only giving up in the mid 50's. TCU is not a scoring machine but they get in the 70 point range per game, so something will give.

TCU has a few big time scorers and should be able to surpass what Wichita gives up. Zvonko Buljan, Ronnie Moss, and Edvinas Ruzgas are all studs and combine for 46 points. However, if any of those three are stopped then Witchita State will be able to take care of TCU.

TCU Stats

			FG			3PT			FT			Rebounds			Misc
	G	M	M	A	Pct	M	A	Pct	M	A	Pct	Off	Def	Tot	Ast	TO	Stl	Blk	PF	PPG
Ronnie Moss	9	35.0	5.7	14.4	39.2	2.7	6.7	40.0	3.7	5.4	67.3	0.7	2.6	3.2	6.9	3.1	1.1	0.4	2.7	17.7
Zvonko Buljan	9	28.8	5.4	11.6	47.1	1.0	3.6	28.1	2.6	3.7	69.7	2.9	7.6	10.4	2.4	4.2	1.0	0.0	3.3	14.4
Edvinas Ruzgas	9	31.6	5.3	9.6	55.8	2.6	5.8	44.2	1.1	1.7	66.7	0.6	2.3	2.9	0.4	0.7	0.6	0.0	1.9	14.3
Garlon Green	9	20.0	1.7	4.1	40.5	0.1	1.1	10.0	2.3	3.1	75.0	1.2	2.0	3.2	0.2	1.3	0.1	0.6	2.4	5.8
Greg Hill	9	20.1	1.8	5.1	34.8	0.8	3.2	24.1	1.3	1.7	80.0	0.3	1.8	2.1	1.1	1.1	0.8	0.0	1.6	5.7
Kevin Butler	9	27.8	1.9	4.0	47.2	0.0	0.0	0.0	1.4	2.4	59.1	4.0	2.1	6.1	0.9	0.6	0.7	0.8	3.3	5.2
Keion Mitchem	9	21.8	1.7	3.8	44.1	0.8	2.3	33.3	0.6	0.9	62.5	0.7	1.8	2.4	1.2	1.0	1.0	0.0	1.0	4.7
Nikola Cerina	9	15.0	1.1	2.6	43.5	0.1	0.4	25.0	0.9	1.2	72.7	0.8	1.3	2.1	0.4	0.8	0.1	0.9	2.6	3.2
Xavier Roberson	9	6.3	0.6	1.6	35.7	0.4	0.9	50.0	0.8	1.1	70.0	0.0	0.6	0.6	0.8	1.1	0.4	0.0	1.1	2.3
Logan Lancon	4	4.3	0.0	0.5	0.0	0.0	0.3	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.3	0.3	0.5	0.3	0.0	0.3	0.0	0.8	0.0
Marin Bavcevic	1	1.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0

