LORMAN &045; Always beware of caged animals.

They have more nervous energy, are a small fry short of a Happy Meal and an immediate threat due to their bite.

They also have nothing to lose.

Just ask Alcorn, who played its most inspired basketball Thursday against the defending Southwestern Athletic Conference Tournament champions.

The 73-56 victory over Texas Southern did wonders for the Braves’ (9-17, 8-9) SWAC tourney hopes.

However, a win at 7 p.m. today against Prairie View A&M, the SWAC’s regular season champs from a year ago, ensures Alcorn a spot in Birmingham, Ala., next week.

&uot;(Tonight) ought to be a barnburner,&uot; Alcorn head coach Sam West said. &uot;I think they have to win by something like eight points in order to go to the tournament.&uot;

Entering Thursday, Alcorn, Prairie View and Southern shared identical 7-9 SWAC marks.

The Panthers’ 87-66 blowout loss to Southern in Baton Rouge put the Jaguars in, since SU swept both season series with the Braves and Prairie View.

Since the Braves won 74-67 at Prairie View on Jan. 5, West is correct about the eight-point margin the Panthers must win by.

But just as Alcorn was that dangerous predator against TSU earlier this week, the Panthers (7-19, 7-10) can be viewed in similar fashion.

&uot;Right now our backs are against the wall, and we have to make it happen,&uot; PVU head coach Jerome Francis Jr. said. &uot;I’m an old school guy, so I want to see us defend and rebound. You do the little things &045; make your free throws, take care of the basketball &045; and together we’ll knock down the shots.&uot;

It’s been a tough second year for Francis, who brought the Panthers their first SWAC title since 1961-62, the same season PVU won the NAIA championship.

He lost his top two scorers, shooting point guard Greg Burks and power forward Malachi Thurston, after last season’s success.

While the Panthers’ roster is littered with eight seniors, Francis starts just two, and one of those spots does not belong to 6-11 center Roderick Riley.

Riley averaged better than 11 points and led the team with seven boards per game last season.

Francis won’t point fingers, only to say he has not received the leadership from his seniors he anticipated.

&uot;We’re a family in this together. I’m a lot more lenient on the pups,&uot; Francis said. &uot;I think any staff puts more pressure on the seniors because the freshman don’t know. They’re still just babies. The seniors haven’t helped them adjust, and that’s the disappointing part.&uot;

PVU maintains one sophomore and is without a junior on its 14-man roster, leading Francis to start freshmen Tyrone Nelson, Joshua Thompson and Jared Ellison along with veterans

Kevin Cooper

and Derek Flora.

All this leads to wondering about where the Braves’ heads will be tonight.

Can Alcorn bottle the positives from Thursday, or will it play complacent?

&uot;We need to feed off (Thursday’s) win, grow from it,&uot; said senior forward Dion Callans, whose mother is coming in from Chicago for her son’s final regular season contest. &uot;It’s going to be a big night on The Reservation with Senior Night and the importance of the game.&uot;

The Braves unveiled, what West called, their &uot;Ray Lewis&uot; defense against Texas Southern on Thursday.

The scheme, named for the hounding Baltimore Ravens’ linebacker, allowed Alcorn to get back downcourt before determining what defense to throw at the Tigers.

&uot;They called it themselves,&uot; West said of his players. &uot;We knew a couple of their offenses where we could look man and actually play zone. They were in the right spots on the court, and you could tell they were extra careful out there.&uot;

Callans said the Braves’ motivation Thursday was avoiding becoming the first team in school history to not make the SWAC postseason.

Now, blessed sans such a hopeless outlook, Alcorn will try to capture some of this month’s madness.

&uot;It is March, you know &045; the best time of the season,&uot; Callans said. &uot;The time you’ve worked all year for. This should be the time we get things rolling.&uot;