Alcorn State Basketball

Alcorn State is possibly the worst team in college basketball this year, but it is no longer the worst by record (Bryant University, 0-26). The Braves moved to 1-24 with a 55-54 win over Mississippi Valley State (6-18, 5-7 SWAC).

Entering Saturday, Alcorn State (1-24, 1-11 SWAC) had only come within single digits of their opponent on four different occasions. The Braves suffered some of the worst losses for any team in college basketball, losing 100-60 at Ohio State, 130-68 at Arkansas, 107-76 against Robert Morris, 98-31 at Kansas, and 101-41 at UTEP.

The game against Mississippi Valley State was only the sixth home game for Alcorn State this season.

The Braves stayed close in the first half, keeping the score tied at 23 with 3:25 left. Mississippi Valley State used a 7-2 run to finish the half up 30-25.

Once I saw that Alcorn State was down multiple possessions with the Delta Devils having the hot hand, it seemed that this was going to be loss number 25 for the Braves.

Early in the second half, Alcorn State remained close, trailing by only five points. Then the Braves made their move. With 7:19 remaining in the second half, the Braves held a 47-45 lead.

I was waiting for Alcorn State to blow it, but I was amazingly surprised when the next score update showed the Braves up 51-46 with 3:26 left.

Alcorn State led 54-47 with half a minute left. The Delta Devils went on a quick run to cut the lead to 55-54 with six seconds left. When Mississippi Valley State fouled Alcorn State, Corey Anthony missed both free throws and the Delta Devils had a chance to win. But they could not even get a potential game-winning shot off.

Alcorn State walked away with their first win since it beat Alabama A&M 89-79 on February 21, 2009. The Braves have not won a road game since they beat Alabama State 79-74 on January 26, 2009.

Alcorn State plays their next game at home against Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Monday night.

This season, the Alcorn State Braves have brought the words "bad" and "blownout" to new levels.

They have lost their first five games of the season, and not once did they have the slimmest chance of winning. They have lost twice by 40 points. In their second game of the season, Arkansas beat them by 62 points. Just think about that—Arkansas won 130-68. The Razorbacks were six points away from doubling Alcorn State's score.

This is a team that could match up with the NJIT Highlanders of 2007-08 for the worst team of all-time.

Opponents are averaging 98 points per game to Alcorn State's 65.

They are averaging more than 20 turnovers per game.

They shoot only 34 percent from the field and make 2/3 of their free throws.

Tonight, they lost to Robert Morris by 31. Robert Morris has struggled, to say the least, against their first three opponents of the year. Even they were able to walk into Saturday's game knowing that all they had to do was walk onto the court and they would credited with their first win of the season.

Alcorn State will be lucky if they can win one game in non-conference play this season. The only two teams that they appear to have any chance against are New Mexico State and Central Michigan.

The Braves will have to hope that they can win a few games in conference play this season—they wouldn't want this year to be a complete waste. 

From the Southwestern Athletic Conference, the Braves will play 18 conference games against some of the worst teams in the country. 

Entering Saturday, teams from the SWAC were a combined 5-18. Alcorn State has to hope that with competition this poor they will be able to push out a few wins.

Photo originally appeared at www.sports.espn.go.com

Senior Jonathan Boyd scored 20 points and converted six of his 10 three-point attempts, but it was not enough as the Alcorn State Braves lost to the Ohio State Buckeyes 100-60 Monday night.

The Braves knew that their first game of the 2009-10 season would present a significant, if not overwhelming, challenge. Alcorn State was facing a raucous crowd of over 11,000 at the Value City Arena eager to witness the debut of their beloved Buckeyes.

The Braves were competing against a team ranked 16th in the Associated Press top 25 preseason poll while Alcorn State won just six contests last season. Head coach Larry Smith inserted three freshmen into the starting lineup to face an Ohio State team returning all its starters from last year.

Alcorn State felt little comfort realizing that Ohio State forward/center Dallas Lauderdale would miss the game due to an injury to his hand.

The Braves gained momentum early by winning the opening tip, but the enthusiasm didn't last long. When Buckeye Evan Turner stole a Jamar Ragland pass attended for Keith Searcy and turned it into a fast-break slam dunk, the 2-0 deficit marked closest Alcorn State would be for the entirety of the game.

The score was 8-0 before Boyd made a three-pointer to get Alcorn State on the board. The Braves appeared jittery at the beginning of the game, and the size and athleticism of the Buckeyes made it difficult for the team to run its offense effectively.

Twelve minutes into the game, the Braves were trailing 34-15, and two players for the Buckeyes, Turner and Jon Diebler, had more points combined than the entire Braves' roster.

Boyd's three three-point baskets and some nice interior moves made by JaMarkus Holt were basically the only highlights to a first half that ended with Ohio State ahead 56-28.  The Buckeyes leading 18 to five in assists and 15 to zero in points off of turnovers indicated that a blowout was occurring.

Despite the deficit, the Braves played the second half with more confidence and aggressiveness. Alcorn State was better able to run its half-court sets and drive to the basket.

The Braves converted on 11 of its 17 foul shots in the second half while attempting only three in the first. Unfortunately, the renewed sense of purpose didn't translate on the court as Alcorn State actually shot worse from the field and from three-point range in the second half.

Along with his 20 points, Boyd led the Braves in assists with three. Holt contributed nine points, 10 rebounds, and 5 blocks to the effort. Tony Eackles sparked the Braves off the bench, and his 14 points scored represented the most for any of the six freshmen that played forAlcorn State.

Ohio State finished the game with five players reaching double-digits in scoring. Diebler had 22 points, and William Buford chipped in 19.

Turner created a lasting memory by becoming just the second Buckeye to post a triple-double by registering 14 points, 17 rebounds, and 10 assists.  The only other Ohio State player to perform such a feat was Dennis Hopson in 1986.

The Braves will next take on the Arkansas Razorbacks on the road Nov. 13. Alcorn State does not play in front of its home fans until Dec. 30 against Central Michigan.