The Tigers’ 27 consecutive losses against conference and non-conference opponents mark them as the worst team, statistics-wise in Grambling’s men’s basketball history. Despite their winless season, the Tigers still have an opportunity to overcome their season’s challenges and become Southwestern Athletics Conference Champions.
If the Tigers win three consecutive games during the SWAC tournament, they with become conference champions. Alabama A&M University, Alabama State, Jackson State, Prairie View and Alcorn State all stand in the Tigers way of glory. The conference top teams, Texas Southern, Southern and Arkansas-Pine Bluff are all eligible this season for the tournament.
But the Tigers must focus on there first game, a possibility at a win their first game. They will play Alabama A&M in Garland, Texas on Mar. 14 at 8 p.m.
“Any time you play a team and you beaten twice during a season it’s hard to beat them a third time,” said former assistant coach at Lamar University and now first time Tiger head coach Joseph Price. “I think for us, we are a dangerous team because we have nothing to loss.”
The Tigers and the Bulldogs played twice during conference place.
On their first meeting, the bulldogs defeated the Tigers 53-78 on Jan. 2. In the next meeting, the Tigers lost by 27 points, 47-74.
“All the pressure is on them to beat us,” said the former assistant coach for Lamar, “That gives us an edge.”
There are many things not working in the Tigers favor. They are on their fourth head coach in five seasons.
Due to NCAA sanctions over APR scores, their roster currently consist of four scholarship players and seven walk-ons.
“Those are who we will go to battle with,” said Price. “We are going to go down fighting to try to get our first win.”
The Tigers sit at the bottom of the SWAC standings. This season the Tigers are only averaging 49.6 points a game, while there leading score Terry Rose, freshman guard from Florida, is contributing 13.4 points a game.
“Terry Rose has a great future as a Tiger, we will know in a few days if he will be freshman of the year for the SWAC,” said Price.
Bryant Purvis comes in next averaging 6.5 points a game.
The Tigers begin beat on the boards every game, their opponents are outrebounding them on average by seven. Against their in-state rivals, Southern University, the Tigers were outrebounded by 22.
In result, the Jaguars added 18 second chance points. The Tigers were defeated 43-82.
Every lost has been by double digits, The Tigers biggest lost came against Auburn University on Dec. 11. More than four thousand fans watched as Auburn dropped a fifty point whopping on the Tigers, 42-92, in Auburn, Ala.
At halftime the Tigers were only down by 12 points, but Auburn turned the heat up in the second half.
They shot 67.57 percent while connecting on nine three pointers to exploit the lead open. Auburn forced Grambling into 24 turnovers and 31 shooting percentage for the game.
If the Tigers hope to win games in the SWAC tournament or record a win next season, they will have to find point production.
If the end this campaign without a win, they will be the eighth Division I college basketball program to have a winless season.
According to the national ranking by RPU, KenPom, and Sargin rating, the Tigers is the worst team in the nation for Division I men’s basketball.