The Jackson State will walk into the XL Center and see all 11 national championship banners hanging in the rafters.
The Tigers will have a healthy respect for a UConn program that has set the standard in the women’s game for the last two decades.
But Jackson State will not be in awe of the Huskies or their past accomplishments ahead of their matchup on Saturday at noon.
For a program that has been in the NCAA Tournament three of the last four years, JSU believes they’re supposed to be on the big stage — even if the No. 3 seed Huskies have dominated it.
“Quite honestly, this is the third time we’ve been to the tournament, so I wouldn’t say we’re surprised,” said JSU guard Miya Crump. Basically, coming into it, it’s always an honor as an HBCU coming into the NCAA Tournament to represent HBCUs as a whole, so I wouldn’t say there’s pressure, but it’s definitely an honor to be here.”
Said Tigers guard Keshuna Luckett about how the team will approach the matchup: “I would say it’s just an experience. We’ve been here before, so it’s nothing that we aren’t really used to, so we’re really prepared, and we’re not here just to be here.”
The Tigers have also been matched up against some tough opponents in previous NCAA Tournaments. In 2021, they faced Baylor in the first round and lost 101-52. In 2022, they had to face Kim Mulkey again, now coaching at LSU, and almost pulled off the first-round upset but lost 83-77 in a memorable game.
“Playing Kim Mulkey again at LSU, we went into that game with a lot of confidence,” Jackson State coach Tomekia Reed said. “All year I told my team after losing to Baylor by 50, we will be back in the NCAA Tournament, and we will not be blown out like that again. When you win your conference, and you come into this tournament and get blown out, it’s like, that’s not how we identify. That’s not who we are.”
Jackson State also carries the confidence that goes along with riding a 21-game winning streak, all in conference play, though the Tigers did knock off St. John’s in non-conference play. Only No. 1 overall seed South Carolina has a longer winning surge.
“We have the experience as a team. The majority of the team that went to the tournament came back to the team,” said Crump. “As she said before, it’s really nothing new. For the new players, we just have to continue to be a leader, continue to just show the confidence that we have in this program, the confidence that we have in the game plan, the confidence that we have in each other as teammates.”
Reed and her players expressed confidence, specifically in the matchup against UConn, given their length and depth against a short-handed Huskies team.
“We most definitely do match up well with UConn. All credit to them for making it this far, as well,” Crump said. “But it’s just another basketball game. We’ve just got to go and play basketball. That’s it.”
A No. 14 seed has never beaten a No. 3 seed in the women’s NCAA Tournament. UConn hasn’t lost a first-round game since 1993, but the Lady Tigers aren’t letting those facts daunt them, either.
“I told our players, ‘What stage would you want to be on than the big stage against the best in the country to ever do it?” Reed said. “This is what we want. I would have loved to have gotten a 12-seed so I could see a different animal, but Geno it is. We’re excited about it.”
NCAA Women’s Tournament
Who: Jackson State vs. UConn
Where: Portland Regional
When: Saturday, 1 p.m. EST
Network: ABC
