Dec. 18, 2006

This Game: SMU Mustangs (8-1) at TCU Horned Frogs

Thu. Dec. 21 - 7:00 pm CT Daniel-Meyer Coliseum (7,201) Fort Worth, Texas Radio: KAAM 770 AM TV: CSTV

The SMU Mustangs (8-1) make their 2006-07 national television debut when CSTV broadcasts their visit to the TCU Horned Frogs at Daniel-Meyer Coliseum on Thursday, Dec. 21, at 7 p.m. This is the 182nd matchup for these Metroplex rivals with the Mustangs holding a 99-82 all-time lead. The game is live nationally on CSTV for the second straight season. SMU won last seasons' meeting at Moody Coliseum 52-49 on Dec. 30. The Mustangs have won two of the last three meetings in the series, but have lost four straight matchups in Ft. Worth since a 94-92 triumph on Feb. 6, 1999. In DFW, CSTV is DirecTV ch. 610 & Dish Network ch. 152.

As of Dec. 18, the Mustangs are No. 28 in the RPI and No. 39 in the Sagarin ratings.

In the Dec. 17 NCAA statistics, SMU is fourth in FG percentage defense at 35.2, sixth in rebound margin at 11.6, 11th in scoring defense at 54.4 points per outing, and 29th in blocks with 5.7. Individually, Bamba Fall is second in C-USA and 11th nationally at 3.0 blocks and Jon Killen is second in Conference USA in assists (5.78) and steals (2.56). That ranks him 24th nationally in assists and 30th nationally in steals. In rebounding, Dontanas Rackauskas is second in C-USA and 50th nationally at 8.8 and Ike Ofoegbu is fourth in the league and 78th in the NCAA at 8.1.

AN SMU WIN MEANS: SMU would have a seven-game winning streak for the first time since a seven-game stretch during the 1999-2000 season (Dec. 3, to Dec. 23). The last streak of more than seven was a 10-0 start to the 1997-98 season. Mustangs improve to 9-1, which would be the best mark since an 11-1 to start the 1999-2000 season. The Mustangs are currently 5-0 at home, which is the best since starting 10-0 at home in 2000-01. The Mustangs would also get to 4-0 in December for the first time since going 6-0 in December of the 1997-98 campaign.

SMU BREAKS GROUND ON CRUM BASKETBALL CENTER: The Mustangs broke ground on the Crum Basketball Center on Dec. 8. It is a $13 million, 43,000 sq. ft. training center that will be open in the Fall of 2007. (complete information on page 8 of the game notes)

THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOME: The Mustangs are 5-0 at home this season. The Mustangs defeated Dayton 53-48, Louisiana-Monroe 99-66, Paul Quinn 76-54, Texas College 79-63, and Prairie View A&M 68-51 in the season-long five-game homestand from Nov. 18 to Dec. 13. The 5-0 home start is the best since winning the first 10 home games of the 2000-01 season.

LAST GAME: SHREVEPORT, La. (AP) -- Derrick Roberts scored 19 points and Ike Ofoegbu grabbed 11 rebounds to lead SMU to a 68-40 win over Centenary on Saturday. Roberts was 6-of-7 from the field and 5-of-6 from the 3-point range. He also pulled in four rebounds. Ofoegbu had 13 points for his third double-double of the season. SMU (8-1) had four players in double figures as Brian Epps scored 14 points and Bamba Fall 12. SMU extended its winning streak to six games. Centenary (4-6) was led by Tyrone Hamilton who scored 16 points on 5-of-19 shooting from the floor. He missed all of his eight 3-point attempts. SMU (8-1) took an early 11-2 lead on consecutive 3-pointers and held a 43-19 halftime lead. The Mustangs outrebounded Centenary 45-17 and shot 54 percent for the game from the field. The Gents shot 30 percent from the field.

LAST MEETING WITH TCU: DALLAS (AP) - Bryan Hopkins scored 27 points and SMU went on a 9-2 run over the final 5:25 to rally past TCU 52-49 Friday night. Hopkins was 7-of-10 from 3-point range and made all four of his free throws, including a pair that put SMU (7-4) ahead 51-47 with 22 seconds remaining. Devon Pearson, who had four points during the decisive run, was the Mustangs' next highest scorer with seven. Blake Adams came off the bench to lead TCU (4-9) with 12 points. Nile Murry, who had eight points and a game-high eight rebounds, missed a potential game-tying 3-pointer with 2 seconds left. The Horned Frogs led 47-43 when Pearson started the winning rally with a layup and Donatas Rackauskas followed with another layup at the 4:47 mark. Pearson put SMU ahead for good on a layup with 3:55 left, and Hopkins completed an 8-0 run with his final two free throws.

