A Tale of Two Different Seasons: SU Basketball Slump

The curse is upon us again. SU men’s basketball has lost its touch on the hardwood floor. This team is not the same team that Jag Nation is accustomed to seeing. The explosive offense that Southern once had has hit a brick wall. The question everyone has been asking is “What’s the problem?”
Let’s break down the season thus far, put it into perspective, and let this sink in. This team started 8-1 in conference play, with a margin of victory being approximately 12 points. Now in their last six conference games, they are 1-5, including losing three straight to Texas Southern, Grambling State, and Bethune Cookman. In their recent six games, the average margin of loss is approximately 10 points. This same SU men’s basketball team, in their first 22 games, scored over 70 points. In the last 6 games, they only did it once, which was against Prairie View A&M. SU was phenomenal in making shots, especially the three, but in the past few games, they only broke 30% once (Prairie View A&M).
Last, but not least, the defense has left the building. The Jags would play some tenacious defense. To give an idea, in the first nine games of conference play, nobody scored more than 76 points. Now, even though the scores came down, the communication of their defense has fallen, allowing for more wide-open shots for opposing teams. It is safe to say that this isn’t a fluke or a bad stretch of games. Something is wrong. Southern has plenty of veterans that can lead this team to a championship. As I dive into my analysis, something needs to change quickly.
Southern University Men’s Basketball Team has a lot of talent, but simple fundamentals have been their Achilles heel. The team is always focused at the beginning of the basketball game and have a humongous lead, but they don’t seem to be able to. This is often a result of turning the ball over, and stopping communication which allows other teams back into the games. Graduate guard, Brion Whitley, has been having great games to start, but his production has slowed down in the past few games. However, games shouldn’t just rely on him. Someone else has to step up when he has an off night. The offense that SU once had, was great due to ball movement and player movement, but now the offense seems to run through the primary ball handler, while everyone else remains stationary, making offensive production scarce. The focus the Jags once had, has disappeared. That focus allowed the Jags to look unbeatable. The only way for the Jags to get back to potentially winning a SWAC style, they must revisit fundamentals and not beat themselves.
When the Jags are playing their best ball and are locked in, they are the most dangerous team in the SWAC. However, that team hasn’t shown up recently in these games. The Jags will return home this Thursday, March 2, 2023, at 8 P.M. to face Alabama State, who beat Southern during their last game 73-66.