Wichita State Stats

			FG			3PT			FT			Rebounds			Misc
	G	M	M	A	Pct	M	A	Pct	M	A	Pct	Off	Def	Tot	Ast	TO	Stl	Blk	PF	PPG
Toure` Murry	9	29.6	4.6	10.1	45.1	1.6	4.3	35.9	2.9	4.1	70.3	1.1	4.8	5.9	3.2	2.4	2.0	0.1	2.1	13.6
J.T. Durley	9	18.9	3.7	6.7	55.0	0.4	1.3	33.3	2.3	2.7	87.5	1.3	2.3	3.7	0.8	1.6	0.8	0.2	2.6	10.1
Garrett Stutz	9	17.3	3.7	7.6	48.5	0.3	0.9	37.5	1.9	2.3	81.0	2.6	2.9	5.4	0.3	1.0	0.6	0.4	2.7	9.6
Graham Hatch	9	25.6	2.3	6.0	38.9	1.7	3.8	44.1	2.3	3.0	77.8	1.2	2.0	3.2	1.8	1.1	1.0	0.1	2.0	8.7
Clevin Hannah	6	23.7	2.7	5.3	50.0	1.2	2.7	43.8	1.8	2.0	91.7	0.8	1.5	2.3	4.7	2.0	1.5	0.0	1.7	8.3
David Kyles	9	23.6	3.0	5.8	51.9	0.8	2.0	38.9	0.9	1.4	61.5	0.7	1.7	2.3	2.3	1.0	1.3	0.6	0.7	7.7
Gabe Blair	9	20.7	2.7	6.2	42.9	0.0	0.0	0.0	1.6	2.1	73.7	2.2	4.0	6.2	0.9	1.6	1.1	0.4	2.6	6.9
Aaron Ellis	9	22.2	2.6	5.0	51.1	0.0	0.1	0.0	0.6	1.0	55.6	1.2	3.0	4.2	0.8	1.0	0.8	0.6	2.4	5.7
Demetric Williams	8	14.4	1.4	3.5	39.3	0.4	1.9	20.0	0.8	1.0	75.0	0.1	0.8	0.9	1.1	1.4	0.9	0.0	2.1	3.9
Kenny Manigault	9	9.6	0.4	1.4	30.8	0.0	0.1	0.0	0.8	1.3	58.3	0.2	0.6	0.8	1.8	0.8	0.2	0.0	1.0	1.7
Bryce Mayes	6	2.5	0.3	1.2	28.6	0.2	1.0	16.7	0.2	0.3	50.0	0.2	0.5	0.7	0.0	0.0	0.2	0.0	0.2	1.0
Derek Brown	8	2.8	0.1	0.6	20.0	0.0	0.3	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.1	0.5	0.6	0.3	0.0	0.1	0.0	0.4	0.3

Pulse of the Team :: Week 4

Seth C — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 16:00:32 -0000

The "Pulse of the Team" is a weekly or whenever-I-get-to-it post about the state of the team, what's going well and what isn't. The Pulse of the Team looks at the week that was, the week ahead, what's trending up, what's trending down and the current player impact, courtesy of StatSheet.

Last Week:

Thursday, December 3, 2009 : Washington Huskies: W : 99-92 : Box Score

This Week:

Tuesday, December 8, 2009 : TCU Horned Frogs : W : 80-70 : Box Score

Simply Winning: It's been a pretty exciting two weeks, despite only two games. There won't be another game until December 19th, against the Wichita St. Schockers, but for now, I would imagine that most Red Raider fans are pleased with the start. Sure, there have been bumps in the road, including a very close win against SFA, but this team has been resiliant and shown a little bit of fire. I think it's always interesting to watch how certain teams react in different situations, and we have two good examples in these two games. Against Washington, the Red Raiders had a good lead, let up on the gas, apparently won the game, but was overturned, and then turned on the gas in overtime. Against TCU, the team was down by 14, but persevered. I didn't get to watch the game, but the idea that the defense wasn't good in the first half, but picked up dramatically in the second half perhaps has at least two implications. First, perhaps Pat Knight adjusted his defense and second, perhaps the team picked up their intensity. Those are good qualities to have, and I couldn't be happier with how this team has played.

Roberts Steps Up: For those of you who have followed DTN for quite some time, I've always thought that PF D`Walyn Roberts was a Kevin Durant type of athlete. Let me explain, obviously, he doesn't have the scoring prowess, but I've always envisioned Roberts as a long athlete that can play the perimeter defensively, get steals, be a rebounding machine and generally be a true pest on the defensive side of the ball. Well, he's slowly turning into something a little different. I have no idea if Roberts' frame will be able to hold up to a big 12 season, but the game has changed and his toughest matchups this year will be against ISU Craig Brakens, UT's Damion James and KU in general (they've got more guys). Other than those teams, I think and hope that this recent trend is Roberts finally rounding into a solid, if not really good contributor for this team (again, not much time this morning, but the improvement and current tremendous streak of John Roberson deserves mention).

