Texas Southern's 2022 NCAA Opponent Preview
The 2022 NCAA Tournament selection committee announced that Texas Southern would play Texas A&M-Corpus Christi in the First Four game on Thursday, Mar. 17. TSU enters the contest as a 3-point favorite.
The winner between No. 16 seeded Texas Southern (18-12, 13-5 SWAC) and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (23-11, 7-7 SLC) will face the No. 1 seeded Kansas Jayhawks (28-6, 14-4 Big 12).
Johnny Jones' Tigers basketball unit won the 2022 SWAC Basketball Tournament Championship for the second-consecutive season in a convincing 87-62 victory against Alcorn State.
Last year, TSU gave the NCAA a jolt with a 60-52 upset over Mount St. Mary's in the tournament's "First Four" game.
Who will the TSU Tigers face in the TXAMU-Corpus Christi basketball team?
The Islanders won the 2022 Southland Conference Basketball Tournament Championship after defeating Southeastern Louisiana 73-65 on Mar. 12 at Merrell Center.
A&M Corpus Christi boasts a 23-11, 7-7 SLC record. The team is led by Issac Mushila and Trevian Tennyson with 13.5 PPG and 11.8 PPG averages for the 2021-22 season. Mushila is also the Islanders' top rebounder with 9.5 RRG.
Defensively, the A&M-CC have Simeon Fryer with 20 blocked shots, and Terrion Murdix steals basketballs with 64 (1.9 PPG) this season.
TXAM-CC scores 76.9 PPG and limits its opponents to 69.9 PPG. They effectively crashing the boards for rebounds with 38.4 RPG in a 4.8 rebounding advantage over their competitors.
- A&M-Corpus Christi is now 17-0 this season when holding the opposition to 70 points or less.
- The Islanders recorded their sixth 20-win season in program history and first since 2016-17. The program began in 1999-00.
- They can be streaky and deadly with the three-pointers.
The TSU Tigers
The in-state showdown will be intriguing between TSU and TAMU-CC. Texas Southern has come against stiff competition this past regular season. However, their stunning 69-54 win was against the Florida Gators on Dec. 7 gives the Tigers confidence heading into the NCAA tournament action.
Watch the play of three players for TSU. Transfers Brison Gresham (Houston) and PJ Henry (Hartford) provide the tournament leadership Coach Jones needs in a young and team-oriented group.
"I'm most excited about obviously the whole group. But Brison coming from the University of Houston last year, being on the Final Four there, and having a chance to cut down nets. For him to come over across the street [in Houston], and join us, and be on that same mission in how he's played and impacted our basketball team all year long. Be it on the practice floor, in the locker room, just his personality. He is just high really came in and bought in our basketball. It's in the leadership that he's given to this basketball team is one of the reasons I have an opportunity to be sitting here again tonight." Jones commented to me in last night press conference.
The Islanders made SLU shoot more three-points shots than necessary in the SLC title win. One of the keys will be for the Tigers to play disciplined basketball and attack the rim as they did versus the Braves.