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HOUSTON, Texas -- On December 3 the Alcorn State University Braves will lock horns with the Grambling State University Tigers as they did in 2015 for the Southwestern Athletic Conference championship.
After a topsy-turvy season of seemingly mishaps for Alcorn, with coach Hopson’s departure and debilitating injuries on star players, the Braves still managed to twist their way into the championship for the 3rd conservative time. That is a marvelous feat. For all intents and purposes, even if the Southwest Athletic Conference (SWAC) is not as fierce as the others, emerging as championship contenders is still a remarkable accomplishment worthy of applause.
The Braves did it under the auspices of coach Hopson twice. Now, they are repeating that exploit during the Fred McNair era. That is indeed admirable and commendable. As with all contests, a game is always anybody’s bet until the umpire sounds the final whistle. Once that happens, short of a draw, there must be a winner and a loser. That is the nature of all sports and Alcorn and Grambling players, as all fans and friends, recognize that reality and truism. In some ways the argument can be made – if there is any logic to this type of prediction – that this might be Grambling’s turn to win.
A number of reasons might seem to substantiate that stand. First, they have performed with near excellence trouncing opponents, in some cases, mercilessly. Second, they have an outstanding quarterback and third, the buoyant optimism from their end, seems to be a recipe for victory. With those seemingly winning cards on the table, victory might just be theirs. In some ways they come to the field as favorites if statistics are anything to abide by. Alcorn once again might emerge triumphant. Earlier in the season Grambling floored them. They may just be in that situation where they are not prepared to accept that status quo. Secondly, the Braves are the current champions and have the experience. Although some of the top players are on the injury list, they are nonetheless an enthusiastic squad. Third, despite challenges, the Braves have players who always step up in dire situations. CONTINUE READING
LORMAN, Mississippi -- It was Alcorn State, not Grambling, that wrapped up its division early in the Southwestern Athletic Conference. Alcorn, and not Grambling, is the two-time defending league champion.
And yet Alcorn, and not Grambling, will be the underdog when the teams meet in the SWAC championship game Saturday afternoon in Houston.
Alcorn (5-5) took advantage of a weak East Division to punch its ticket to the title game with room to spare, while Grambling (9-1) survived a three-way battle with Southern University and Prairie View to clinch the West on the final day of the regular season.
Grambling also handled Alcorn with ease when the teams played in late September, winning 43-18, and has won six of the last nine meetings between the teams. It all explains why the Tigers are the favorite this time around, and that’s just fine with Alcorn head coach Fred McNair.
“It’s best for us. I embrace anything that brings it on. It’s no big deal to me. The game has got to be played and being the underdog is not a bad thing,” McNair said during a news conference earlier this week.
BATON ROUGE, Louisiana -- Nine Southern football players were recognized by the Southwestern Athletic Conference Thursday as all-conference performers.
The Jaguars nine first team honorees tied Grambling for the most in the conference, but Grambling ran away with the individual awards, claiming the league’s offensive and defensive players of the year as well as coach of the year. The Tigers also led the league in overall honorees, with 14.
Southern snagged six of the 11 spots on the All-SWAC first team offense, with running back Lenard Tillery, wide receiver Willie Quinn, tight end Dillon Beard and offensive linemen Anthony Mosley, Terrell Lee and Jamal Boulden all making the list.
Beard is the only one among that group who will return in 2017.
Tillery was the league’s preseason Offensive Player of the Year, and he managed to exceed the lofty expectations.
He ran for 1,665 yards and 13 touchdowns in his final season on his way to smashing the SWAC’s all-time rushing record, which he now holds by an almost 800-yard margin. Tillery also chipped in a career high 307 yards and two touchdowns through the air. CONTINUE READING
BIRMINGHAM, Alabama – Alabama A&M University, Grambling State University and Prairie View A&M University took home the four major awards of the 2016 season, as the Southwestern Athletic Conference announced its postseason football awards in voting conducted by league head coaches and sports information directors. The conference made the announcement on Wednesday, just two days prior to its 2016 Toyota SWAC Football Championship on Saturday, Dec. 3, at NRG Stadium in Houston.
