3/12/2017 basketball Edit

Getting To Know Texas Southern

What you need to know about Texas Southern, UNC's first-round opponent in the NCAA Tournament.

Andrew Jones • TarHeelIllustrated

Publisher

Andrew Jones has covered sports for 26 years, including all major college & professional sports for daily newspapers & national sites. He's done radio and TV & is entering his seventh year at THI.

Texas Southern Tigers

Conference: SWAC

Bid: Automatic

Overall Record: 23-11

Conference Record: 16-2, won conference tournament

Best Wins: @ Rice, @ La Salle, @ James Madison

Worst Losses: Miss. Valley State (7-25 record), Jackson State (14-18).

Head Coach: Mike Davis

Top Players: Zach Loften, 6-3 Jr. (17 ppg), Demontrae Jefferson, 5-7, Fr. (14.9 ppg), Derrick Griffin,

Stats: TSU averages 74.2 points per game and shoot 43.1 percent from the field, including 29.6 from 3-point range. They shoot 73.4 percent from the free throw line, average 11.8 assists per game, and are minus-1.9 in rebounding per game. Two Tigers average in double figures but six players average 8.5 or more.

Similar Opponent: Lost 102-71 at Louisville.

NCAA History: 0-6, losses in 1990, 1994, 1995, 2003, 2014, 2015.

Noteworthy: Head coach Mike Davis led Indiana to the 2002 NCAA title game, in which it lost to Maryland. Davis went 115-79 in six seasons at Indiana after replacing Bobby Knight. Davis then was the head coach at UAB for six season and led the Blazers to a 122-72 record, and in 2010 UNC won at UAB in a second-round NIT game. Davis, 56, is in his fifth season at TSU and has a record of 98-68 leading the Tigers. His overall record in 17 years as a head coach is 335-219.

Next Note: TSU lost its third leading scorer, Derrick Griffin, after 13 games so he could focus on the NFL draft.