Still Room for Improvement: KenPom has Texas Tech ranked as the 40th best defensive team (adjusted defensive efficiency) and as far as I'm concerned, there's still room for improvement and I hope like hell the team feels the same way. Against Washington, the defense allowed the Huskies to shoot an eFG% of 53.1% (anything north of 50% isn't good) and Texas Tech probably won that game based on the tremendous offensive rebounding. The team was better against TCU, 46.6%, and I hope and think that this is partly because TCU is a feast or famine team (i.e., lots of three pointers), that the team played better defense, and Washington is a really good offensive team. The Red Raiders will face tough competition after the Christmas break with @ Wichita St., Stanford and @ New Mexico. I want this team to continue to be hungry and improve on their already impressive start.

Not much time to comment this morning, but lots of good stats, courtesy of StatSheet:

NCAA Basketball Stats

Checking in With the RPI: 12/10/09

Jeremy Mauss — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 21:44:03 -0000

This may or may not be a daily feature just depends how things work out, but lets give it a go and try a daily for the rest of the week and see how much change there is. Here we will take a look at the current RPI ratings for the entire Mountain West making notes of good wins, bad wins, and their upcoming schedule for the next few games.

As a league the Mountain West is rated 9th in the RPI.

All the RPI info was found at Real Time RPI

Air Force

Record = 5-2

RPI = 194

SOS = 177

Great Wins (RPI 1-50) =

Solid Wins (RPI 51-100) =

Bad Wins (RPI 100+) = Western States (D-II), Dickinson State (D-II), Charleston Southern, North Carolina Central, Prairie View A&M

Bad Losses (RPI 100 or greater) =

Eh Losses (RPI 51-100) = Northern Colorado

Good Loses (RPI 1-50) = Missouri State

BYU

Record = 7-1

RPI = 85

SOS = 253

Great Wins (RPI 1-50) =

Solid Wins (RPI 51-100) =

Bad Wins (RPI 100+) = Bradley, Idaho State, Hawaii, Southern University, Weber State, San Francisco, Arizona State

Bad Losses (RPI 100 or greater) = Utah State

Eh Losses (RPI 51-100) =

Good Loses (RPI 1-50) =

Colorado State

Record = 4-3

RPI = 134

SOS = 183

Great Wins (RPI 1-50) =

Solid Wins (RPI 51-100) = Denver

Bad Wins (RPI 100+) = UC Davis, Winston Salem, Mayville State (D-II), San Francisco

Bad Losses (RPI 100 or greater) = Oregon

Eh Losses (RPI 75-100) = Northern Colorado

Good Loses (RPI 1-50) = Indiana State

New Mexico

Record = 8-0

RPI = 24

SOS = 129

Great Wins (RPI 1-50) = California

Solid Wins (RPI 51-100) = Louisiana Tech

Bad Wins (RPI 100+) = UC Riverside, New Mexico State (2 wins), Nicholls State, Miami (OH), Hawaii

Bad Losses (RPI 100 or greater) =

Eh Losses (RPI 75-100) =

Good Loses (RPI 1-50) =

San Diego State

Record = 7-2

RPI = 42

SOS = 91

Great Wins (RPI 1-50) =

Solid Wins (RPI 51-100) =

Bad Wins (RPI 100+) = UC San Diego (D-II), Santa Clara, Fresno State, Northern Arizona, San Diego, UCSB, Cal State Fullerton

Bad Losses (RPI 100 or greater) =

Eh Losses (RPI 51-100) =

Good Loses (RPI 1-50) = St. Mary's, Pacific

TCU

Record = 4-4

RPI = 167

SOS = 151

Great Wins (RPI 1-50) =

Solid Wins (RPI 51-100) =

Bad Wins (RPI 100+) = Mid-American Christian (non D-I), Cal State Northridge, SMU

