The Hornets (6-13/1-6) have lost four consecutive games, with all four losses coming in the final minute of play, but the point being made by the coaching staff is it can always get turned around.
 
"We have been talking about the fact that we have lost four in a row by five points or less just shows we are in ball games, but we are not doing a good job of closing right now and we just have to keep working hard and stay focused on what we are doing and understand just as we have lost four in a row by a small margin, we can easily turn around and get on a winning streak," Head Coach Lewis Jackson said.
 
In fact, the close losses have haunted the Hornets all season, both in and out of conference.  Of the Hornets 13 losses this season nine of those have come by eight points or less, with six of those being by less than five points with two coming in overtime and one coming on a buzzer beater.
 
It is not a good time to try and stop a losing streak when the top team in the conference comes to town.  Texas Southern (8-11/7-0) has not really been tested in conference action while coming in with an unblemished record.  The Tigers are coming off back-to-back SWAC Championships and Head Coach Mike Davis has them working in that direction again.
 
"Mike Davis is a very good coach," Jackson said.  "He's been around a lot and we have been friends since the 80's and he does a really good job with his players.  They have bought into the system of what he is doing and they are very efficient in their offense and play good team defense."
 
"Again, he has been at the highest level in college basketball in terms of coaching so he knows how to do an outstanding job with his players."
 
Both teams are averaging 70.7 points per game, but the difference comes on the defensive end of the court where TSU is fourth in the league giving up 71.3 points per game and the Hornets are ninth giving up 77.1.
 
TSU has four players averaging in double digits led by Malcolm Riley and his 14.5 points per game.  Chris Thomas is right there with Riley scoring 14.1.  David Blanks checks in at 10.9 while also leading the team with 4.5 assists per game.
 
The biggest surprise for the Tigers has been the play of redshirt freshman Derrick Griffin.  He is averaging a double-double with 12.7 points and 10.3 rebounds per game.  If his name sounds familiar it is because Griffin was a starter on the Tigers football team at wide receiver.
 
After consecutive 22 point outings for ASU's Jamel Waters, the senior from Birmingham is now averaging 15.2 points per game to lead the Hornets.  Tony Armstrong continues to have a strong presence in the paint for ASU averaging 12.5 points and a team-high 6.3 rebounds per game.
 
It could be another nail-biter for ASU with the team that does the small things the best coming out on the winning end of the score, a fact that is not lost on the coaching staff.
 
"We go back and look at the film after every game we play and those are the things we have been talking about," Jackson said.  "You look at the missed free throws, you look at the not blocking out and giving up an offensive rebound and when you're losing by two or three, those are the things you have to do, the little things to get over the hump."
 
"We have been trying to do a good job of working on that this week and the guys have been focusing in on making free throws and not taking them for granted early in the game knowing it pays off in the end.  They have been doing a pretty good job at doing that so we're excited about this opportunity to be back home and playing in front of our crowd and hopefully we can come out and get a good victory."
 
The game is scheduled to tip off at 5 p.m. with several promotions going on.  The game has been deemed the BLACK OUT game and all ASU fans are encouraged to wear their black ASU gear.  It is also Academic Honor Roll night for the area elementary school students.  All they have to do is bring the report cards to the game.
 
This week is also Coaches against Cancer Week and all across the nation in all levels of collegiate basketball coaches have been wearing sneakers to show their support during the games.
 
The game will be carried live over the ASU Hornets Sports Network.  HSRN is scheduled to carry both games of the double-header with the Lady Hornets while the men's game will be carried over Satellite Radio Sirius 113 and XM 204.