GETTING INSIDE

   Prairie View was one of the few SWAC teams to be flirting with .500 midway through December.

   Of course, it helps that the Panthers had played four of their first nine games at home, and the team’s four wins all came in those home games.

   On the road was a bit of a different story for the Panthers, as they suffered five losses, with all but one coming by more than 25 points.

   The caliber of competition was the obvious difference, with Cincinnati, Oklahoma State, Texas A&M, Iowa and Air Force comprising the road dates, and Schreiner, Florida Gulf Coast, Champions Baptist and Ecclesia College providing the competition at home.

   The wins were certainly nice for the team’s psyche, which might be a little more healthy than one of the many SWAC teams that took beating after beating in the early part of the season.

   But at the same time, the team needs to find a way to win away from home in the upcoming conference campaign, or .500 is about the best the Panthers can hope for.

NOTES, QUOTES

   —Part of the reason for Prairie View’s early success this season has been its work on the defensive end of the floor. The Panthers were giving up a league-best 64.4 points per game through Dec. 14 action, more than eight points better than second-place Alabama State.

   —The Panthers’ offense has been spread out thanks to the solid passing of the team. Prairie View sat atop the conference statistics in assists per game with 15.0 through Dec. 14 action.

   KEY EARLY-SEASON CONFERENCE GAME: vs. Southern, Jan. 4—After so much success at home during the non-conference portion of the schedule, the Panthers will be expected to translate that to conference play as well. They get their first chance to show how tough they can be at home when Southern pays a visit on Jan. 4 for the SWAC opener.

   LAST YEAR’S CONFERENCE RECORD: 12-6, third place in Southwestern Athletic Conference.

   QUOTE TO NOTE: “We gave them some open shots and confidence early, but they did play a lot better than we saw on tape, and we played a lot worse than they probably saw on tape. We have a lot of work ahead of us if we want to be a great basketball team.”—Prairie View A&M coach Byron Rimm after the Panthers’ loss at Iowa.

STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL

   WHAT WE LEARNED IN NOVEMBER: The Panthers are going to need to translate their play at home into the same kind of play on the road if they hope to be successful. The A&M defense was solid throughout the early part of the season, but the offense still doesn’t have the kick it needs without top scorer Chris Jones.

   DECEMBER AT A GLANCE: There’s been a lot of change in the Panthers’ lineup thanks to injuries, deaths and births that needed to be tended to. Coach Byron Rimm would like to find a stable lineup, if possible, in the last few days of the non-conference campaign.

   PLAYER ROTATION: Usual starters—G Michael Griffin, G Alex Richman, G Tim Meadows, F Darnell Hugee, F Dorian McDaniel. Key subs—G Chris Jones, G Chris Sights, G Duwan Korengay, F Tarrence Garrison.

   ROSTER REPORT:

   —G Tim Meadows missed a pair of games to attend the birth of his child. Meadows didn’t play in road losses to Iowa and Air Force but he returned to the lineup in time for a Dec. 11 win over Ecclesia College.

   —Leading scorer Chris Jones was only able to play in three of the Panthers’ first nine games thanks to a foot injury. Jones, who was averaging 7.7 points per game, is expected back soon, but exactly when is uncertain.

   —F Darnell Hugee led the SWAC in field-goal percentage through Dec. 14 action, connecting on 55.7 percent of his shots from the field.