ON THE AIR: The Mustangs are on KAAM 770 AM in Dallas/Fort Worth. Rich Phillips, Allen Stone, and Jay Poerner bring you all the SMU basketball action and news from around Conference USA.

EYE ON THE RPI: The RPI is one of the principal components the NCAA selection committee uses to determine the field for the NCAA Men's Tournament. It has three primary components. It does not include non-Division I opponents in SMU's record (Paul Quinn and Texas College). The Mustangs finished the 2005-06 season at No. 269 in the RPI. Part I (25% of the formula): Team winning percentage. Part II (50%): Average opponents' winning percentage. Part III (25%): Average opponents' opponents' winning percentage. The Mustangs reached No. 7 in the RPI on Dec. 8 SOS 1-50 51-100 101-200 201+ Non Conference L10 R/N Rnk Conf W-L SOS W-L W-L W-L W-L W-L RPI SOS W-L W-L 28 SMU CUSA 6-1 124 0-1 3-0 0-0 3-0 6-1 29 142 6-1 3-1 7 Florida St. ACC 8-2 L, 59-52 at FSU on 11/14/06 57 Dayton A-10 9-1 W, 53-48 at SMU on 11/18/06 78 Illinois St. MVC 6-4 W, 57-55 at SMU on 11/12/06 100 La-Monroe SB 3-6 W, 99-66 at SMU on 11/22/06

DOUBLE-DOUBLES: Devon Pearson entered the season with 11 career double-doubles, which was the most by an active player in C-USA. He was the only current Mustang with any entering 2006-07. Pearson had nine in 2005-06. 2006-07 Double-Doubles Player Stats Opponent Season Career Ike Ofoegbu 26 pts, 10 rebs La-Monroe 11/22 1st 1st Devon Pearson 19 pts, 10 rebs Texas College 12/3 1st 12th Ike Ofoegbu 14 pts, 10 rebs Prairie View A&M 12/10 2nd 2nd Ike Ofoegbu 13 pts, 11 rebs at Centenary 12/16 3rd 3rd

OUR FTM IS MORE THAN YOUR FTA: Head coach Matt Doherty sets a goal for the Mustangs to make more free throws than the opponent attempts. Here is a look at the season to date. SMU Opp Goal Result 11/12 18-25 7-9 vs. Illinois State Yes W, 57-55 11/13 10-17 3-4 vs. McNeese State Yes W, 70-54 11/14 7-9 13-18 at Florida State No L, 59-52 11/18 27-40 12-24 Dayton Yes W, 53-48 11/22 15-22 15-19 Louisiana-Monroe No W, 99-66 11/27 20-24 12-19 Paul Quinn Yes W, 76-54 12/3 13-22 9-10 Texas College Yes W, 79-63 12/13 10-19 2-4 Prairie View A&M Yes W, 68-51 12/16 12-15 7-12 at Centenary No W, 68-40 Season 132-193 80-119 YES Yes 6-0 / No 2-1

HONORS: Colonial Classic All-Tournament (SMU went 2-1) Jon Killen (10.7 points, 5.4 assists, 3.3 steals) Ike Ofoegbu (14.0 points, 6.7 rebounds)

SMU MILESTONES: - The Mustangs swept a homestand of five or more games for the first time since a six-game stretch in 1997-98 - The Mustangs won a school-record five games in November, finishing the month 5-1. The Mustangs had previously gone 4-0 in November to start the 1997-98 and 2000-01 seasons. - SMU had its first 2-0 start against Div. I opponents since a 4-0 start to the 2000-01 season. The 2-0 starts in 2004-05 and 2001-02 included non-Div. I victories. (Savannah St. in 2001-02 and UT-Tyler in 2004-05)

LONG TIME, NO SEE: SMU has had a few numbers in the boxscore that have not seen in a while - SMU scored 99 points against La.-Monroe 11/22 - last time was 101 at Puerto Rico - Mayaguez 12/20/2000 (W 101-72) - Jon Killen had 10 assists against La-Monroe 11/22 - last time was Bryan Hopkins with 10 against TCU on 11/24/2002 (W ot, 87-84)

CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARDS: Devon Pearson became the 29th player at SMU with 500 career rebounds when he passed the mar against Louisiana-Monroe 11/22. REBOUNDING (CAREER) 1. 1169 - Jon Koncak - 1981-85 2. 1077 - Ira Terrell - 1972-76 3. 976 - Jeryl Sasser - 1997-01 4. 889 - Larry Davis - 1981-85 5. 840 - Jim Krebs - 1954-57 6. 790 - Willie Davis - 1997-01 7. 785 - Jeff Swanson - 1974-78 8. 759 - Patrick Simpson - 2001-05 9. 745 - Joel Krog - 1953-56 10. 690 - Tim Mason - 1989-93 11. 687 - Carroll Hooser - 1963-66 12. 669 - Lynn Phillips - 1966-69 13. 650 - Quinton Ross - 1999-03 14. 634 - Eric Castro - 2001-05 15. 621 - Terry Williams - 1983-87 16. 619 - Steve Strange - 1958-61 17. 615 - Jan Loudermilk - 1959-62 18. 609 - Greg Kinzer - 1989-93 19. 580 - Bill Voight - 1966-69 20. 574 - John Colborne - 1985-90 21. 562 - Mike Wilson - 1990-93 22. 554 - Gene Phillips - 1968-71 23. 550 - Wilbur Marsh - 1957-60 24. 539 - Bob Begert - 1964-67 25. 535 - Joe Swedlund - 1974-78 26. 530 - Jay Poerner - 1994-98 530 - Devon Pearson - 2003-06

BLOCK PARTY: Bamba Fall's 3.00 blocks per game are second Conference USA and rank 11th in the Dec. 17 NCAA statistics. In 2005-06, Bamba Fall set the SMU freshman record with 53 blocks last season in just 18 games. (Passed the previous record of 43 by Ira Terrell in 1972-73). He also led C-USA with 3.36 per league contest. Bamba Fall - Blocks GP 2+ 3+ 4+ 5+ 6+ 2005-06 Fr. 18 15 10 8 3 1 2006-07 So. 9 7 5 3 2 1 Total 27 22 15 11 5 2 BLOCKED SHOTS (CAREER) 1. 278 - Jon Koncak - 1981-85 2. 169 - Ira Terrell - 1972-76 3. 151 - Patrick Simpson - 2001-05 4. 129 - Reggie Franklin - 1977-79 5. 88 - James Gatewood - 1990-94 6. 81 - Quinton Ross - 1999-03 7. 80 - Bamba Fall - 2005-07 8. 78 - Brad Branson - 1978-80 9. 69 - Bobby Dimson - 1994-98 10. 67 - Thines Robinson II - 1974-78 67 - Jeryl Sasser - 1997-01 12. 65 - Glenn Puddy - 1984-86,87-89 13. 58 - Willie Davis - 1997-01 58 - Larry Davis - 1981-85 58 - Nigel Smith - 1998-99,00-03 16. 56 - Donatas Rackauskas - 2002-07

W MINUS 2 TO 100: Head coach Matt Doherty has 98 career wins.

SMU RECORD UPDATES: Additions or changes to the SMU record book during the 2006-07 season. SMU Single-Game - Team 3FGM T-5th - 12 vs. McNeese State 11/13 T-5th - 12 La-Monroe 11/22 SMU Single-Game - Individual FTA T-7th - 17 by Ike Ofoegbu vs. Illinois State 11/12

I LIKE IKE: Ike Ofoegbu has become a force for the Mustangs this season. In just six games, he has almost matched his totals from last season in scoring, free throws, and field goals while drastically increasing his averages Points Avg. Rebs Avg. FG 3FG FT 2005-06 102 3.8 82 3.0 35-62 0-1 32-50 2006-07 136 15.1 73 8.1 43-69 7-16 43-60

JON "SHOOTER" KILLEN: Coach Matt Doherty called Jon Killen "shooter" during the summer to help him think more aggressively on offense. The mindset is showing. 2004-05 Fr. 46 points in 28 games (1.6 avg) 2005-06 So. 57 points in 29 games (2.0 avg) 2006-07 Jr. 56 points in 9 games (6.2 avg)

