• Texas Southern sets out to win its second straight contest as they'll head west to Spokane, Wash. to face No. 9/9 Gonzaga Wednesday night.
• 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 81-44 all-time in the month of December and 2-4 at TSU.
• Jones is 2-1 all-time against the West Coast Conference with games against Loyola Marymount, Gonzaga and San Francisco.
• The TSU women's team will also face Gonzaga as they'll be in Spokane on Dec. 14.
• Gonzaga is 13-0 all-time against the SWAC as they've played TSU the most (4) out of SWAC teams. Gonzaga has played Alabama State, Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Alcorn State, Mississippi Valley State, Prairie View A&M, Southern and Texas Southern. The game against TSU is the third and final game against a SWAC school this season.
• The Tigers are coming off a rare non-conference Division I home game as they defeated Lamar on Saturday. The game versus Lamar was the first home game against a Division I opponent since 2014.
• 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 while forward John Walker III was granted a waiver to participate immediately after spending the past season at Texas A&M University. Walker scored 10 points and grabbed four rebounds versus Gonzaga last season while at A&M.
• Three of TSU's first three opponents (San Diego State, Wichita State, Arkansas) are ranked in the Ken Pomeroy Basketball Ratings Top 100 and the final four non-conference opponents are also ranked in the top 100 (Nevada, Oregon, Arizona State, Texas A&M).
Courtesy: TSU Athletics