Texas Southern Beats Texas A&M-CC, Will Play Kansas in 1st Round of March Madness
Mar 16, 2022
DAYTON, OH - MARCH 15: Bryson Etienne #4 of the Texas Southern Tigers tries to dribble past Simeon Fryer #22 of the Texas A&M Corpus Christi Islanders during the First Four round of the 2022 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament held at UD Arena on March 15, 2022 in Dayton, Ohio. (Photo by Ben Solomon/NCAA Photos via Getty Images )
The first victory of the 2022 NCAA men's basketball tournament belongs to the Texas Southern Tigers of the Southwestern Athletic Conference.
They defeated the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Islanders of the Southland Conference 76-67 in Tuesday's First Four game between the No. 16 seeds in Dayton, Ohio. Bryson Etienne, John Walker III and Brison Gresham led the way for the victors, who will play the top-seeded Kansas Jayhawks in the Midwest Region on Thursday.
A solid showing by Trevian Tennyson wasn't enough for Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.
One of the biggest storylines coming into the game was which offense would break through considering both units struggled for much of the season.
According to the opponent-adjusted rankings on KenPom.com, Texas Southern had the 270th-best offense in the country. While that certainly isn't impressive, it was still better than Texas A&M-Corpus Christi's 287th-ranked group.
The Islanders at least had Isaac Mushila as a double-double threat and go-to option, while the Tigers didn't have a single player average 10 points per game.
The first half followed form, as the teams shot a combined 24-of-63 (38.1 percent) with 15 turnovers. Texas Southern enjoyed a 32-30 lead at intermission thanks in large part to its bench.
Walker and Etienne combined for 16 points with the former connecting on two three-pointers. The Tigers defense also kept Mushila in check (five points, five rebounds), though Simeon Fryer spearheaded the early effort for the Islanders as both a scorer and rebounder (seven points, six rebounds).
Etienne continued to play well at the start of the second half and helped the Tigers extend their lead to six with a three-pointer.
However, Tennyson, the Islanders' second-leading scorer, led a 14-4 run with two three-pointers, a steal and a layup to give his team a 57-53 lead with less than eight minutes to play.
His outside shooting was key because Gresham controlled the paint, corralling 13 boards and swatting seemingly every shot Texas A&M-Corpus Christi took in the lane on his way to six blocks.
DENIED! LeBron James has to be impressed with this one.
But Texas Southern answered the run with a burst of its own, taking the lead back with three free throws by PJ Henry. Another Gresham block a minute later, a layup in transition by A.J. Lawson and two Walker free throws gave the Tigers a 66-61 lead heading into the final three minutes.
Then they rode their defense to victory.
The Islanders managed just a single field goal as the Tigers pulled away at the free-throw line to secure their spot in the round of 64.
What's Next?
Texas Southern will face Kansas in the round of 64 on Thursday.
Shaquille O'Neal's Son Shaqir Commits to Texas Southern
May 1, 2021
Shaqir O'Neal, the 18-year-old son of Basketball Hall of Famer Shaquille O'Neal, has committed to play college basketball at Texas Southern.Â
He announced his decision in an Instagram post Friday.Â
"You can expect a lot of buckets," O'Neal said in an interview with Overtime (h/t ESPN's Myron Medcalf). "I'm trying to get to the league."
O'Neal also said he picked Texas Southern because he wants to help "change the narrative" about high-profile athletes pursuing a future at historically Black colleges and universities.Â
Shaqir's older brother Shareef is currently enrolled at LSU after spending two seasons at UCLA. He averaged 2.8 points and 4.4 rebounds in 10 games during the 2020-21 campaign.Â
A 6'5" shooting guard, O'Neal is graduating from Union Grove High School this spring. He's rated as a 3-star prospect and No. 55 player at his position in the 2021 recruiting class, per 247Sports composite rankings.
The Tigers currently compete in the Southwestern Athletic Conference. Head coach Johnny Jones has gone 57-39 in his first three seasons with the program.Â
Texas Southern made the NCAA men's basketball tournament as a No. 16 seed this season after winning the SWAC tournament. It defeated Mount St. Mary's in the First Four game before losing to No. 1 seed Michigan.Â
Cal Poly vs. Texas Southern Betting Line, First Four Analysis, Pick
Mar 18, 2014
Texas Southern players Lawrence Johnson-Danner, left, Aaric Murray (24) and D'Angelo Scott, right, celebrate after beating Prairie View A&M in an NCAA college basketball game in the championship of the Southwestern Athletic Conference tournament Saturday, March 15, 2014, in Houston. Texas Southern won 78-73. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
At six games under .500 and 11-19 against the spread on the season, the Cal Poly Mustangs are still favorites in their First Four matchup against the Texas Southern Tigers in Dayton on Wednesday night.
The prize for the winner? A date with the only undefeated team left in the country, the Wichita State Shockers, in the Midwest Region.
After going a disappointing 6-10 in the Big West this season, the Mustangs woke up and won three straight games, upsetting the top two seeds, to win the conference tournament and make the Big Dance for the first time ever.
Cal Poly starts three seniors and can play a little defense, holding foes to 63 points per game and 43 percent field-goal shooting this season.
Why pick Texas Southern to cover the spread
The Tigers finished tied for second in the SWAC this season, then won the conference tournament to earn their first NCAA berth since 2003.
Powered by monster-in-the-middle Aaric Murray, TSU has won nine games in a row. The Tigers start four seniors and are led by a coach who's tasted the big time before in Mike Davis. He guided Indiana to the national championship game 12 years ago, and that big-game experience could be the difference if this one stays close.
Smart betting pick
Texas Southern owns a nine-game winning streak, while Cal Poly is six games below .500. But the Mustangs are favored by two points, which is apparently an oddsmaker swipe at the quality of the SWAC.
However, Murray can be a handful. Just ask Temple players who watched him go off for 48 points back in December. One star player often makes the difference in a game like this. Take the Tigers plus the points.
