Alcorn State head basketball coach Dave Whitney is one win short of 500 career wins, but it would take a major upset to get that number today.

The Braves, 3-3, visit LSU today at 7 p.m.

&uot;They are tall and talented,&uot; Whitney said of the Tigers. &uot;It is going to be a big hill for us to climb. It is not impossible, but it is going to be difficult. They have had the best set of athletes since ‘Shaq’ (Shaquille O’Neal). They are so physical and so talented skill-wise. we are going to have our hands full.&uot;

LSU, 5-0, is coming off of a 95-85 win over Fresno State in the championship game of the Sports Tours International Classic Tournament in Honolulu, Hawaii.

LSU is led by sophomore forward Stromile Swift, who leads the Tigers with 21.2 points a game and eight rebounds.

Alcorn defeated Belhaven 95-44 Tuesday. LSU head coach John Brady graduated from Belhaven.

&uot;It was the same scenario where they could not match up physically or skill-wise and that is the name of the game,&uot; Whitney said

Junior forward Marcus Fleming of Fayette is the lone Brave who has scored in double figures in every Alcorn game this year. The 6-foot-8 Fleming is averaging 17 points and 6.3 rebounds a game.

Terrance Cameron of Port Gibson is averaging 11 points a game.

True freshman J.T. West of Natchez averages 5.5 points a game over 9.0 minutes.

Whitney enters tonight’s contest with an overall record of 499-305. He has spent 24 years at Alcorn State.

&uot;I mean, some people call it a milestone, I call it a tribute to all of the people who have played for me both at Alcorn State and Texas Southern,&uot; Whitney said.

of the 500-win mark.