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LORMAN, Mississippi -- The Alcorn State University men's basketball will begin a busy road stretch to kick-off the 2017-18 year Friday when it travels to LSU for a 7 p.m. game at the Maravich Center on the SEC Network Plus.
Additionally, Alcorn will head to Creighton for 6 p.m. contest Sunday at the CenturyLink Center, and to Northern Iowa for a 7 p.m. match Monday at the McLeod Center. The Braves start the year with five consecutive road games.
Montez Robinson enters his third season as head coach. The reigning SWAC Coach of the Year winner, Robinson has coached Alcorn to consecutive 13-5 conference record. He posted the first back-to-back winning seasons at Alcorn in 15 years.
"I'm really excited to get the season underway. The guys have put a lot of effort into preparing for the season and have put their time in the weight room and conditioning. We're looking forward to playing other opponents other than ourselves," said Robinson.
Last year, the Braves finished 18-14 overall en route to the SWAC Championship game. Alcorn was picked to finish fourth in the 2017-18 Preseason Poll and returns two starters in seniors A.J. Mosby and Avery Patterson.
Senior forward Reginal Johnson was named the SWAC Preseason Player of the Year. He's the only Preseason Player of the Year in the country, of all Division I conferences, to not start a game in 2016-17. Johnson led the team in scoring last year with 15.6 points per game and was named to the HBCU All-America Second-Team. He's scored in double-figures in 30 of the last 31 games.
Sophomore forward Yalen Reed was tabbed the SWAC Preseason Co-Defensive Player of the Year. Reed shot .558 from the field last season and started in seven games, but will be relied on heavier this year with the departure of forwards Marquis Vance and DeAndre Davis. Reed swatted away 18 blocks on the season.
Senior guard A.J. Mosby was selected to the Preseason All-Conference Second-Team. The only Brave to start in every game last year, Mosby averaged 10.4 points per game and shot .388 from beyond-the-arc.
In conference games last year, Alcorn led the league in field goal percentage (.458), field goal percentage defense (.402), three-point field goal percentage defense (.287), assists (13.7 apg) and defensive rebounds (26.6 drpg).
LSU finished 10-21 overall and 2-16 SEC last season. The Tigers bring back two of their top three leading scorers in Duop Reath and Brandon Sampson who averaged 12.0 and 11.6 points per game last year, respectively.
Alcorn is 0-3 all-time against LSU with the last meeting taking place in 2008-09. The Braves faced the Tigers in the second round of the 1980 NCAA Tournament after beating South Alabama 70-62 in the first round.
Creighton went 25-10 overall and 10-8 Big East last year. The Bluejays return two of the top guards in the conference in Marcus Foster and Khyri Thomas. Foster averaged 18.2 points per outing, and Thomas 12.3 points and 5.8 rebounds. Creighton fell to Rhode Island 84-72 in the first round of the 2017 NCAA Tournament.
The Braves are 0-2 all-time against the Bluejays with the last meeting being the 2013-14 season opener.
UNI brings back three starters from a 14-16 overall, 9-9 MVC squad last year. Bennett Koch averaged 11.0 points and 3.8 rebounds per game last year while shooting .570 from the field.
It's just the second-ever meeting between the Braves and the Panthers. UNI came out on top 75-53 in 1990-91.
"Playing three road games in four days is going to be tough," said Robinson. "Though at the end of the season, tournament play is a lot like that. This is chance for us early in the season to get experience playing games in consecutive days. It's also a great opportunity for us to match up against some bigger schools."
Alcorn's home opener is on Wednesday, Nov. 22 when it hosts Yale from the Ivy League at 12:30 p.m.
PRESEASON NOTES
- The Braves are playing a loaded non-conference schedule including four games against 2017 NCAA Tournament teams. Alcorn will go on the road to face LSU, Creighton, Northern Iowa, Baylor, Tulane, Iowa State, Vanderbilt and Central Arkansas.
- Alcorn is looking for its first non-conference win over a Division I school since Nov. 22, 2012 when it defeated Samford 69-65. Though, wins from 2012-13 were vacated by the NCAA. Prior to that season, the Braves beat Jacksonville State 70-68 on Dec. 13, 2003.
- The last time Alcorn topped a school from a Power Five conference was in 1990-91 over Indiana 79-77.
- The Braves bring back sharp-shooter Maurice Howard after a solid freshman season. He came off the bench to shoot team-bests of .391 (43-110) from three-point range and .822 (37-45) from the free throw line.
- Patterson returns as an experienced guard who started in 25 games last year at the point. He scored in 17 of 18 conference games and is expected to see his production go up in 2017-18.
- The Braves spent 10 days in Puerto Rico over the summer where they went undefeated in three scrimmages. In addition to basketball, the Braves also visited museums and historic sites, experienced the island as a new culture and used the international opportunity to grow as a team. College basketball teams are allowed to take a foreign trip once every four years.
- Alcorn posted 18 wins overall last season which were the most since 2001-02 when it won 20 games.
- The Braves went on an 11-game winning-streak in conference which was the fifth longest active streak in the nation. It was also the fourth longest in program history, and the longest since 1998-99. Alcorn also held a six-game road winning-streak which was the seventh-longest in the country. The Braves were a perfect 7-0 in February.
- Alcorn finished 11-2 at home last season where it outscored the opposition 979-807.
- The Braves brought back 10 letterwinners and brought in six newcomers for 2017-18.
- Alcorn has big shoes to fill after losing Vance, a two-time All-Conference First-Team selection. Not only did Vance score 1,303 career points, but he's also in the Alcorn record book with 803 rebounds, 209 assists and 80 blocks. Vance signed a professional contract to play for Ovarense Dolce Vita in Ovar, Portugal.
- Robinson inherited a squad that went 6-26, 4-14 SWAC in 2014-15 and more-than tripled the team's win total in his first year. Robinson was a finalist for both the Ben Jobe National Coach of the Year and Joe B. Hall National Coach of the Year awards in back-to-back seasons.
- Robinson brought in three new assistant coaches for the 2016-17 season who all enter their second year. They included the 2004 SWAC Newcomer of the Year and All-Conference First-Team honoree Delvin Thompson who played at Alcorn, Derek Thompson who has over 10 years of collegiate coaching experience and Frank Popieski who spent three years at Florida State before helping coach numerous All-Atlantic Sun performers at Stetson.
- Not only did Robinson have to restore the team on the court, but he also erased NCAA sanctions which included a postseason ban for low Academic Progress Rate (APR) scores. The Braves are eligible for a postseason berth for the first time since Robinson's arrival as he wiped away penalties that he inherited. Last season, Alcorn had four student-athletes who earned All-SWAC Academic honors.
ALCORN STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS MEDIA COMMUNICATIONS
ALEXANDRIA, Louisiana — LSU-Alexandria made 4-of-5 3-pointers in the first four minutes Wednesday and opened its men's basketball season with a 92-65 victory against Xavier University of Louisiana.
