"It's crucial for us at the point in the season to play at home," Head Coach Lewis Jackson said.  "Our preseason schedule is always tough.  Last year we had a lot of home games so this year we had to return those games.  It's hard getting home games during the preseason schedule and we are coming off two good years.  Being at home for these next three games hopefully will help us get three victories before we get back on the road in a couple of weeks and we will be 3-2 in the conference and that is our goal."
 
The Hornets are glad to be back in the friendly confines of the Dunn-Oliver Acadome after starting the conference season on the road and will enter the game sporting a 5-9 overall record and 0-2 after dropping the first two SWAC games of the season.  The Hornets have not lost their first two conference games since the 2005-06 season, which was Jackson's first season as head coach.
 
"We are in a situation we have not been in for some time starting the conference off oh-and-two and we don't want to be in the predicament we are in right now but it is what it is," Jackson said.
 
With the Hornets showing improvement on the offensive end of the court and has steadily improved their rebounding, there is one area which the Hornets have failed to show a consistency in improving and that is on their defense, which has always been a staple of Lewis Jackson-coached teams.
 
"Where we have to improve is on our defense," Jackson said.  "This is something we have been talking about all season long and our defense has to get better and to a degree we have to get tougher and take a little bit more pride in what we are doing on the defensive end."
 
"We have been pretty good offensively.  We have been able to score some and get the ball to the people we want to score.  We scored 81 and lose the other night (at Grambling) so we certainly have to do a better job of playing defense."
 
The Hornets are averaging 71.2 points per game, but are giving up 78.6, and with those numbers being so close together, one can see where the Hornets have dropped five of their nine losses by seven points or less, including both conference games to open the season.
 
Jamel Waters continues to lead the Hornets in scoring (14.9), assists (65) and steals (26).  He is listed among the top-three players in the SWAC in eight different categories.
 
Three other Hornets are in double digits with Tony Armstrong scoring at a 10.8 points per game clip, Corvon Butler averaging 10.2 and Bobby Brown 10.1.
 
Armstrong (6.5), Butler (5.7) and Brown (5.6) are the Hornets leading rebounders.
 
ASU will face a Mississippi Valley State squad that starting the season losing their first 14 games.  They broke that streak with conference-opening win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff 66-60.
 
While they have all of those losses, like the Hornets, they have five losses by seven points or less including a one point defeat at Air Force.
 
Marcus Romain is one of the top scorers in the conference leading MVSU with a 15.8 scoring average.  He had 20 in the Delta Devils win over UAPB.  His 4.3 rebound average also leads the team.
 
Damian Young averages in double digits at 10.9 points per game while Kylan Phillips is the teams assist leader with 32 and Young leads the team with 35 steals.
 
"We have to take them on game at a time and beat Valley when they come in here on Saturday.  They are very tough and won their opening conference game at home.  It is going to be big and hopefully we can get a lot of fans come out and support the teams and we can come out and get off to a good start."
 
The game can be heard live on the ASU Hornets Sports Network along with coverage on 100.5 FM, HSRN and Sirius Channel 145.  Check with Game Day Central for all the listening opportunities and live stats at bamastatesports.com.