By JARRETT HOFFMAN
Southern and Grambling State will square off for the SWAC regular season title on Saturday, when Southern defends its undefeated record against the Tigers.
Southern presently leads the SWAC with a 4-0 record in league action. Along with Jackson State, the Jags have a perfect record against league opponents.
Grambling State has beaten Southern five consecutive times and ten times in the last 11 contests, so history is on their side. Grambling defeated Southern in each of the last two SWAC championships.
The victor of this contest will be one step closer to claiming the SWAC regular season crown, which Grambling has not done since 2018. Southern’s last league championship came in 2014. This will be the first of two games between these two teams, with the second scheduled for Feb. 18 in Salt Lake City, Utah, as part of the NBA All-Star weekend events.
Southern has not only been winning, but they have been winning easily, with an average scoring difference of 12.5 points. Southern’s ability to score from three-point range has been critical to their success. They top the league with 40 three-pointers and a 44% three-point shooting percentage.
Southern hit a season-high 15 three-pointers on 52% shooting in their rout of Bethune-Cookman.
No team has forced more stops than the Jaguars, who force 18 per game and have a conference-high nine interceptions per game. Grambling was considered a SWAC favorite prior to conference play due to strong non-conference victories over Power Five opponents such as Colorado and Vanderbilt early in the season. With a 3-1 conference record, they are one game behind Southern in the rankings.
In league action, the Tigers have been the most efficient squad in the SWAC, shooting 48% from the floor. They had their finest game against Texas Southern, when they shot 61% from the floor. Not only can Grambling hit shots at the basket, but the Tigers can also protect the basket, ranking second in the SWAC with 4.3 rejections per game. The Tigers have registered at least five rejections in six games this season, including each of their last two.
Players to Keep an Eye On
Tyrone Lyons, Southern
Transfer to North Carolina A&T Tyrone Lyons is enjoying his best run of the season for the Jaguars since conference play began. Most people will recall him as the guy who made the game-winning three in Southern’s conference opener against Texas Southern. However, his influence on the Jaguars this season goes far beyond that one big strike. Lyons has averaged 16.5 points per game, 55% field goal percentage, and 6.0 boards per game in his team’s last four outings.
In his team’s most recent game against Bethune-Cookman, the redshirt senior had his finest showing of the season thus far. He finished the game with a season-high 23 points on 6-of-9 shooting from the field, eight rebounds, three assists, and two steals. Grambling State will need to be on high alert if they are to have any hope of stopping Lyons’ hot run.
Carte’are Gordon, Grambling State
This season, Carte’are Gordon has been an example of dependability for the Tigers. In all but one contest, he has scored in double digits and shot better than 50%. Gordon is a leading contender for SWAC Defensive Player of the Year, finishing second in the SWAC in rebounding (7.4) and second in blocks. (1.6).
The Tigers’ big man, like Lyons, has increased his standard of play since Grambling opened up its league schedule. In his last three games, Gordon has averaged 11.3 points, 8.0 rebounds, 2.0 blocks, and 1.0 steals. Gordon earned his fourth double-double of the season against Florida A&M, tallying 12 points and 12 boards while also blocking two shots. With Gordon holding down the center, keeping Grambling off the boards will be tough.