Jackson State women’s basketball made a 21-game statement by dominating the SWAC during the regular season and in the coronation that was the conference tournament for three nights in Birmingham, Alabama.
The Tigers (26-6) clearly have established themselves as not only one of the top mid-majors in the country but also a program that features a pedigree worthy enough to convince an Associated Press Top 25 voter to consider it to be ranked in a recent poll.
That body of work is why JSU head coach Tomekia Reed — after the Tigers’ 66-48 win over Alcorn State in the SWAC tournament final on Saturday — affirmed her team was better than a 15 or 16-seed going into the NCAA tournament.
“I think we have elevated the game in terms of HBCU women’s basketball. We’ve been playing good basketball,” said Reed, who also mentioned that Jackson State also featured a solid NET rating of 99.
“We’ve been in big games, and I’m hoping our program is respected and don’t have to come in as a 15 or 16 seed. It is a new day.”
The last time Jackson State played deep into March was 2022 when the Tigers — a 14-seed then — nearly upset No. 3-seed LSU in Baton Rouge. Since then, JSU has knocked off Power Five schools St. John’s and Texas Tech.
The most current women’s NCAA tournament bracketology forecast published by ESPN college basketball analyst Charlie Creme has Jackson State at No. 15 in Baton Rouge once again at LSU.
Reed, however, says her team should be placed as a “10, 11, or 12 seed by the NCAA tournament women’s basketball selection committee.
“Give us a good seed to see what we can do,” she said. “It’s really hard to make something happen and make history when you come in as a 15 or 16 seed.”
