Jackson State Tigers
Conference: Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC)
Head Coach: Mo Williams (42-75 overall)
Coaching record: 3rd season at JSU (29-41)
Mo Williams played at Alabama for 2 seasons under Mark Gottfried (2002-03)
He played 14 seasons in the NBA.
He won the NBA title in 2015-16 with Cleveland. He has 7 sons.
Schedule:
11/04/24 at Houston L 40-97
11/09/24 at High Point L 71-80
11/12/24 at Xavier L 57-94
11/16/24 at Vanderbilt L 81-94
11/20/24 at Western KY L 62-79
11/22/24 at Kentucky
Game info:
Jackson St at #9/11 Kentucky: 7pm EST
Location: Rupp Arena (20,545) Gates open 5pm EST
No TV for this game
Streaming info: SEC Network+, ESPN+, ESPN App (announcers: Richard Cross, Charles Arbuckle)
There are YouTube streamers who will stream this game live- just search when the game starts.
Radio: UK Sports Radio Network (announcers: Tom Leach, Jack Givens)
Replay: WatchESPN, SEC Network
Likely starters
03 G Jayme Mitchell 6-5 190 So 13.8pts, 4.4reb, 1stl, 38.7% 3fg
01 G Dorian McMillian 6-3 178 Fr 9.6pts, 3.8reb, 1.0stl, 34.8% 3fg
21 G Marcus Watson 5-10 175 Jr 7.2pts, 3.4reb, 2.2ast, 28.6% 3fg
13 F Romelle Mansel 6-9 220 Sr 9.0pts, 6.4reb, 2.0ast, 14.3% 3fg
07 C Shannon Grant 6-11 290 C 6.8pts, 3.8reb, 0% 3fg
Key Bench Players
2 G Jalen Tatum 6-4 189 Jr 6.0pts, 1.3reb, 2.0ast, 20.0% 3fg
14 F Dylan Canoville 6-5 225 Jr 4.4pts, 2.6reb, 0% 3fg
20 G Juan Reyna III 6-3 200 Sr 3.8pts, 1.6reb, 1.2ast, 15.8% 3fg
0 G Tamarion Hoover 6-5 165 Fr 6.0pts, 1.7reb, 40% 3fg
Team Statistics
Points Per Game 62.2
Points allowed 88.8
Scoring Margin -26.6
Field Goal Pct .358
FG% allowed .523
3PT FG Pct .290
3FG% allowed .472
FT Pct .718
Rebounds Per Game 32.6
Rebounds allowed 38.2
Rebounds Margin -5.6
Assists Per Game 9.6
Turnovers Per Game 15.2
Assist/Turnover Ratio 0.6
Steals Per Game 6.0
Blocks Per Game 2.0
KenPom overall rating: #321
Analysis: The most intriguing thing about the Jackson State University Tigers is their coach, I’m afraid. You likely know him if you’ve followed SEC basketball since 2000. It’s Mo (Maurice) Williams who played for Alabama for 2 seasons back in 2002 and 2003 under Mark Gottfried. He was the starting point guard for the Crimson Tide and, as a freshman, led them to a 27-8 record and an SEC regular season title and a berth in the NCAA tournament. He led them back to the NCAA-T in 2003 but they lost both seasons in the first weekend. He decided to forgo his final 2 seasons of eligibility and enter the NBA draft, where he was picked up by the Utah Jazz in the summer of 2003. He was an NBA all-star in 2009. He won an NBA title in a lesser role with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2016 and then retired in 2017. He began coaching as an assistant at Cal State Northridge in 2018, then took a head coaching position back in Alabama with the Alabama St Hornets, before becoming the head coach at these Jackson St Tigers out of the SWAC in 2022-23.
As for these Tigers, they’ve had many struggles to start the 2024-25 season. They’ve been on the road every time out. They’ve traveled to Houston, TX (Houston); High Point, NC (High Point); Cincinnati, OH (Xavier); Nashville, TN (Vanderbilt); and just last night went to Bowling Green to play Western KY. And they haven’t won a game yet. The closest they came was a 9-pt loss at High Point. But they’ve been whipped badly by multiple teams, including losses of 40-97 to Houston and 57-94 to Xavier. They played Vandy to within 13 before last night’s loss at WKU by 17, in a game that wasn’t really that close. They’ve allowed 88.8 points per game and have only scored 62.2, for a -26.6 average loss. That 57-pt loss to Houston and 37-pt loss to Xavier skew the numbers a bit, but that caveat doesn’t help much. They shoot 29% from 3 as a team, so there’s not much hope they will just bomb away outside to stay in games. They also allow teams to shoot 47.2% from 3, which is a terrible combination of stats. They only average 9.6 assists while turning the ball over 15.2 times per game for a 0.6 a/to ratio. There’s not much sugar coating it. They’re not a good team- they’re the worst team we will play this season.