COACHING EXPERIENCE: Head Coach Matt Doherty has assembled a coaching staff of Associate Head Coach Mike Garland, Assistant Coach Lance Irvin, Assistant Coach Steve Lutz, and Director of Operations Malcolm Farmer. The coaching staff entered the season with totals of 49 years of collegiate coaching with 16 conference crowns and 12 conference tournament championships. They have earned 26 postseason appearances, including 18 bids to the NCAA Tournament with 14 trips to the Sweet 16, nine Elite Eights, six Final Fours and two National Championships. The coaching staff has also guided 32 players to the NBA.

BUZZER BEATER: Devon Pearson gave the Mustangs an opening-night victory against Illinois State as he tipped in a miss from Derrick Roberts as time expired for the 57-55 triumph. Pearson tipped it in from the right side of the basket after Roberts' 12-foot jumper from the left baseline skipped across the rim.

SMU RECORD FOR NATIONAL TV EXPOSURE: The SMU Men's Basketball team has a school record five nationally televised games during the 2006-07 regular season. The Mustangs play four games on CSTV and one game, at Memphis, on ESPN. The Mustangs' games on CSTV include TCU, both match-ups with Houston and the home game against Memphis. The Mustangs play the first three televised games on the road before playing the final two at home in Moody Coliseum. Thursday, Dec. 21, at TCU - 7 p.m. (CSTV) Saturday, Jan. 13, at Houston - 5 p.m. (CSTV) Saturday, Feb. 3, at Memphis - 11 a.m. (ESPN) Wednesday, Feb. 7, vs. Houston - 7 p.m. (CSTV) Saturday, March 3, vs. Memphis - 8:30 p.m. (CSTV)

R-T-C: Head Coach Matt Doherty uses the initials RTC to represent his vision for the Mustangs. They are Respect, Trust and Commitment. The red wristbands the players wear have RTC as well as several signs around the Mustangs' locker room and offices.

MUSTANG HOOPS BLOG: SMU Mustangs' head coach Matt Doherty has his own blog at www.MustangHoopsBlog.com.

QUOTABLE: Quotes by and about SMU from the 2006-07 season.

Dec. 16 Postgame - at Centenary (W, 68-40) Matt Doherty (on the Mustangs 63.6 percent shooting in the first half) "That first half was our best of the year with the possible exception of the UL-Monroe game. We're playing smarter and executing right now."

Matt Doherty (on the Mustangs 45-17 rebound advantage) "With our size advantage we should dominate anyone we play inside. We'd be stupid not to pound the ball inside and then crash the boards. That's our strong point."

Matt Doherty (on the Mustangs 22 turnovers) "We just can't continue to turn the ball over as much as we did tonight."

Matt Doherty (on playing well on the road after a five-game homestand) "We talked before the game about this being a business meal. Even though I'm still trying to find the personality of this team, we played well, especially defensively, tonight."

Dec. 13 Postgame - Prairie View A&M (W, 68-51) Donatas Rackauskas (on his feeling about the team's 7-1 start) "We're all happy being 7-1. But we all see how much more we need to improve to take it to the level Coach Doherty wants us to play."

Matt Doherty (on Prairie View A&M making frequent defensive changes) "That really prevented us from getting in any sort of flow. As a result, we settled for 3-point shots."

Dec. 11 - On Jon Killen's Expanding Role As Team Leader Matt Doherty (on what he likes most about Jon Killen) "You don't want him going to a competitor. You want him on your team. He's a winner.

Jon Killen (on his role as point guard/floor manager) "You can learn a lot about how to direct things and how to allocate resources and how to keep people happy," Killen said. "You always have to think of yourself as a manager. I can really focus and understand what I'm doing and how to get better."

Jon Killen (on if the four-game winning streak shows the team's improvement) "Since I've been here, we haven't been on a four-game winning streak. Some people say the competition is not that great, but it doesn't matter. We have to work on us getting better. I think overall, we have."

Dec. 8 - On the Mustangs Reaching No. 7 in the RPI Matt Doherty (on the RPI rating) "We are excited to see SMU in the top 25 of the RPI as it is a key component for being selected for the NCAA Tournament. With that said, we have a lot of work to do as we prepare for our upcoming games and the tough C-USA schedule."