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The Prairie View A&M Panthers begin a much-needed three-game homestand tonight versus SWAC rival Texas Southern at 7 p.m. in the Baby Dome. The Panthers are playing their first game in the friendly confines of the William Nicks Building since Dec. 7, 2012. For those that can't make the game, the contest will be broadcast live on KPVU 91.3 and streamed free and in HD on the new SWAC Digital Network.
The Panthers have dropped five-straight contests dating back to Dec. 15 and are coming off a 50-45 loss to Southern on Friday night. The last time Prairie View A&M began the season 0-2 in SWAC play occurred during the 2007-08 season.
Since the year 2013 began six days ago, the Panthers have struggled from the field as they're shooting only 31 percent from the field in their past two games. That is a stark contrast from their previous 13 contests in 2012 as they were shooting 42 percent from the field. PV has also struggled from the three-point line since SWAC play began as they're 5-of-27 from beyond the arc.
Senior shooting guard Jourdan DeMuynck leads the Panthers with 14 points per game and is pulling down a team-high six rebounds per outing. The senior from San Leandro, Calif. is coming off a 12-point, 4-rebound performance against Southern on Friday night. Senior point guard Carl Blair follows with 10.4 points and leads the Panthers with 5.1 assists. Blair scored 10 points with four rebounds at Southern on Friday.
Texas Southern, which is not eligible for the SWAC Tournament due to NCAA APR restrictions this season, features a new head coach in Mike Davis. A former head coach at Indiana and UAB, Davis was hired in the summer of 2012 on an interim basis before accepting the permanent position in October. Under Davis' watch, the Tigers have put forth a solid effort on the court with several close losses to nationally ranked programs during the preseason. TSU finished non-conference play with a mark of 1-12 and opened SWAC play with a loss at Southern on Wednesday night. On Friday night, the Tigers picked up their first win since Nov. 16 as they defeated Alcorn State 57-48 on the road.
The Tigers are led by the backcourt of guards Omar Strong and Raymond Penn. Strong, who's averaging 16.4 points per game, ranks fourth nationally in three-pointers made per game with 3.9. Penn is in his first year at TSU and averages 12.9 points per game. Senior Fred Sturdivant is their top rebounder with 7.5 boards per game and ranks 13th nationally in blocks.
Texas Southern has turned the tide of the series lately by winning four-of-five contests since March of 2010. Prior to PV's win last year, the four straight wins by TSU marked its longest streak in the series since winning 20 straight from 1987 to 1997.
PV head coach Byron Rimm II has an all-time record of 53-23 in the Baby Dome. He's 21-1 in the dome versus non-conference foes and 31-22 against SWAC opponents.
Prairie View A&M closes out its three-game homestand next weekend as they'll host Grambling State on Saturday, Jan. 12 at 5 p.m. and a nationally televised ESPNU contest versus Jackson State on Monday, Jan. 14 at 8 p.m.