Offensively, JSU isn’t a good shooting team, so they drive the ball a lot and look for interior scoring as much as possible. They do get to the line quite a bit. (it’s actually the best thing they do offensively) Their best player is #3 Jayme Mitchell, a 6-5 190lb sophomore wing/small forward who is their best scorer, averaging 13.8 points, 4.4 rebounds, and shooting 38.7% from 3pt range. The guy on the other wing is their 2nd leading scorer, #1 Dorian McMillian, a 6-3 178lb freshman who averages 9.6 points, 3.8 rebounds, and shoots 34.8% from 3pt range. Their starting point guard is #21 Marcus Watson, a 5-10 175lb Jr who averages 7.2 points, 3.4 rebounds, 2.2assists, but only shoots 28.6% from 3pt range. Down low, the Tigers have some decent size with #13 Romelle Mansel, a 6-9 220lb senior forward who averages 9.0 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 2.0 assists. He’s joined down there by the big fella #7 center Shannon Grant, who is 6-11 and 290lbs and averages 6.8 points and 3.8 rebounds.
From the bench, they don’t bring much, although freshman guard #0 Tamarion Hoover did just have a breakout game against Western KY, scoring 18 points and shooting 4-7 from 3 pt range. If Jackson St is to stay in this game for any time at all, they’ll need that and more from Hoover. The only forward coming off the bench is #14 Dylan Canoville, a 6-5 225lb Jr averaging 4.4 points, and 2.6 rebounds. They have 2 other guards who play in #2 Jalen Tatum and #20 Juan Reyna III, but neither score much.
I expect UK will dominate this game. It’s pretty much a name-your-margin kind of game. If the Cats were looking for some extra motivation, they could try to exceed the 57-point beating Houston gave these guys in game 1 or maybe the 37-point whipping Xavier put on them, but I don’t think Pope is the kind of guy who wants to push it to a 60pt margin. I’m not sure how you motivate your guys other than to just focus on playing against yourself and pushing to be as efficient as you can be, maybe focusing on some specific efficiency goals for the game. Pope will likely get his 35 threes in this game, which will make him happy. One thing is sure, we should get to see quite a bit of playing time for everyone, including Travis Perry, Trent Noah, and probably walk-ons as well. We should see the first points as a Wildcat for Trent Noah in this one, and probably some threes raining for all. KenPom predicts 93-63 as the final score. (I say he undervalues UK and overvalues JSU)
My Prediction: UK 105 Jackson St 55
Conference: Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC)
Head Coach: Mo Williams (42-75 overall)
Coaching record: 3rd season at JSU (29-41)
Mo Williams played at Alabama for 2 seasons under Mark Gottfried (2002-03)
He played 14 seasons in the NBA.
He won the NBA title in 2015-16 with Cleveland. He has 7 sons.
Schedule:
11/04/24 at Houston L 40-97
11/09/24 at High Point L 71-80
11/12/24 at Xavier L 57-94
11/16/24 at Vanderbilt L 81-94
11/20/24 at Western KY L 62-79
11/22/24 at Kentucky
Game info:
Jackson St at #9/11 Kentucky: 7pm EST
Location: Rupp Arena (20,545) Gates open 5pm EST
No TV for this game
Streaming info: SEC Network+, ESPN+, ESPN App (announcers: Richard Cross, Charles Arbuckle)
There are YouTube streamers who will stream this game live- just search when the game starts.
Radio: UK Sports Radio Network (announcers: Tom Leach, Jack Givens)
Replay: WatchESPN, SEC Network
Likely starters
03 G Jayme Mitchell 6-5 190 So 13.8pts, 4.4reb, 1stl, 38.7% 3fg
01 G Dorian McMillian 6-3 178 Fr 9.6pts, 3.8reb, 1.0stl, 34.8% 3fg
21 G Marcus Watson 5-10 175 Jr 7.2pts, 3.4reb, 2.2ast, 28.6% 3fg
13 F Romelle Mansel 6-9 220 Sr 9.0pts, 6.4reb, 2.0ast, 14.3% 3fg
07 C Shannon Grant 6-11 290 C 6.8pts, 3.8reb, 0% 3fg
Key Bench Players
2 G Jalen Tatum 6-4 189 Jr 6.0pts, 1.3reb, 2.0ast, 20.0% 3fg
14 F Dylan Canoville 6-5 225 Jr 4.4pts, 2.6reb, 0% 3fg
20 G Juan Reyna III 6-3 200 Sr 3.8pts, 1.6reb, 1.2ast, 15.8% 3fg
0 G Tamarion Hoover 6-5 165 Fr 6.0pts, 1.7reb, 40% 3fg
Team Statistics
Points Per Game 62.2
Points allowed 88.8
Scoring Margin -26.6
Field Goal Pct .358
FG% allowed .523
3PT FG Pct .290
3FG% allowed .472
FT Pct .718
Rebounds Per Game 32.6
Rebounds allowed 38.2
Rebounds Margin -5.6
Assists Per Game 9.6
Turnovers Per Game 15.2
Assist/Turnover Ratio 0.6
Steals Per Game 6.0
Blocks Per Game 2.0
KenPom overall rating: #321
Analysis: The most intriguing thing about the Jackson State University Tigers is their coach, I’m afraid. You likely know him if you’ve followed SEC basketball since 2000. It’s Mo (Maurice) Williams who played for Alabama for 2 seasons back in 2002 and 2003 under Mark Gottfried. He was the starting point guard for the Crimson Tide and, as a freshman, led them to a 27-8 record and an SEC regular season title and a berth in the NCAA tournament. He led them back to the NCAA-T in 2003 but they lost both seasons in the first weekend. He decided to forgo his final 2 seasons of eligibility and enter the NBA draft, where he was picked up by the Utah Jazz in the summer of 2003. He was an NBA all-star in 2009. He won an NBA title in a lesser role with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2016 and then retired in 2017. He began coaching as an assistant at Cal State Northridge in 2018, then took a head coaching position back in Alabama with the Alabama St Hornets, before becoming the head coach at these Jackson St Tigers out of the SWAC in 2022-23.
