• The Texas Southern women’s basketball team is back in action against 2021 NCAA National Runner-up Arizona on Monday evening in Tucson.
• This marks the first contest against a Pac-12 program since 2019 for TSU. TSU played both Oregon and Colorado in Cynthia Cooper-Dyke’s return to TSU that season.
• Fourth-year head coach Cynthia Cooper-Dyke is back on the TSU sidelines for the third straight season. She led TSU to the SWAC Regular Season Championship for the first time in school history in 2012-13 in addition to a second-place finish in 2019-20. The team made it to the semifinals of the SWAC Tournament (before COVID-19) in 2020 and a quarterfinals appearance in 2021.
• TSU will keep its bags packed as the first 10 games on the schedule are on the road. TSU’s first home contest isn’t until Wednesday, Dec. 22 against Virginia.
• TSU is a defacto member of the Pac-12 this year with games at Arizona, Colorado, UCLA and USC.
• TSU will face off against teams from six conferences in 2021-22. TSU will square off against teams from the Pac-12 (4), ACC, Conference USA, SEC, American and Big 12.
• Arizona is 11-0 all-time against the SWAC as they’ve played Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Alabama A&M, Alcorn State, Grambling State, Prairie View A&M, Southern and Texas Southern.
• Cooper-Dyke is 33-54 all-time against the PAC-12 with the majority of games played while head coach at USC. Against Arizona, she’s 5-2 with one game as TSU’s coach in 2012-13 and six at USC. She faced off against Arizona’s Adia Barnes in 2017.
• TSU was picked to finish sixth while guard Ataiya Bridges was named to the 2021-22 Preseason All-SWAC Second Team. The Tigers feature a revamped roster with 12 newcomers and five letterwinners returning.
Courtesy: TSUSports.com