Grambling State quarterback Devante Kincade was named Offensive Player of the Year, and fellow Tiger Donovan McCray secured Defensive Player of the Year accolades. Alabama A&M running back Jordan Bentley received the Freshman of the Year award, and Prairie View A&M’s Joshua Simmons landed the Newcomer of the Year award. Grambling coach Broderick Fobbs took home his third-straight SWAC Coach of the Year award after leading the Tigers to a second-straight nine-win season as well as an unblemished record in conference play for the second-straight year. Under Fobbs, Grambling State currently stands as the only team in the nation (FCS) with a top-5 scoring offense and defense.
Grambling State picked up the most all-conference selections with 14. Southern was next with 10 selections. Both Grambling State and Southern each had an astounding nine players garner first-team consideration.
Kincade led Grambling State to a 9-1 overall record and a second-straight perfect record in conference play. The signal-caller for the Western Division champion ranks third in the FCS and first in the SWAC in passing efficiency (171.6) and is first in the conference in completion percentage (65.2), passing yards per game (263.3) and total offensive yards per game (290.4). Kincade boasted 28 touchdown passes to just three interceptions, and posted two games where he threw for at least 400 yards and five scores or better this season (Sept. 24 vs. Alcorn State, Oct. 29 vs. Arkansas-Pine Bluff).
McCray anchored the front four of a Tigers defensive unit that led the SWAC in most every statistical category and ranked fourth in FCS in points allowed (16.4), as well as ranked first nationally in red zone defense (.577). McCray made 28 total stops – 11.5 for loss -- with five sacks, three fumble recoveries, a blocked kick and a safety recorded.
Bentley was one of the Bulldogs’ brightest spots this season, as he rushed for 851 yards and notched 10 total scores (9 rush, 1 receiving). The Guntersville, Ala. native rushed for 100 yards or more three times this season and had himself a three-touchdown game against Texas Southern on Oct. 1 during a stretch where he found the end zone in four straight contests.
Simmons was used in a variety of roles for the Panthers, doing much of his damage as a receiver and return man. He posted 20 grabs for 240 yards and two scores – fourth-best on the team in each category – and racked up 434 return yards and one kick return touchdown. In all, Simmons accounted for more than 700 all-purpose yards and three total touchdowns.
OXFORD, Ohio -- The Miami men's basketball team `Weathered' a storm to erase a 15-point second half deficit in a 78-76 overtime win over Grambling State on Wednesday night.
Michael Weathers and Marcus Weathers combined to score 46 of the team's 78 points to key the RedHawks' (4-3) comeback victory.
Both teams took some time to get on track offensively, with four Ervin Mitchell points countered by four from Rod Mills representing the lone scoring over the first four minutes and change. Miami grabbed a 6-4 lead, but Grambling countered with seven points in a row to go on top 11-6 with 12:35 left in the opening frame.
After cutting the deficit to 13-11, the Tigers (3-5) reeled off eight-straight points, with help from a couple of three point shots by Nigel Ribeiro and Remond Brown to grab a 22-11 lead with under eight to play in the half. The RedHawks began connecting from downtown as well with trifectas by Jake Wright, Marcus Weathers and Michael Weathers pulling them within six at 26-20. The Tigers' lead eventually grew to 12 (34-22) with 2:46 remaining and maintained that margin with a 38-26 lead at the half.
Trailing 41-28 early in the second half, the Red and White embarked on a 9-0 run to pull within four at 41-37. Wright started the rally with the three-pointer while both Michael Weathers continued the surge with a block and coast-to-coast layup while Marcus Weathers added a layup before Michael Weathers capped the run with another bucket.
The Tigers bulked their lead back to 51-40 with 12:29 left on the strength of a 10-3 spurt and eventually upped their lead to 15 at 62-47 with 8:52 left.
Miami trimmed the deficit down to seven (65-58) thanks to good free throw shooting along with an old fashioned three-point play by Michael Weathers. A pair of Abdoulaye Harouna free throws and another basket by Michael Weathers brought the score 65-62 while Marcus Weathers split a pair of free throws to make it 65-63 with under a minute and a half remaining.
