SMU travels to Fort Worth for a game with metroplex rival TCU on Sunday. The Mustangs, who concluded their home season with a school-best 12-1 record, have won 14 of their last 15 games and are in first place in the Western Athletic Conference. With a 10-1 conference mark, SMU would clinch a tie for the regular season WAC title with a win on Sunday. The Mustangs have won 18 straight games in the series against TCU, who is 15-12 overall and 6-6 in the WAC. The game will be televised by Fox Sports Southwest at 3:00 p.m.

From the Locker Room

Karlin Kennedy, SMU's all-time leader in scoring, field goals made, field goal percentage and blocked shots, has scored 1,678 career points and is tied for the team lead with 15.4 points per game this season. She leads the Mustangs with 8.5 rebounds per game and a 54.0 field goal percentage, and is tied for the team lead with 28 blocked shots. Kennedy displayed her heroics with 10 overtime points against Fresno State on Feb. 17, and has a team-high seven double-doubles this seaseon. D-dra Rucker also has scored 15.4 points per game, and leads the team with 73 steals and 99 assists. She is shooting 88 percent from the free throw line, the best mark in the WAC. Katie Remke has scored 7.1 points per contest and is tied for the team lead with 28 blocked shots. Her 7.4 rebounds per game are second on the squad and sixth in the WAC. Anika Calvert is third on the team with 9.7 points per game and second on the Mustangs with 85 assists. Nici Johnson is averaging 9.3 points and 6.2 rebounds per game. She is second on the squad with 53 steals, three shy of her season high set last year. She is shooting a personal best 51.3 percent from the field, which ranks her fifth in the WAC. Freshman Vanita Krouch has started at point guard in each of the last 15 games and set a career high with six rebounds on Feb. 10 against San Jose State. She is third on the team with 50 assists.

Scouting TCU

TCU (15-12, 6-6) has won three consecutive games and four of its last five contests. The Horned Frogs are 12-5 at home, including 4-2 in WAC play. Diamond Jackson leads TCU with 13.1 points per game, 24 blocked shots and 39 steals. She also has 67 assists. Amy Sutton (11.4 ppg/injured), Tricia Payne (10.9 ppg, 53 assists) and Jill Sutton (10.6 ppg, 99 assists) also have paced the Frogs. Head coach Jeff Mittie is in his first season at TCU.

SMU vs. TCU

SMU has won 18 straight games in the series and is 36-7 all-time against TCU. The Mustangs defeated the Horned Frogs, 82-63, on Jan. 29 in Dallas. Perhaps the most memorable game in the series occurred just three years ago, when SMU pulled out a 127-125 victory in quadruple overtime in Fort Worth. The Frogs last defeated the Ponies, 60-53, on Jan. 5, 1991. The Mustangs are 17-0 in nine years against TCU under Rhonda Rompola.

Head Coach Rhonda Rompola

In her ninth season as head coach at SMU, Rhonda Rompola owns a 172-88 (.662) record. Under Rompola's guidance, the Mustangs have advanced to the NCAA Tournament in five of the last six years. Rompola was named the 1994-95 Houston Post Coach of the Year and was twice named the Dallas Morning News Southwest Conference Coach of the Year. Rompola became SMU's head coach in 1991-92 after spending seven years as an assistant coach of the Mustangs. She was an All-America forward for the Mustangs in 1981-82 and still holds five individual single season records at SMU.

Kennedy Rewrites Record Book

With 19 points on Jan. 8 against North Texas, senior F Karlin Kennedy became SMU's all-time leading scorer. She now has 1,678 career points and has blown past Kerri Delaney, the previous record holder. The Mena, Ark., native, began the season in eighth place on SMU's all-time scoring list, and steadily climbed the charts with consistent scoring. She is tied for the team lead with 15.4 points per game and has scored in double figures 20 times in 23 games this season. Kennedy is also SMU's career leader in blocked shots (137), field goals made (678) and field goal percentage (53.4%). Kennedy is not just a team leader, but a conference leader as well. She is 10th all-time in the WAC in scoring, fourth in field goals made, second in rebounds (874) and fourth in blocked shots.

Kennedy Climbs SMU, WAC Career Rebounding Lists

Senior F Karlin Kennedy is averaging 8.5 rebounds per game this season and is climbing the SMU and WAC career rebounding lists. She took over sole possession of second place all-time in the WAC on Feb. 19 with five rebounds against UTEP after moving into second place on the all-time SMU list on Jan. 22 at Fresno State. She is 59 rebounds shy of Shasta Smother-Johnson's school record of 933 rebounds and 62 away from the conference mark (936) set by Teresa James (Colorado State, 1992-96). Kennedy set a new career high with 17 rebounds at Tulane on Dec. 13. She pulled down seven offensive boards and 10 defensive rebounds in the game. Her 17 rebounds tied the sixth most in school history and were the most by a Mustang since Kim Brungardt tallied 18 rebounds on Feb. 25, 1995.