As for these Tigers, they’ve had many struggles to start the 2024-25 season. They’ve been on the road every time out. They’ve traveled to Houston, TX (Houston); High Point, NC (High Point); Cincinnati, OH (Xavier); Nashville, TN (Vanderbilt); and just last night went to Bowling Green to play Western KY. And they haven’t won a game yet. The closest they came was a 9-pt loss at High Point. But they’ve been whipped badly by multiple teams, including losses of 40-97 to Houston and 57-94 to Xavier. They played Vandy to within 13 before last night’s loss at WKU by 17, in a game that wasn’t really that close. They’ve allowed 88.8 points per game and have only scored 62.2, for a -26.6 average loss. That 57-pt loss to Houston and 37-pt loss to Xavier skew the numbers a bit, but that caveat doesn’t help much. They shoot 29% from 3 as a team, so there’s not much hope they will just bomb away outside to stay in games. They also allow teams to shoot 47.2% from 3, which is a terrible combination of stats. They only average 9.6 assists while turning the ball over 15.2 times per game for a 0.6 a/to ratio. There’s not much sugar coating it. They’re not a good team- they’re the worst team we will play this season.
Offensively, JSU isn’t a good shooting team, so they drive the ball a lot and look for interior scoring as much as possible. They do get to the line quite a bit. (it’s actually the best thing they do offensively) Their best player is #3 Jayme Mitchell, a 6-5 190lb sophomore wing/small forward who is their best scorer, averaging 13.8 points, 4.4 rebounds, and shooting 38.7% from 3pt range. The guy on the other wing is their 2nd leading scorer, #1 Dorian McMillian, a 6-3 178lb freshman who averages 9.6 points, 3.8 rebounds, and shoots 34.8% from 3pt range. Their starting point guard is #21 Marcus Watson, a 5-10 175lb Jr who averages 7.2 points, 3.4 rebounds, 2.2assists, but only shoots 28.6% from 3pt range. Down low, the Tigers have some decent size with #13 Romelle Mansel, a 6-9 220lb senior forward who averages 9.0 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 2.0 assists. He’s joined down there by the big fella #7 center Shannon Grant, who is 6-11 and 290lbs and averages 6.8 points and 3.8 rebounds.
From the bench, they don’t bring much, although freshman guard #0 Tamarion Hoover did just have a breakout game against Western KY, scoring 18 points and shooting 4-7 from 3 pt range. If Jackson St is to stay in this game for any time at all, they’ll need that and more from Hoover. The only forward coming off the bench is #14 Dylan Canoville, a 6-5 225lb Jr averaging 4.4 points, and 2.6 rebounds. They have 2 other guards who play in #2 Jalen Tatum and #20 Juan Reyna III, but neither score much.
I expect UK will dominate this game. It’s pretty much a name-your-margin kind of game. If the Cats were looking for some extra motivation, they could try to exceed the 57-point beating Houston gave these guys in game 1 or maybe the 37-point whipping Xavier put on them, but I don’t think Pope is the kind of guy who wants to push it to a 60pt margin. I’m not sure how you motivate your guys other than to just focus on playing against yourself and pushing to be as efficient as you can be, maybe focusing on some specific efficiency goals for the game. Pope will likely get his 35 threes in this game, which will make him happy. One thing is sure, we should get to see quite a bit of playing time for everyone, including Travis Perry, Trent Noah, and probably walk-ons as well. We should see the first points as a Wildcat for Trent Noah in this one, and probably some threes raining for all. KenPom predicts 93-63 as the final score. (I say he undervalues UK and overvalues JSU)
My Prediction: UK 105 Jackson St 55