Bad Losses (RPI 100 or greater) = Arizona State, Nebraska,

Eh Losses (RPI 51-100) = Louisiana Tech

Good Loses (RPI 1-50) = Texas Tech

UNLV

Record = 6-0

RPI = 12

SOS = 74

Great Wins (RPI 1-50) =

Solid Wins (RPI 51-100) = Pittsburgh, Nevada, Louisville, Arizona

Bad Wins (RPI 100+) = Southern Illinois, Holy Cross, Santa Clara

Bad Losses (RPI 100 or greater) =

Eh Losses (RPI 51-100) =

Good Loses (RPI 1-50) =

Utah

Record = 5-4

RPI = 215

SOS = 201

Great Wins (RPI 1-50) =

Solid Wins (RPI 51-100) =

Bad Wins (RPI 100+) = Utah State, Southern University, Illinois, Weber State, Idaho State, Michigan

Bad Losses (RPI 100 or greater) = Idaho, Seattle

Eh Losses (RPI 51-100) =

Good Loses (RPI 1-50) = Oklahoma State

Wyoming

Record = 3-4

RPI = 330

SOS = 335

Great Wins (RPI 1-50) =

Solid Wins (RPI 51-100) =

Bad Wins (RPI 100+) = Peru State (non D-I), Boise State, Pepperdine, LMU

Bad Losses (RPI 100 or greater) = South Dakota State, Denver, Monmouth, Hampton,

Eh Losses (RPI 51-100) =

Good Loses (RPI 1-50) =

RPI WATCH: 12/09/09

BracketCat — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 19:00:19 -0000

More photos » by Orlin Wagner - AP

Now that's what I'm talkin' 'bout! With Curtis Kelly finally on board, this team can make a run in March. (AP Photo/Orlin Wagner)

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Just for fun, I'm going to try something new today.

For those of you who don't visit the official site on a regular basis, I've included quick facts and quotes from the game after the jump, in addition to the latest RPIs and game results.

Just trying to add to the service here at BOTC. We want to be your one-stop shop, so to speak, for basketball information this season.

As for our competition, there only was good news last night. Dayton earned a really nice road win against a team with some cachet, and the Flyers steadily are working their way back toward the Top 25. In other A-10 action, obviously Xavier accommodated us nicely by losing. I'm sure the heat in their hotel rooms was just too high, though.

In the other game of note, Texas Tech survived what I thought for sure was a trap game at TCU. I was wondering how the Red Raiders would handle being ranked for the first time since 2005, but they overcame a halftime deficit to notch a nice road win. It's their best start in 80 years.

That said, I'm still a little bearish on Tech, since their only good win came at home, in overtime, over an overrated (man, that's a lot of "overs" in one sentence...) Washington team, and they haven't yet left the state of Texas to play a game. It certainly does look like they'll finish better than ninth or 10th, though.

Current Kansas State Record = 8-1

Current Kansas State RPI = 11

Current Kansas State SOS = 15

Great Wins (RPI 1-50) = Loyola, Dayton

Solid Wins (RPI 51-100) = IUPUI, Xavier

Bad Losses (RPI 100 or greater) = none

Loyola (5-2, 1-1) | RPI = 30
Western Illinois (3-5, 0-2) | RPI = 301
Boston (3-6) | RPI = 156
Ole Miss (7-1) | RPI = 18
Dayton (6-2) | RPI = 36: Win at George Mason (56-55)
IUPUI (7-2, 2-0) | RPI = 79
FHSU (6-1)
Washington State (6-2) | RPI = 153
Xavier (5-3) | RPI = 68: Loss at Kansas State (71-56)
No. 24 UNLV (7-0) | RPI = 12
Alabama (6-2) | RPI = 82
UAPB (0-6) | RPI = 273
Cleveland State (3-6, 0-2) | RPI = 222
South Dakota (5-3) | RPI = 143
Missouri (5-2) | RPI = 92
No. 16 Texas A&M (8-1) | RPI = 21
Colorado (6-3) | RPI = 249
No. 2 Texas (7-0) | RPI = 3
Oklahoma State (7-1) | RPI = 26
Baylor (7-1) | RPI = 105
No. 1 Kansas (7-0) | RPI = 39
Nebraska (5-2) | RPI = 112
Iowa State (6-3) | RPI = 187
Oklahoma (5-3) | RPI = 240
No. 23 Texas Tech (9-0) | RPI = 18: Win at TCU (80-70)