Home Sweet Home

SMU concluded its best home season ever with a 12-1 mark and a shool record nine-game home winning streak. The Mustangs' 12 home wins tied the record set by the 1997-98 squad, but this year's team improved even on that mark. The '97-98 team posted a 12-2 record at Moody Coliseum. SMU's only home loss this season was in overtime to Texas A&M on Nov. 30.

SMU in the Power Rankings

Entering the week, SMU is ranked 51st nationally in the CollegeRPI.com RPI rankings and 50th by The College Basketball News' Women's Basketball RPI Ratings.

Ponies Need One Win to Clinch a Tie for WAC title

With a 10-1 record in the Western Athletic Conference, the Mustangs need just one win to clinch a tie for the regular season conference title. It would be the first regular season conference title ever for the Ponies. SMU is two games ahead of second place Hawaii (9-3) with three games to play. The Mustangs conclude the regular season with a tough road trip to third place Rice and fourth place Tulsa next week.

Rucker Perfect from Free Throw Line

Junior D-dra Rucker is first in the WAC and sixth in the nation with an 87.7 free throw percentage. She has made 30 consecutive free throws over the last 12 games and has not missed a shot from the charity stripe since Jan. 4 against Utah. Her current free throw percentage would rank her third on SMU's single season list and fourth in the WAC record book. Rucker has missed more than one free throw in a game only twice this season.

Johnson Paces Mustangs with Career Year

Senior captain Nici Johnson has quietly put together the best season of her career. She has established new career bests in points per game (9.3), rebounds per game (6.2), field goal percentage (.513) and free throw percentage (.767), and is three steals shy of equaling her career best mark (56, set last year). A career .377 field goal shooter entering the season, Johnson is fifth in the WAC with a .513 average from the floor this year. The 5-8 guard shot 63 percent (45-72) from the field during SMU's 12-game winning streak and was named the WAC Player of the Week on Feb. 7 for her efforts against Tulsa and Rice.

Mustangs Atop WAC Standings in Nine Team Categories

The 1999 Western Athletic Conference champions, SMU has established itself as a conference leader again this year. SMU is atop the WAC standings in nine statistical categories. The Mustangs lead the WAC in scoring offense (72.7 ppg), scoring margin (+ 12.6), rebounding offense (42.5 rpg), rebounding margin (+6.7), field goal percentage defense (.385), blocked shots (3.35 bpg), assists (17.61 apg), steals (13.48 spg) and offensive rebounds (16.74 orpg). Individually, Karlin Kennedy leads the WAC with 3.43 offensive rebounds per game. Additionally, she is in the top five in the WAC in these categories: scoring (T3rd/15.4 ppg), field goal percentage (2nd/.540); rebounds per game (2nd/8.5 rpg); defensive rebounds per game (3rd/5.04) and blocked shots per game (T2nd/1.22 bpg). D-dra Rucker leads the WAC with an 87.7 free throw percentage. She is among the top five in the WAC in scoring (T3rd/15.4 ppg), steals (2nd/3.17 spg) and assists (4th/4.30 apg). Katie Remke is tied for second in the WAC in blocked shots (1.22 bpg). Nici Johnson is fifth in the WAC in field goal percentage (.513). Anika Calvert ranks fourth with a 1.31 assist/turnover ratio.

Mustangs Dominate Boards

After leading the WAC in rebound average the last two years, the Mustangs once again have dominated the boards this season. SMU has outrebounded its opponents, 982-824, this year. The Mustangs have posted a 15-2 record when outrebounding their opponents this season. SMU leads the WAC in rebounding offense, offensive rebounds per game and rebounding margin. Karlin Kennedy (2nd/85 rpg), Katie Remke (6th/7.4 rpg) and Nici Johnson (10th/6.2 rpg) are among conference leaders in rebounds.

SMU Turns Up Intensity on Defense

SMU has won 14 of its last 15 games entering the home stretch of the 1999-2000 season. SMU's defense during this run has been impressive. The Mustangs have limited opponents to 54.2 points per game on 36.1 percent field goal shooting during their last 15 games. But the defense has not always been so strong. SMU gave up 71.2 points per game on 42.5 percent shooting in the first eight games of the season. While the Mustangs struggled early, they committed nearly the same number of turnovers as they forced (173 to 175). During the last 15 games, SMU has turned the ball over 80 times less than its opponents (264 to 344).

Krouch's Ball-Handling a Key to Mustang Success

When Vanita Krouch was inserted into the starting point guard role on Dec. 28 vs. Maryland, she became the first freshman point guard to start for SMU since current Mustang assistant coach Karen Blair started in the 1995-96 season. With Krouch running the offense, the Mustangs have shown drastic improvement. In eight games with Krouch as a reserve, SMU averaged 21.6 turnovers per contest. In the 15 games with Krouch in the starting rotation, the Ponies are averaging 17.7 turnovers per game.