The RedHawks got a stop on defense after the split and created a good look at a go-ahead three that was off the mark. Miami then drew a charge at the defensive end to give it the ball with 22 seconds left in a two-point game. The Tigers tried to press on the inbound, but Michael Weathers gathered it near the RedHawk baseline and worked through traffic before eventually tying it on a layup with 10 seconds left to send the game to overtime, finishing regulation on an 18-3 run.
After MU won the opening tip of overtime, Harouna opened the frame with a three-pointer to give the team its first lead since 6-4 in the early stages. Michael Weathers upped the lead to 70-65 on a pair of free throws before Grambling answered with its first basket in 8:20 to pull within 70-67 with 3:42 left in the extra session.
Miami's lead eventually grew to 73-67, but a 6-1 Grambling spurt left the lead at 74-73 with just over a minute to go. With time winding down, Dion Wade found Marcus Weathers at the low block where he went in for a dunk. Harouna then hit a layup with 12 seconds left to bulk the lead to five, but the Tigers countered with a three-pointer to make it 78-76 in the waning seconds. Miami missed a couple free throws on the ensuing possession, but a desperation heave by Grambling State was off the mark at the buzzer.
Michael Weathers led all scorers with 26 points and dished out eight assists while Marcus Weathers added 18 along with 12 rebounds (both season highs) for his first career double-double. Wright and Harouna also finished in double figures with 12 apiece.
Miami ended up shooting 46.2 percent from the field while Grambling State hit 42.9 percent of its shots. Both teams made seven three pointers on the evening, but MU outscored GSU by 14 at the foul line with a 23-of-32 (71.9 percent) mark compared to Grambling State's 9-of-17 (52.9 percent) clip. The RedHawks held a 44-37 rebounding advantage, though they committed 20 turnovers compared to the Tigers' 13.
The Red and White return to the court on Saturday when they take on Fort Wayne on the road. Opening tip is at 2:30 p.m.
BOX SCORE UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI REDHAWKS ATHLETICS MEDIA RELATIONS
TUCSON, Arizonia — Lauri Markkanen scored 19 points and hit five 3-pointers, helping No. 16 Arizona bounce back from its first loss of the season with an 85-63 rout of Texas Southern on Wednesday night.
Arizona (6-1) jumped on the Tigers (4-3) from the opening tip. The Wildcats built a 13-point lead in the opening 5 minutes and were up 19 by halftime, cruising to the 37th straight non-conference win at McKale Center.
Kobi Simmons had 15 points and Kadeem Allen finished with 14 points and seven assists for Arizona. Markkanen had six rebounds and five assists.
Zach Lofton led Texas Southern with 19 points and Jalan McCloud added 14.
The Wildcats and Tigers met once, a 93-72 win by Arizona in the second round of the 2015 NCAA Tournament.
Arizona raced to a 15-2 lead in that game and did the same thing to the Tigers in the rematch.
Scoring in transition, on 3-pointers and passes inside by their big men, the Wildcats made 20 of 35 shots in the first half and led 45-26. The 7-foot Markkanen was on the mark, hitting all three of his 3-point attempts to score 11 points by halftime.
Arizona rolled from there, never letting the lead dip under 16 points.
BIG PICTURE
Texas Southern stood little chance of hanging with the long, athletic Wildcats, but the experience could help them once the SWAC season starts.
Arizona responded nicely to its loss to Butler last week, shooting 62 percent and hitting 8 of 14 from 3-point range to roll over an opponent it was supposed to beat. UP NEXT
Texas Southern plays at Southern Illinois on Saturday.
Arizona plays No. 9 Gonzaga in Los Angeles on Saturday
SAVANNAH, Georgia -- When words like loyal, hard-working, charismatic and leadership are what are spoken of, this guy always comes to mind at Savannah State University.
Raydell Martin is four year defensive linebacker here at Savannah State University. He is one of a few players who has been on the team for all 4 years of his collegiate career.
He enjoys giving back to the community, and his post college plans will be to get a master’s in business administration and have a career in human resources. I decided to catch up with him and see how the season has been for him.
Tiger’s Roar sports reporter Trei Smiley conducted in an interview with Martin to discuss his tenure here at SSU and the journey that he has been on.
Tiger’s Roar: How has the season gone for you so far?
Raydell Martin: This season has been full of ups and downs.Obviously it has been a major improvement from the past years. We are continuing to improve each week and every day.