Xavier at Kansas State: Game Notes

Kansas State moved to 3-4 all-time against Xavier, including 2-0 at home... The Wildcats moved to 8-1 on the season, marking the first time since the 2004-05 season the Wildcats started a season 8-1... The Wildcats have now won 31 of their last 32 games at Bramlage Coliseum in the month of December dating back to the 2002-03 season, including 19 consecutive home wins since December 30, 2004... Kansas State moved to 251-88 (.740) all-time in Bramlage Coliseum... The paid attendance was a sold out 12,528.
The Wildcats' starting lineup Saturday night was junior guard Jacob Pullen, senior guard Denis Clemente, junior forward Dominique Sutton, junior forward Curtis Kelly and freshman forward Wally Judge... It marks the second time this season the team has used this starting combination... Pullen has now started in 43 straight games for the Wildcats, extending his streak as the team's leader in most consecutive games played to 76.
K-State led Xavier at the half, 30-20, marking the fifth consecutive contest the Wildcats have led after the first period... The Wildcats are 8-0 this season when leading their opponent at the half... The 20 points scored by the Musketeers in the opening half were the fewest points scored in the first half by a K-State opponent this season since Western Illinois also scored 20 on November 15th... Curtis Kelly led all scorers with 10 points at the break.
The Wildcats dominated the boards Tuesday night out-rebounding the Musketeers 46-33... K-State held Xavier to just eight rebounds in the first frame while pulling down 27 of its own.
The Wildcats defense held the Musketeers to just 29.4-percent (15-for-51) shooting from the field on Tuesday night, while pressuring them into 13 turnovers... It marks the third contest this season the Wildcats have held an opponent to under 30-percent shooting.
Jacob Pullen led the Wildcats in scoring on Tuesday night with 16 points, marking the 16th time in his career he has led the team in scoring... The Wildcats moved to 12-4 all-time when Pullen leads the team in scoring... He also recorded three assists and one steal in the contest.
Curtis Kelly added 15 points and a team-high nine rebounds while shooting 6-for-9 from the field... Kelly has now scored in double figures five times in his career.
In a career-high 19 minutes played, freshman Martavious Irving set a new career-high in scoring with eight points... He also moved the ball well dishing out three assists, while committing no turnovers.

What They Said

Head Coach Chris Mack
On tonight's performance...
"The rebounding margin at halftime was 27-8, and that really set the tone. Defensively we made stops, but unfortunately we could not get the defensive rebounds to end their possessions. Offensively I give K-State credit for pushing us out, a lot like Marquette did. We have talked the last couple of days about being strong with the ball, trying to get the ball below the foul line, but we could not do it and because of that we spent a ton of time in the first half without scoring any points."

On the play of Brad Redford...
"Brad shot the ball really well, which I expected him to do. He is one of the best shooters in the country, but he turned the ball over four times. It is one of those things where you have to be good in all areas. You don't have to be great, but you have to be good. One time he stepped on the sideline and another he threw the ball away right by our bench, which really hearts when you are in a possession game. Brad is a great kid and he did a really good job tonight, but the game just was not ours."

On halftime adjustments...
"We talked a lot about getting on the defensive glass. We were doing a really good job guarding their shooters, they were 1-for-9 from the three point line in the first half, but we could not secure defensive rebounds. I think it got a little bit better in the second half, but the tone was already set. They were foaming at the mouth to start the game, and we could not answer them."

Dante Jackson, Junior, Guard
On what coach said to the team after the game...
"We just have to give those guys credit; they out rebounded us in the first half. I really don't need to say much more than that. It came down to toughness, readiness, and I think our team, we weren't ready. They were ready, and they punched us in the mouth and just kept punching and punching and we kind of took it. It's kind of cliché because it happened to us before. Marquette did the same thing. I thought we responded and we didn't. It comes down to where this team wants to go."

