It's another game in a series of tough ones for the Freed-Hardeman Lions.

The 18th ranked Lions continue a long road trip tonight as they head to No. 21 Tougaloo (Miss.) College for a 7:00 PM tipoff.  It will be the fourth straight ranked team that FHU has faced away from home and the sixth thus far this season.

Freed-Hardeman handed Tougaloo its only loss of the season on Nov. 14, beating the Bulldogs 87-74 at the FHU Sports Center.  But tonight's game could be quite a different experience than the previous game, where the Lions led by as many as 29 points in the second half.

Tougaloo (4-1) is a very physical team, which may not provide as much of a challenge in the paint as it does in the backcourt.  The Bulldogs went on a late run in the Nov. 14 game that was triggered by an aggressive press that saw a lot of slapping, grabbing and in some cases, unintentional tackling.  Heading to Tougaloo's home floor tonight, the Lions have to be prepared for a lot more of the same and be ready to deal with it when the officials let that physical play go on without a whistle.

It's also FHU's last game before the first in-season rankings are released.  Currently sitting at No. 18 with a record 7-2 (and 4-1 against preseason top 25 teams), the Lions could be poised to move up a few spots with a win tonight.  And even a loss might not be too damaging, since it is a road game and Freed-Hardeman has several quality wins already under their belts.

After tonight, the Lions have two more games left in 2009 - a home rematch with No. 13 Lee (Tenn.) University and a trip to NCAA Division II No. 8 Florida Southern College.