DALLAS, Texas—Alabama State University men's basketball team has arrived in Garland to prepare for their opening game of the 2012 Farmers Insurance Group Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) men's basketball tournament.  They will play the University of Pine Bluff (UAPB) on Thursday, March 8 at 8 p.m. at The Special Events Center in Garland.
 
The Hornets held their practice on a familiar court as they practiced in Moody Coliseum at the Crum Basketball Complex on the campus of Southern Methodist University (SMU).  The Hornets faced SMU last season on the same basketball court.
                              
ASU enters the game winning their final two games of the season and are looking to build on their 12-18 record.  UAPB enters the tournament as the hottest team in the conference, winners of their last four games and eight of their last 10.  They enter the game with a 10-21 overall record and both teams finished the season with identical 9-9 conference records.
 
The Hornets go into the tournament knowing they have their work cut out for them, but with several players back from last year's tournament championship game, the experience could be a positive for a team that has struggled at times during the season.
 
“Anytime you have some guys that have been in the heat, have played in a tournament and have played in a championship game is a plus for you,” head coach Lewis Jackson said.  “We also have Watts and Brown who were guys on that team that got minutes as well and all of those things come into play as we enter into the tournament with the hopes the experience we have with the guys that are back they can play with the poise to help us win the ball game.”
 
The game will feature the top scorer in the conference as UAPB's Savalace Townsend, a first-team all-conference selection, ended the season with a 16.4 points per game average.  Teammates Mitchell Anderson and Daniel Broughton are 10^th (11.1) and 12^th (10.6) in the conference scoring race.
 
ASU also has two of the top scorers in the conference as Tramaine Butler's 11.9 points per game average is ninth and Ivory White is 16^th at 9.9 points per game.
 
The two teams are evenly matched with both teams winning on their home courts this season.  ASU defeated UAPB 62-56 in Montgomery and the Golden Lions returned the favor with an exciting 62-61 victory in Pine Bluff.  It was a game which saw the Hornets have three shots to win the game in the final few seconds, but could not get one of those shots to fall.
 
The game should be an exciting opening round game, but as with all tournaments, it is win and keep playing or lose and go home for both teams.
 
“The first game is the most important because if you don't get the first game there is no second,” Jackson said.  “Our focus and our concentration is solely on Pine Bluff and the things they do and how to try and play them in order to get a victory.”
 
“Coach Ivory does a good job and gets his kids ready to play and I expect it to be a great game.  The main thing for us is to be able to handle the pressure they are going to apply to someone starting the point who has not had a lot of minutes playing the position all year.”
 
The game can be heard live on WVAS 90.7 FM and can be seen live on SWAC TV.