On Jacob Pullen...
"I think he's a really good player. Really good player, I mean he's tough. He and Clemente both. They're going to win some games because of those two. They did a great job tonight and we wish those guys the best of luck."

What We Said

Head Coach Frank Martin
On how Jake and Denis didn't score much in the first half...
"The guys want to win. They do not care about that kind of stuff. I do not know why you guys get so wrapped up with who scores over who. You line up to play to win. You do not line up to make guys happy. That is meaningless. It is nothing about who responded to what Xavier tried to take away. The difference is that we have guys we can throw it to in the post and it relieves the pressure. Those two guys played a pretty good floor game considering Xavier pressures the heck out of the basketball. We were a little sluggish, a little slow, but we were mentally into it. Nine straight days of practicing and playing and we were not as crisp as we needed to be. But mentally we understood, so we stayed the course defensively in the first half which did not allow them to score either. Once the game continued to settle down and our guys did not fall down by themselves, the ball did not hit them in the head and we started passing and moving the ball a little bit, then we started making a couple of shots and it got us that little lead at halftime. That is the challenge on this basketball team. We have other parts. I do not go into halftime talking about who is scoring and who is not. I could care less about who has how many shots. We are trying to win the game."

On his team's play...
"We were pretty good until we broke that lead and then Xavier just put their heads down and just drove the ball. We got caught standing around and not guarding and we fouled too much in the second half and that is something we have to clean up."

On his progression of the younger guys...
"It is growth. When you are two, three weeks into your season you are still trying to get everyone to understand how you are trying to play. We have different pieces to the puzzle. We have a lot of youth. We have guys who are thirstier guys playing big minutes for us. It's going to take time. "

Junior Guard Jacob Pullen
On finally getting a win against Xavier...
"Yeah we got a win. It could have been prettier. If we would have made more shots, we could have run them out of (the gym). We ended up grinding one out, but we take what we can get. It is still a win and it still feels better than losing to them two years in a row."

On finding consistency...
"I think that, in a way, we don't have to rely on one person to score, but we take what we can get each night, whether it is Curtis (Kelly), Jamar (Samuels), Denis (Clemente) or me. Jordan (Henriquez-Roberts) made some good shots tonight. That is the type of thing that makes a team talented and deep, and it helps them make a deep run into March."

On the improvements made this week in practice ...
"Practice has been consistently good. We turned it up early today and other than that, it has been pretty consistent, as far as our effort. We had a few lackadaisical plays and a few offensive rebounds we gave up, but other than that I think the reason we won was just defense and rebounding the ball."

On the fan's support tonight...
"There is a blizzard out there tonight and we expected 10 people to show up. I would not have come to the game tonight if I wasn't playing. They could have watched it on TV like a lot of people did, but they came out and gave us that home-court advantage we needed tonight."

Sophomore Forward Jamar Samuels
On the teams' rebounding edge tonight ...
"Going into the game, our coaches said they (Xavier) were going to beat us up down there and we took that has motivation. We just came out and tried to get every single rebound that came off the rim."

Post Game Thoughts :: Texas Tech 80, TCU 70

Seth C — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 12:37:03 -0000

More photos » by Tom Pennington - AP

11 days ago: Texas Tech guard David Tairu (13) celebrates with forward D'walyn Roberts (5) during the the final seconds of the second half of an NCAA college basketball game Tuesday, Dec. 8, 2009 in Fort Worth, Texas. Texas Tech beat TCU 80-70. (AP Photo/Tom Pennington)

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SBN Box Score ::
FoxSports Box Score

The Result :: Workman Like: Maybe this is the sign of a pretty good team. Texas Tech was down by 14 at one point down by 5 at the start of the second half. The Red Raiders ended up holding TCU to 29 points in the second half, while scoring 44. I wish I could find some splits between the first and second halves, but I'd be willing to bet that TCU probably shot lights out in the fist, and the second half was all about the Texas Tech defense.

Follow me after the jump for storylines, stats and some video highlights of the game.

