After playing nine of their last 10 games on the road, the Prairie View A&M University men's basketball team opens the home portion of the Southwestern Athletic Conference schedule hosting rival Texas Southern.
 
Panther fans are encouraged to wear PVAMU purple and gold to the game. Tickets are available online at www.pvpanthers.com/pvhoops. KPVU 91.3 FM will broadcast the game. Live video links and live stats will be available online at pvpanthers.com.
 
The Panthers (3-11 overall, 0-2 SWAC) are coming off a pair of tough road losses at defending SWAC Tournament Champion Southern and second-place finisher last season Alcorn State. While not posting victories, head coach Byron Smith was pleased with the way his team
 
"Our guys are competing and really defending the ball," said Smith of his team, which allowed 62.5 points per game in the two contests. "That's our signature. You may not always be good on offense, but you can always be good defensively because it's a will and not a skill. Our goal is to be one of the better defending teams in the league. Each and every night, that's what you are going to see from us."
 
Texas Southern (6-9, 2-0) is the defending SWAC regular season champion and posted road wins at Alcorn St. and Southern to open league play.
 
"Prepping for a short week is always challenging," Smith said of getting ready for the Tigers after playing games on Monday and Wednesday most teams did to open the conference schedule. "They have a new team this year, with fewer returning players than they did last year. We know they have some marquee guys (Zach Lofton tied for second in scoring at 16.8 points per game). We'll continue to prepare all the way until tipoff."
 
 

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