• Texas Southern is back on the road for the start of the two-game Alabama swing as the Tigers travel to Huntsville, Ala. to face Alabama A&M Saturday evening in Elmore Gymnasium at 6 p.m. TSU is looking for its sixth straight win in the final weekend of round one of SWAC hoops.
• This marks the second year for TSU head coach Johnny Jones. Jones went 24-14 in his inaugural year as head coach with three Power 5 conference wins. TSU fell in the finals of the 2019 SWAC Tournament and competed in the CIT. TSU advanced to the semifinals of the CIT last season.
• TSU has to replace three key starters from last year's squad but has several returnees who had made starts last year that will have to step up. Point guard Tyrik Armstong, shooting guard John Jones and forward Eden Ewing will be counted on to lead the charge as Armstrong and Jones are top returning scorers while Ewing is the top returning rebounder.
• Head coach Johnny Jones is 79-71 all-time in the month of January and 10-4 at TSU.
• Jones is 3-0 lifetime against Alabama A&M.
• Alabama A&M was picked eighth in the SWAC's preseason poll and is under the direction of Dylan Howard. Cameron Alford leads the team with 14 points and 5.2 rebounds per game.
• TSU has dominated the series against Alabama A&M recently as the Tigers have won 12 straight and 23 of the past 24 match-ups. AAMU's last win over TSU was on Feb. 1, 2014.
• Yahuza Rasas has seven double-doubles on the season for the Tigers.
• TSU's Justin Hopkins will take Saturday's game to heart as he's a native of Huntsville. Hopkins prepped at J.O. Johnson High School which is near the AAMU campus.
• TSU takes the term "home, sweet home" to heart as the Tigers are 98-23 inside the H&PE Arena since 2008. TSU has won nine-plus games at home every year since the 2010-11 season.
• TSU was picked second in the Southwestern Athletic Conference preseason poll as senior forward Eden Ewing was named to the All-SWAC Preseason First Team. Ewing was granted a sixth year of eligibility in the summer.
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Courtesy: TSU Athletics