The Storylines ::

Roberts = Rebounding Machine: It was simply unbelievable to see PF D`Walyn Roberts with 19 rebounds. Simply an amazing total, but even better was that of those 19 boards, 9 were offensive. Roberts had a spectacular dunk (see the video highlights below), but it's nice to see Roberts get recognized for his workman like effort for this team.

Solid Bench: Remember when we were all wondering whether or not the JUCO's would make an impact. Well, I cannot say that we should all be sold, but the 3 JUCO's, SF Theron Jenkins, SG David Tairu and SF Brad Reese, combined for 27 points, 13 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 blocks. That was your bench for last night (I'm curious as to why Nick Okorie only got 4 minutes last night. Anyone?) and outscored TCU's bench by 7. The additional depth that Pat Knight has on board is really something, and the 3 JUCO's are more than capable of making significant contributions this year.

Leaders Lead: PG John Roberson's good shooting continued last night, and led the team in scoring with 21 points on 7-11 from the field. Not only that, and I'm starting to think he turned the corner, is that Roberson had 10 assists and only 4 turnovers for the night. SF Mike Singletary also finished with 17 points, 5 boards, 2 assists and 2 turnovers. Singletary also had a good shooting night, 7-13, and only 2 turnovers while playing 34 minutes. These two are the leaders of the team, along with Roberts and it's nice to see these juniors lead this team moving forward.

Player Impact, Game Flow and Four Factors: I love these graphs from StatSheet and I hope you do too:

NCAA Basketball Stats

The Offensive MVP :: PG John Roberson: This has to be Roberson for the second time in a row. Again, 21 points, 10 assists and only 4 turnovers, while playing 40 minutes. There's something to this team shooting 52.5% for the game and Roberson having 10 assists and shooting well to boot.

The Defensive MVP :: PF D`Walyn Roberts: Another repeat MVP, Roberts work on the board was maybe the difference in the game as Texas Tech out-rebounded TCU by 15 (45 to 30).

Game Highlights:

Double-T Nation Daily Diatribe :: 12.09.09

Seth C — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 12:10:01 -0000

More photos » by Tom Pennington - AP

11 days ago: TCU center Zvonko Buljan (15) scrambles for a loose ball against Texas Tech David Tairu (13) during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game Tuesday, Dec. 8, 2009 in Fort Worth, Texas. Texas Tech beat TCU 80-70. (AP Photo/Tom Pennington)

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9-0: I didn't get a chance to either watch the game or listen to the game, but I'll throw up some post-game thoughts and feign some sort of expertise. Another nice win, on the road, and for those of you just checking in on things, the Red Raiders beat TCU 80-70 (Box Score).

Down from 14: That appears to be the theme of most of the game stories (LAJ's Courtney Linehan and FWST's Stefan Stevenson and TR's RRR also has post game thoughts). Head coach Pat Knight told his team to keep it close:

"If you can just keep this between four and six points you have a chance to do this," Tech coach Pat Knight told his team in the midst of its 9-0 run to close out the first half. "That was huge, because if we let them go on a run or hit some more shots on us then it would have been really hard for our guys to come back."

And TCU head coach Jim Christian had this to say about PF D`Walyn Roberts, who had 19 rebounds, 9 of them offensive, and 9 points:

"He’s not very big, but he’s very athletic and aggressive," Christian said of the 6-foot-7 Duncanville graduate. "He’s a great player and he’s going to do that when you don’t put a body on him and let him roam free, and that’s what he did."

And PK had is proud of Roberts' performance:

"I’m just glad people are finally noticing what D’walyn does," Knight said. "It’s the stuff that helps you win games. Sometimes it’s not the stuff that’s going to make SportsCenter, but it makes me happy."

