JACKSON - The Jackson State men's basketball team will play their home opener on Saturday afternoon when they welcome the Braves of Alcorn State to town. This game will also be the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) opener for both teams and will tip off at 2:35 p.m. and be streamed live on HBCUGo. 

The Hall of Famer Charlie Neal will have the call, along with Tim Scarborough, for the men's game on HBCUGo. 

Ken Evans Jr. leads the Tigers (4-9) with an average of 18.5 points per game. They will play their first home game after the first 15 games of the season on the road. Jackson State comes into the game averaging 66.8 points per game and 36.1 rebounds. 

The Alcorn State (1-12) record doesn't tell the story of the team they have finished atop the SWAC the last two seasons. Jeremiah Kendell, one of three Braves who average double-digit scoring along with Byron Joshua (11.8) and Jeremiah Gamrell (11.1), leads them, and they are third in the SWAC in 3-point field goal percentage. The Braves come into the game after losing there last 11 games. 

Jackson State vs. Alcorn State

• This will be the 100th meeting between the Tigers and the Braves on the hardwood. 
• Jackson State leads the all-time series 53-46, while the Tigers are 2-3 in the last five meetings, including a 60-75 loss at home last season. 
• This will be the Southwestern Athletic Conference season-opener for both teams. 
• Jackson State is 12-8 in the last 20 meetings and 6-4 at home in those 20 games. 

Last Meeting: Tigers 60, Alcorn State 75

• Chase Adams, who had 16 points, six rebounds, and two steals, was the only player for Jackson State to score in double figures. Ken Evans tacked on 10 points, and Coltie Young added eight points and two steals.
• Jackson State did a great job crashing the offensive glass, pulling down 12 boards that led to six second-chance points, largely thanks to Jamarcus Jones' four offensive rebounds.
• Jackson State forced 15 Alcorn State turnovers. The Tigers turned those takeaways into 13 points on the offensive end of the floor. Jones led the way individually with two steals.
• Jackson State struggled out of the gate, falling behind 42-25 heading into halftime.
• Alcorn State kept widening its lead after intermission, constructing a 75-51 advantage before Jackson State went on a 9-0 run to shrink the deficit to 75-60 with 56 seconds to go in the contest. The Tigers could not cut further into the deficit by the end of the game, losing 75-60. Jackson State got a boost from its bench in the period, as non-starters accounted for nine of its 35 total points.

Scouting the Braves

• The Braves were picked to finish third in the SWAC this year, and they are currently 1-12 and have lost their last 11 games. They went 15-3 in conference play last season. 
• Despite going 1-12 in non-conference play, Alcorn, like Jackson State, has played all Division I opponents and many from the Power 5 conferences. 
• Jeremiah Kendall leads Alcorn State with an average of 16.1 points per game, with Byron Joshua coming in second with 11.8 points per game and Jeremiah Gambrell coming in third with 11.  
• The Braves are averaging 68.3 points per game and allowing 87.9 points per game. They are also averaging 33.3 rebounds per game. 

Evans Chasing 1000 Points

• Ken Evans Jr. leads the Tigers, averaging 18.5 points per game while shooting 49 percent from beyond the 3-point arc.  
• Evans saw his streak of double-digit scoring end after scoring just six points against Houston in early December. He has now scored double figures in each game he has played except two games this season and has scored 20 or more points on seven different occasions, including on the road against ranked Gonzaga.
• Evans has scored 240 points this season and is now just 83 points away from becoming yet another Jackson State great to score at least 1000 points in his career.   

Tigers in the Paint

• Jackson State averages 27.3 points per game in the paint this season. They have scored 354 total points in the paint and 20 points or more in all games except the games against Houston, Gonzaga, and Northwestern. 
• The Tigers have scored a season-high 38 points in the paint in three games this season and have outscored their opponents in five games.

Last Time Out | Tigers 63, Cats 74

• Ken Evans Jr. scored 23 points, but the Jackson State men's basketball team fell to the Northwestern Wildcats 74-63.
• Evans, who had 23 points, Chase Adams, who added 13 points and six assists, and Zeke Cook, who added six points, seven rebounds, and four steals, were the Tigers' only other players to score in double figures.
• The Jackson State offense was impressive from downtown, making nine 3-pointers on 19 attempts. Evans hit five treys for the Tigers in the contest.
• After falling behind 9-2, Jackson State went on a 10-0 run with 17:26 left in the first half, culminating in a bucket from Evans, to take a 12-9 lead. The Tigers then surrendered that lead and entered halftime down 39-33.
• Northwestern kept widening its lead after intermission, constructing a 63-48 advantage before Jackson State went on a 5-0 run, finished off by Coltie Young's three-pointer, to shrink the deficit to 63-53 with 9:47 to go in the contest. Northwestern responded and outscored the Tigers the rest of the way, ending the game with a final score of 74-63.

Big from the Bench

• Coach Mo is looking for a big thing from the bench this year. He added some key players who he is expecting to give critical minutes and play well when their time is called. 
• Some of those players include Treyon Johnson, Keiveon Hunt,  and Jalani Bell. 
• The Tigers have scored 240 points off the bench, an average of 18.4 points per game from bench players. Jackson State has scored 20 points or more in five games this season and scored in double figures in each game except one.

Tough Slate 

• Jackson State opened the season by playing four games in less than ten days at Memphis, San Diego, Cal Baptist, and LMU (Calif.). 
• The Tigers have faced nine teams that made the NCAA tournament a year ago, including a team in Houston that made it to the Sweet 16 last year and Gonzaga, who made it to the Elite Eight. 
• Jackson State played two teams currently ranked in the top 25, #3/2 Houston and #15/16 Gonzaga, both on the road. 

Chase is about Sharing 

• Chase Adams is one of the best point guards in the country, and he can play with the best of them. 
• He has recorded 51 assists in the short season and 170 assists in his two years at Jackson State. 
• He is currently averaging 4.0 assists per game. 
• His game-high is seven in three games this season, with his most recent seven-game assist coming against North Carolina A&T. 
• Adams is on pace to crack the top 10 assists leaders list. Marino Walker is 10th with 271 assists.

Tiger Tails

• Coach Mo is in his third year as head coach and his second at Jackson State, his hometown. Born in Jackson, Miss.
• Williams attended Murrah High School, where he had a successful career, earning him a scholarship to Alabama. 
• In his first year at Jackson State, he went 12-6 in SWAC play despite being picked to finish seventh. 

Season Tickets
Season tickets are now on sale to the public for the 2023–24 men's and women's basketball seasons. Tickets can be purchased online at www.gojsutigers.com/tickets, by phone at 601-979-0845, or in person at the Williams Athletics and Assembly Center Box Office on the JSU campus Monday-Friday, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.

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