Kennedy Dominates Bulldogs in Overtime

Karlin Kennedy scored 10 of her 22 points against Fresno State in overtime Feb. 17 to secure the Mustangs' eighth straight home victory. The senior forward scored the first six points of the period to help SMU pull away. She was a perfect eight-of-eight from the free throw line, with all of her points from the charity stripe coming after halftime. She also grabbed eight rebounds in the game, moving her into a tie for second all-time in the WAC.

Remke Ties School Record

Katie Remke's five blocked shots against UTEP on Jan. 20 tied the school record for blocks in a single game. Sheila Bryant was the first Mustang to accomplish the feat, blocking five shots against Hardin-Simmons in 1985. Karlin Kennedy tied the record twice in the 1997-98 season, against Tulsa and UTEP, and Claudia Brassard etched her name in the record book with five blocked shots last year against Tulsa. Remke is second on the team and third in the conference with 23 blocked shots, two behind Kennedy.

Injury Report

Sophomore P Courtney Gilmore has missed the last 13 games and is listed as day-to-day with a sprained PCL. She is out for the game against TCU. Freshman F Tyesha Glover is out for the year after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in her left knee in August.

SMU Lands Three in Early Signing Period

SMU signed three recruits during the early signing period. The Mustangs inked Keely Cox, a 6-3 post from Crandall, Texas; Shanta Ramdhanny, a 5-8 guard from Dallas; and Alisa Wright, a 6-1 forward from Greenland, Ark.

WAC Tie-Breaker Scenarios

With five games to play in the regular season, several races have developed within the Western Athletic Conference. The Mustangs are currently tied with Hawaii in the loss column for first in the conference. Here is a look at the tiebreakers that will be used to determine seedings in the WAC Tournament.

? If Two Teams Are Tied:

1. The winner of the head-to-head competition is the higher seed.

2. If the tie is for first place, compare the tied teams' records against the next highest- finishing team in the division and continue through the standings. The team with the best record against the next highest-finishing team or group of teams advances. If the tie is for any position other than first place, the comparison shall begin at the top of the standings.

3. If a tie still remains, the conference office shall conduct a draw. The drawn team shall receive the higher seed.

? If Three or More Teams Are Tied: (Once a tie has been reduced to two teams, the two-team tie-breaker must be implemented.)

1. The teams shall be seeded according to their records versus each other. The team(s) with the best record(s) versus the other tied teams receives the higher seed or advances to the next tie breaker, the team with the next best record versus the other tied teams receives the next highest seed or advances to the next tie breaker, etc.

2. If the tie is for first place, compare the tied teams' records against the next highest finishing team in the division and continue throughout the standings. The team with the best trecord against the next highest-finishing team or group of tied teams advances. If the tie is for any position other than first place, the comparison shall begin at the top of the standings.

3. If a tie still remains, the conference office shall conduct a draw. The first team drawn shall receive the higher seed, the second team the next highest seed, etc.

Mustang Schedule is Tough... Again

As is the case year-in and year-out, the SMU schedule is one of the toughest in the country this season. By the end of last season, seven 1999 NCAA Tournament teams were on the Mustangs' 1998-99 regular-season schedule, and two opponents -- Louisiana Tech and NCAA Tournament foe Georgia -- advanced to the Final Four. The SMU schedule was ranked the eighth most-difficult in the country by Collegiate Basketball News. As for this year, the 1999-2000 slate features 10 teams with winning records last season, six teams that eclipsed the 20-win plateau and six teams that appeared in postseason play. Five 1999-2000 SMU opponents are currently either ranked or receiving votes in the USA Today/ESPN or Associated Press poll, and LSU and Texas Tech have cracked the Top 10.

On Deck: March 2 at Rice, March 4 at Tulsa

SMU concludes the regular season with a tough road trip to Rice and Tulsa. Rice is 15-8 overall and 7-3 in the WAC, entering the week. The Owls are 10-1 at home this season. Tulsa is a much-improved team. The Golden Hurricane is 11-13 overall and 7-4 in the WAC. Tulsa also has played very well at home this year and boasts a 9-3 home mark.

A Quick Look Back at the 1998-99 Season

With a 20-11 record, SMU posted back-to-back 20-win seasons for the first time. The Mustangs won a school-record eight consecutive games and won 13 of their final 15 games to finish the season. With a victory over No. 4 Colorado State in the WAC Tournament Finals, SMU toppled its highest ranked opponent. The Mustangs followed that feat by knocking off 25th-ranked Toledo in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Karlin Kennedy led the team in scoring with 16.1 points per game and blocked shots with 38. She also led the squad and was second in the WAC with a 52.8 field goal percentage Claudia Brassard was second on the team with 14.4 points per game and led the squad in rebounding with a 7.8 average. Karen Blair led the Mustangs in assists with 4.1 per game. Nici Johnson's 56 steals were tops on the team.