GAME NOTES: A couple of teams moving in opposite directions collide on the floor of the Huntsman Center this afternoon, as the Utah Runnin' Utes challenge the TCU Horned Frogs in a Mountain West Conference bout. Idle since last weekend, the Horned Frogs have won three straight games and are now 3-1 in league play. The squad clamped down on Colorado State with a 70-58 decision last Saturday, marking the first time since 2004-05 that TCU has posted three straight league wins. As for the Utes, they've fallen in three consecutive outings, including a 77-67 overtime setback on Tuesday night versus New Mexico in Albuquerque. Two of the losses have come in overtime for Utah, the other being a three-point decision versus BYU at home a week ago. Utah leads the overall series with the Horned Frogs by a count of 8-3, with the Utes capturing a 70-65 victory in Fort Worth in the most recent meeting a season ago.

TCU shot just 39.7 percent from the field last week against Colorado State, but the Frogs managed to limit the home team to a mere 3-of-21 shooting behind the three-point line in picking up the 12-point road win. Henry Salter posted a team-best 14 points on 4-of-6 shooting behind the three-point line, followed by Jason Ebie and Kevin Langford with 12 and 10 points, respectively, for TCU. One of three players to have started all 17 games for the Horned Frogs this season, Salter remains the top scorer with his 15.4 ppg and is now the leader on the glass as well with five and a half boards per game which is quite a feat considering he is a fantastic three-point shooter (52-of-99). If there's a knock against Salter it is his inability to capitalize at the free-throw line where he is just 51.2 percent accurate. Langford and Brent Hackett check in with 14.4 and 11.4 ppg, respectively, for a team putting up 74.5 ppg at the moment.

With a 58.3 percent shooting effort from the field in the second half earlier this week, the Utes managed to get their meeting with UNM into overtime before falling apart in the 10-point loss. Johnnie Bryant showed once again why he needs to be considered the top reserve in the MWC this season, shooting 5-of-7 behind the three-point line and 8-of-11 from the field overall en route to his team-best 25 points. Luke Nevill added 13 points and nine rebounds before fouling out and Tyler Kepkay 12 points, six boards and four assists. One of the top players in the league coming into this season, Nevill has not been the dominant force that many expected, currently averaging just 13.6 ppg to go along with his 7.4 rpg. A 45.5 percent shooter from three-point range, Bryant and his 13.3 ppg have been a much bigger influence on the team's outcomes, although he could stand to get some more support from his slumping teammates. Last season Shaun Green (7.9 ppg) set a school record with 51.2 percent shooting beyond the arc, but this time around he's struggling at just 36.4 percent out on the perimeter.

Until Nevill finds balance from game to game, the Utes will have a hard time convincing people that they can compete with the better programs in the MWC. TCU has won just a single road game this season, but counting the Frogs out altogether today would be a mistake.