Without Ray: This story by LAJ's Courtney Linehan wasn't published until after I posted yesterday's DD, but it essentially details the situation of PF Corbin Ray, who suffered a concussion in a scrimmage, and is still expected to miss another month. PK had this to say about Ray and his situation and the type of skill-set that Ray brings:

"The kid competes. He wants to play; that’s why he came here," Knight said. "You’ve got to be careful because he’s one of those kids who will tell you what he thinks you need to hear so he can play, not thinking about his own health. We’re taking it slow this time around to be sure."

Snip

"He’s not a post threat, really, but he can guard the post really well because he’s more athletic so he can get around the big guys," Knight said. "He’s really good at facing the basket and passing. From a defensive standpoint we don’t lose anything when he’s in, but from an offensive standpoint he’s different because he can set back screens and hit 3s."

Davis 1st Team All-American: Congrats to S Cody Davis for being named first team All-American by Phil Steele publications. Steele also released his All-Big 12 teams and there are a number of Red Raiders represented as Steele goes 4 teams deep. DT's Adam Coleman talked with Davis about how he plays (there's also some quotes from other players about Davis):

"Just flying out to the ball," Davis said. "Being around the ball, just trying to make the secure tackle whenever it comes my way.

"But I’m still looking for my interception. I’m so hungry for it."

Initial Bowl Allotment Sold Out . . . Not So Fast: LAJ's Don Williams wrote last night that Texas Tech has sold out their initial bowl allotment, but then Texas Tech posted that the the allotment has been replenished.

MSU Suspended Players: FWST's Dwain Price writes that head captain Mike Leach had this to say about the Michigan St. suspended players and how that can affect a team:

"Sometimes a team gets better by getting rid of some folks,'' Leach said. "The other thing is those guys have a funny way of being available by the time you play them, so who knows?''

DT's Alex Ybarra talked with some of the players about the same topic, and LB Bront Bird feels that the backups are just as good as those players suspended:

"This is a Division I level, and that’s a big conference," linebacker Bront Bird said. "The guy (who was suspended), his backup is probably just as good as him. I honestly don’t pay too much attention to all that, and I don’t think we as a team should either."

Snip

"Suspensions are tough for a team, you can either keep moving and try to fight forward or some teams it can ruin their season," Bird said. "Obviously, I have no idea what their mindset is. Yeah they can be tough, but if you’re mentally tough, I’m sure their group will push through it and they’ll be just fine."

Hawaiian Trip: It appears that the coaches will be taking a trip to Hawaii to recruit LB V.J. Fehoko, who is the brother of Texas Tech's own LB Sam Fehoko, and was also named as the High School Athlete of the Year. I wish the coaching staff well in their travels.

BYU Gets Revenge While TCU Blows Halftime Lead

Jeremy Mauss — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 05:48:26 -0000

Final - 12.8.2009	1	2	Total
Arizona St. Sun Devils	23	45	68
BYU Cougars	39	42	81

Complete Coverage >

BYU got revenge over last years controversial call that overturned a buzzer beater tip in by the Sun Devils. BYU took off and never looked back in this game. Arizona State did stop BYU's Jimmer Freddette and held him to 1-14 shooting and only ten points, but the rest of the Cougars helped out by having three others score in double figures.

Neither team shot particularly well --both at 43 percent-- but the difference was the turnover margin that had BYU a plus six. BYU also won the rebounding 34-28 with eight second chance opportunities to ASU's three.

Final - 12.8.2009	1	2	Total
Texas Tech Red Raiders	36	44	80
TCU Horned Frogs	41	29	70

Complete Coverage >

The Horned Frogs stormed out of the gate with an early 14-4 lead and TCU was able to hang on to a five point lead at the half, and the game seemed to be somewhat in the hands of the Horned Frogs for an upset win over 23 ranked Texas Tech.

Then the second half started which saw the TCU lead shrink to a deficit and eventually a lose. The Horned Frogs were unable to keep their momentum going from the early first half, and showed while they have talent, but need to realize it is a 40 minute game.

TCU was lead in scoring by a monster night in Zyonko Buljan who had 24 points and 10 boards, but that was not enough as Tech shot over 50 percent from the field compared to TCU's 42 percent.