Jackson State Hopes To Become This Year's 'NCAA Tournament Cinderella' Facing Aaliyah Edwards And UConn Huskies

Could the Jackson State Lady Tigers become this year's NCAA Tournament Cinderella?

HOUSTON - Jackson State's coach Tomekia Reed carries a piece of a net that former NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament championship coach Dawn Staley sent to her last season. It gives her hope that she could "one day" win a national championship.

"It's not too often that a coach who wins a national championship wants to share that with other coaches — not just other coaches, but other coaches whose chances are very few in this game, and that's black female coaches," Coach Reed said.

The No. 14 Jackson State Tigers (26-6) will play in the first round of the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament against the No. 3 UConn Huskies (29-5) at Gampel Pavilion in Storrs, Connecticut. "Coming in at a 14 seed is truly an honor. We could have been 16, could have been 15, but we're 14th. And we get an opportunity to play Geno [Auriemma], a legend and a really good UConn team," JSU Coach Tomekia Reed addressed at Jackson State's Announcement Party about Saturday's tip-off in Storrs, Connecticut.

Mar 19, 2022; Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA; Jackson State Lady Tigers head coach Tomekia Reed talks to the referee on a time out against the LSU Lady Tigers during the first half at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports

Reed had two previous contentious battles that ended in losses with coaching legend Kim Mulkey (LSU and Baylor). She'll have to match coaching wits on Saturday with eleven-time tournament championship coach Geno Auriemma and UConn.

• Game Day: Saturday, March 23, 2024
• Game Time: 12:00 PM CT
• Location: Gampel Pavilion Court, Storrs, Connecticut
• Broadcast: ABC
• Tournament Round Info: Portland 3 Region

"Against LSU, it was fun. We were relaxed. We had our composure. We we weren't nervous. My coaching staff did a great job in preparing, the team. As a head coach, I think I made some mistakes in that game. I think I can come back and do some things differently. I learned from that."

Jackson State Lady Tigers' guard Keshuna Luckett (10) drives the ball down the court during the game against Texas Southern Lady Tigers at Lee E. Williams Athletic and Assembly Center in Jackson, Miss., on Monday, Jan. 22, 2024; Credit: © Lauren Witte/Clarion Ledger / USA TODAY NETWORK

Jackson State's optimistic and determined mindset may set the stage for another epic collegiate showdown in Connecticut. It's an underdog story that resonates with many sports enthusiasts. The challenge of clashing with a Geno Auriemma team is still real, but the Lady Tigers are undaunted.

UConn's frontcourt star Aaliyah Edwards will return from a second broken nose injury sustained in the Big East quarterfinal game.  In 2023-24, she's averaging 18.6 points and 9.9 rebounds.   

Expect Angel Edwards to play a large role for Jackson State.   The SWAC Defensive Player of the Year will have her hands full as UConn likes to attack the basket and score inside the paint.

"Every year, we want to raise the bar. Every year, we want to do something different that's never been done... It would be a lot for our program. It would be a lot for our HBCU community. So we want to go and be the heroes."

Reed's aspirations to elevate the program's legacy by aiming for unprecedented achievements in the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament. As Coach Reed told HBCU Legends this summer, the JSU coaching staff and her players "understand the mission." Jackson State's journey promises to inspire and captivate the sports world as they embody the essence of HBCU legends in collegiate athletics. Think about it. Why would ABC broadcast the event nationally if they expected a poor showing by the 2023-24 SWAC Women's Champions? Could Jackson State become the Cinderellas of the Tourney?

We shall see.