North Texas Head Basketball Coach Johnny Jones is taking his crew to Houston to face Southwestern Athletic Conference Member Texas Southern in a showdown this afternoon. TSU is under the command of third year Head Coach Tony Harvey. Last year, led his team to their first winning season in seven years and coached them into the SWAC Championship Game. They ended the season 17-16, 11-7. This year they are projected to end up in fourth or fifth position in the conference race.

Forward Aaron Clayborn, 6-6, 215, Soph., is the lone starter returning from last years squad. He is on the court with transfers Forward Kevin Galloway, 6-7, 215, Sr., from Kentucky; Forward Keithrick Denson, 6-8, 222, from Navarro J.C.; Guard Harrison Smith, 6-3, 205, Sr. transfer from Texas and red-shirt freshman Guard Lawrence Johnson-Danner, 6-4, 180 Fr. It makes it tough to start a season off on a winning note with five players trying to learn each others style.

North Texas will be the first home game for the Tigers this season. Their first six games have been on the road which has produced a 1-5 record with their lone win at Oregon State 66-60. They have fallen to Drake 46-60, Wichita State 67-79, Oklahoma 52-82, Oregon 52-75 and Kansas State 60-84.

Look for Johnson-Danner, to be the leading scorer for TSU. Last week he was named the SWAC Player of the Week for averaging 17 points a game. This year he is averaging 16.7 points a game. Right behind him in scoring is Galloway who is averaging 14.3 points a game. Harrison Smith is the last TSU player in double figures with 12 points a game.

Galloway is their leading rebounder with 5.3 rebounds a game followed by Aaron Clayborn with 4.2 and Smith with four.

It has been a tough early season for TSU. Through the first six games they are allowing 73.3 points a game while only putting in 57.2 points a game. They are giving up two more turnovers a game then their opponents and are almost four steals behind in each game.

This can't be considered a gimme for North Texas. TSU sports a lot of experience with eight seniors and three juniors on the team. They will remember last years contest in Denton, where North Texas got all they wanted from TSU before barely securing a 71-69 win when Jacob Holmen hit a 15-foot jump shot with three seconds let in the game. That win tied Jones for second place with former North Texas Head Basketball Coach Bill Blakely on the all-time win list with 134 victories.

Last year about 1,300 fans saw TSU play at home. Their mascot is a Tiger and is called Pretty Baby.