PANTHERS HEAD TO THE MIDWEST FOR SECOND BIG 10 MATCH-UP
Prairie View A&M is back in action after a six-day hiatus as they'll travel to Nebraska for a match-up against the Huskers on Tuesday night.  The Panthers are back on the road after a rare non-conference home affair last week as Tuesday's game marks the 10th non-conference road contest of the season. The Panthers have lost 11 straight dating back to March 13, 2015 as they've dropped 10 consecutive contests to open the season.  PVAMU is coming off a 62-44 loss to Texas State last Wednesday night. 

NEW FACES IN ABUNDANCE
The Prairie View A&M men's basketball program was picked to finish fifth in a preseason poll of the SWAC's head coaches and sports information directors.  The Panthers return one starter, seven lettermen and feature 12 newcomers entering the 2015-16 season.  Newcomer Tevin Bellinger is the top scorer on the team with 13.4 points per game while newcomer Admassu Williams follows with 12.1 points and 7.8 rebounds per game. Returnees Zach Hamilton and Jayrn Johnson average 7.4 points and 6.6 points per game, respectively.

THE SERIES
This marks the first meeting between both teams in series history and the second against a team from the Big Ten this season as the Panthers traveled to Wisconsin.  PVAMU is 0-5 all-time against the Big Ten.

ABOUT THE PANTHERS
Head coach Byron Rimm II has a major task ahead of him with the departure of four talented senior starters from last year's squad. With a roster full of newcomers, guard Tevin Bellinger and Admassu Williams have emerged as the team's top two scoring threats while returning guard Jayrn Johnson has moved into a starting role.  Two-year letterwinner Karim York and sophomore Zach Hamilton has emerged as threats off the bench.

THE LAST TIME
Tuesday's contest marks PVAMU's sixth game against a Big Ten opponent since 1992 as they've played Wisconsin (3x), Michigan State and Purdue. The Panthers are 0-5 all-time against the Big Ten. 

RIMM vs. THE BIG TEN
Tuesday's game marks the fifth time head coach Byron Rimm II will face a Big Ten opponent as PVAMU's head coach. Rimm is 0-4 with games at Michigan State and Wisconsin.

NEBRASKA CONNECTION
Prairie View A&M and Nebraska have a small connection as former PVAMU head coach Jerome Francis, Jr. served as an assistant at Nebraska in 2006.
Against the SWAC, Nebraska is 20-1 all-time as this will be its third contest versus a team from the league this season.

ROAD WARRIORS
In non-conference play, the Panthers will live out their suitcases this fall as 11 of their 12 contests are away from campus.  
Prairie View A&M will play four non-conference games in the state of Texas while traveling to a total of six states (Louisiana, Nebraska, Nevada, Rhode Island, Virginia and Wisconsin).  In addition to the out-of-state trips, the Panthers will play in three different time zones (Central, Eastern and Pacific). 
The team's lone non-conference home game took place on Dec. 16 versus Texas State.

THREES PLEASE
The three-point shot was critical to the team's offense last season as PVAMU ranked  second in the SWAC with a 33.3 percent average.  The Panthers are off to a slow start behind the arc as they're shooting 24.1% (32-for-133).
Defensively, teams aren't shooting the three-ball as well against the Panthers as they rank second in the league in three-point defense (31.9%)

REVERSAL OF ROLES
PVAMU has made a surprising turnaround at the free throw line as they lead the SWAC with a 66.1 percent average.  What makes the stat a surprise is that the Panthers have ranked near or at the bottom of the category in the nation for the past five seasons.

ROAD WOES
If the Panthers are ever to have success, winning on the road is a must as the Panthers were 7-14 away from home during the 2014-15 campaign.
With only one home game so far, the sample size is limited as the Panthers are shooting 27.1 percent and .077 percent from the three-point line inside the William Nicks Building.
Away from home, PVAMU is shooting 36.1 percent overall and 25.8 percent from the three-point line.
On the road, PVAMU is shooting 67.1 percent from the free throw line compared to  57.9 percent at home.
So far this season, the Panthers are shooting 35.1 percent overall.

RING MY BELL
Newcomer Tevin Bellinger has made a quick transition to Division I basketball as the Hutto, Texas native leads the team in scoring with 13.4 points per game.  He's also shooting 37.6 percent and has a team-high 14 three-pointers made.

POST PRESENCE
Junior post Admassu Williams has quickly become PVAMU's paint protector as he leads the Panthers in rebounds (7.8), blocks (11) and is second in scoring (12.1). Williams is deft around the basket as he's sporting a 45.7 percent field goal average.

DIVERSITY
Head coach Byron Rimm II leaves no stone unturned in the recruiting process as seven states are represented on this year's roster.
Rimm has 11 players from Texas and one player each from Arkansas, California, Louisiana, North Carolina, Ohio, and Wisconsin.

A NEW YORK
Senior post Karim York will play a vital role in the success of this year's team as he averaged career-high 9.1 points and 5.1 rebounds while also shooting 46 percent from the field.  York also participated with the Athletes In Action tour in Poland this past summer.

SWITCHING GEARS
The non-conference slate hasn't been kind to Prairie View A&M head coach Byron Rimm II since he took over the reigns at Prairie View A&M in 2006.
In 10 years, Rimm is 32-96 in non-conference match-ups with NCAA Division I wins coming against Bethune-Cookman, Houston, Navy, Norfolk State, North Texas, Florida Gulf Coast and Stephen F. Austin.
In SWAC play, Rimm holds a career mark of 77-84.

UP NEXT
The Panthers will remain on the road and face Louisiana Tech on Dec. 28.

NEW ADDITION
Head coach Byron Rimm II has signed 6-9 forward/center J.D. Wallace for the 2016-17 season.   A 6-9, 225 forward/center, Wallace currently plays at Southwestern Christian College in Terrell, Texas and is currently averaging a double-double of 11.4 points and 11.3 rebounds per game.  Wallace is blocking an average of 1.8 shots per outing and is shooting 53 percent from the field.  He ranks third nationally in rebounding at this point of the season and 19th in blocked shots.    
During the 2014-15 season, Wallace averaged 10.2 points and pulled down 7.6 rebounds per game.  He ranked eighth nationally amongst NJCAA student-athletes with a 61.3 field goal percentage and ranked 16th nationally in rebounding.  He also compiled four double-doubles and was a major presence in the paint as he blocked 51 shots with a high of seven at Paris Junior College.  He also had a 17-rebound performance at Mountain View College as he finished the year with seven games featuring 10 or more rebounds.
A native of Dallas, Wallace prepped at powerhouse Madison High School and was an all-district performer.

RADIO/INTERNET    
All of Prairie View A&M's SWAC contests will be broadcast live on KPVU 91.3 FM. The station can be heard via the airwaves or Internet at www.pvamu.edu/kpvu.  
Smartphone  and tablet users can also hear the game live by downloading the TuneIn application for their respective devices and selecting KPVU 91.3 FM.
Selected games will also air via the Internet at www.obnradio.com on the Open Mic Broadcast Network.
All home games will be streamed via on YouTube.com.

PANTHERVISION
Prairie View A&M will begin its fifth year of streaming selected athletic events and its first through its YouTube.com channel for free.