A matchup with No. 1 seed Purdue will be on the line when Fairleigh Dickinson and Texas Southern square off in a 2023 First Four game tonight in Dayton, Ohio.
Fairleigh Dickinson (17-15) is making the program’s seventh appearance in the tournament.
The Knights are 1-6 all-time, but their only win came in their most recent appearance, in 2019. Meanwhile Texas Southern (12-20) is participating in its 11th NCAA Tournament. The Tigers are 3-10 in the tournament all-time.
Tipoff is set for 6:40 p.m. ET. The Tigers are favored by 2.5 points
Here is everything you need to know about the First Four meeting:
• Texas Southern is back in NCAA Tournament play for the third straight year and fifth time in seven seasons as they’ll face Fairleigh Dickinson Wednesday evening in Dayton, Ohio for the First Four Round at 5:40 p.m. on truTV.
• TSU became the first No.8 seed to win a SWAC Tournament as they knocked off the first, second and fifth seeds. However, it shouldn’t have been a surprise to some as TSU was picked to win the SWAC in the preseason but had a rash of injuries to open SWAC play which contributed to a slow start.
• The Tigers are participating in their fourth straight First Four as they defeated North Carolina Central, Mount St. Mary’s and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi in the 2018, 2021 and 2022 First Four games. TSU has participated in a postseason tourney for nine straight years (2014-23).
• TSU is 3-10 all-time in NCAA Tournament contests and 3-1 in First Four/Opening Round contests (2022/2021/2018/2003).
• FDU’s last NCAA appearance saw them face SWAC rival Prairie View A&M in 2019 as they defeated the Panthers in a close battle in Dayton.
Keep an eye on:
Texas Southern guard PJ Henry. The senior guard from Houston averaged 18.7 points per game and shot 40.9% from 3-point land during the SWAC tournament.
In addition, Texas Southern is the best rebounding team in the SWAC. The Tigers average 37.7 rebounds per game, which leads the conference and ranks 37th in the country.
What to know about FDU:
The Knights average 106.2 points per 100 possessions, according to Kenpom.com, which leads all Division I conference teams. They also average 77.8 points per game, which ranks 42nd in the country.
Fairleigh Dickinson also features playmaking guard Demetre Roberts. The 5-foot-8 point guard leads the team in scoring at 16.7 points per game and assists, with 4.3 per game.
