The Southern Jaguars will travel to the Gentry Center to take on the Tennessee State Tigers this Sunday afternoon in College Basketball action.
The Southern Jaguars snapped their 3-game losing streak and improved to 2-4 on the season after defeating the Ecclesia College Royals, 109-53, this past Tuesday. Southern had no trouble generating offense against Ecclesia College and easily picked up the victory after going into halftime with a 45-31 lead. Southern shot 58.0% from the field & 33.3% from beyond the arc while allowing Ecclesia College to shoot 35.4% from the field & 39.3% from beyond the arc. Southern outrebounded Ecclesia College by a 37-29 margin and won the turnover battle by a 35-13 margin in the victory. Leading the way for the Jaguars was Brion Whitley who had 29 points, 6 rebounds, & 5 steals.
On the season, Southern is averaging 72.0 ppg on 43.2% shooting from the field. The Jaguars are averaging 6.7 three-pointers per game on 35.4% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Southern has been led by Brion Whitley (15.2 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 1.8 spg), Tyrone Lyons (14.2 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 1.7 apg, 1.8 spg, 1.2 bpg), Jayden Saddler (11.3 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 4.7 apg, 1.8 spg), & P.J. Byrd (8.0 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 3.8 apg).
Defensively, Southern is allowing their opponents to average 71.5 ppg on 46.3% shooting from the field. The Jaguars have a rebound margin of -4.8 and a turnover margin of 5.2.
The Tennessee State Tigers lost their 2nd straight game and dropped to 1-4 on the season after being defeated by the Nebraska Cornhuskers, 79-73, this past Tuesday. Tennessee State led by a 41-38 margin at halftime, however, the Tigers defense struggled in the 2nd half and could not fight back after the Cornhuskers 70-61 lead with just 3:55 left in regulation. Tennessee State shot 40.6% from the field & 39.4% from beyond the arc while allowing Nebraska to shoot 52.8% from the field & 24.0% from beyond the arc. Tennessee State outrebounded Nebraska by a 37-35 margin, however, lost the turnover battle by a 13-10 margin in the loss. Leading the way for the Tigers was Dedric Boyd who had 23 points, 2 rebounds, & 1 assist.
On the season, Tennessee State is averaging 76.4 ppg on 47.1% shooting from the field. The Tigers are averaging 9.0 three-pointers per game on 38.8% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Tennessee State has been led by Dedric Boyd (14.8 ppg, 1.4 rpg, 1.0 apg), Carlos Marshall Jr. (12.0 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 1.2 apg), Marcus Fitzgerald Jr. (10.0 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 2.6 apg), & Kassim Nicholson (9.4 ppg, 9.6 rpg, 1.2 apg).
Defensively, Tennessee State is allowing their opponents to average 73.2 ppg on 43.6% shooting from the field. The Tigers have a rebound margin of 1.0 and a turnover margin of -0.8.
The Jaguars are 17-6-2 ATS in their last 25 games vs. a team with a winning % below .400 & 6-1 ATS in their last 7 games following a straight up win of more than 20 points. The Tigers are 7-2 ATS in their last 9 home games vs. a team with a losing road record & 15-5 ATS in their last 20 Sunday games.
Southern comes into this game with just two wins, however, the Jaguars have an impressive win at Tulane and have done a great job of winning turnover battle as they come into this game ranked 31st in turnover margin. Tennessee State has been able to have some solid offensive success behind good three-point shooting, however, this is a team that has struggled defensively as they come into this matchup ranked just 267th in scoring defense & 231st in defensive FG%. I think this is going to be a close game, however, as I’ve been more impressed with what I’ve seen from Southern to start the season, I think the Jaguars and the points are the play here. Good Luck!