The Southern Jaguars take on the No.1-seeded Texas Southern Tigers in the third round of the SWAC tournament at the Toyota Center. The game gets underway at 9:30 pm ET on Friday, Mar. 11.
The Tigers were victorious over Alabama A&M 77-69 in the 2. Malcolm Riley was the game’s high scorer with 22 points on 8-for-15 shooting. The Jaguars, meanwhile, are coming off an 83-63 win over Alabama State in the 2. Adrian Rodgers shot 8-for-14 and led in scoring with 22 points.
Riley has really been playing well as of late for the Tigers, averaging 19.8 points, 4.6 rebounds, 0.6 assists, and 4.6 three-pointers over the last five games.
Points could be at a premium in this matchup between two of the nation’s best defenses. Texas Southern ranks 34th in the nation in defensive efficiency (103.5), while Southern is 28th (100.6).
The two teams have split their matchups this season. The Tigers had the upper hand in the most recent game, a blowout 77-69 win. Rodgers was a top performer in the victory with 22 points, eight rebounds, three assists, and three three-pointers.
Notes
In its last game, Southern won by a margin of 20 points. Texas Southern is 5-3 in games decided by a margin of 18 points or more. Southern also has a 5-3 record in blowouts.
The Texas Southern Tigers have a defensive rating of 103.5 (ranked 34th), while the Southern Jaguars have an offensive rating of 106.4 (ranked 169th).
Texas Southern has an average field goal percentage of 45.9%. Southern is a subpar 1-6 when opponents have a similar or higher field goal percentage.
The Texas Southern Tigers and the Southern Jaguars both rank higher in average field goal percentage when compared to their effective field goal percentages. Texas Southern is 101st and 79th in the nation for eFG% and FG% respectively, while Southern ranks 171st and 124th in these categories.
Texas Southern, the 99th-ranked team in rebounding, register an average of 37.7 rebounds per game. Southern does worse, ranked 190th with 35.8.
The Texas Southern Tigers make an average of 4.4 steals per game. When the Southern Jaguars allow 4 or more steals, they are a solid 16-9.
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