Jackson State Tigers NCAA Basketball News

Elliot Williams scored 19 points, Will Coleman finished with 16, and Memphis won its first game since John Calipari left, beating Jackson State 82-53 Friday night to give coach Josh Pastner a winning debut.

Tigers host Jackson State in 2009-10 regular season opener Friday at FedExForum.

Jackson State held its final regular practice Thursday before hitting the road this afternoon for Saturday's game against Alabama A&M. Coach Rick Comegy kept the team together longer than normal at the end of practice with a few choice words.

Jackson State will be without outside linebacker Ryan Rich for the first 30 minutes when it faces Alabama A&M on Saturday.

The Jackson State men's basketball team has been voted the preseason favorite to win the SWAC for the third consecutive year.

The women's team will open the night's festivities against Big 10 foe Indiana, a team that was 21-11 last season and which advanced to the WNIT quarterfinals.

The Jackson State Tigers basketball team defeated the Millsaps Majors 70-40 in exhibition action Thursday night in the Lee E. Williams Athletics and Assembly Center.

It's no secret, but it may just be plain embarrassing. Last year, the SWAC was the NCAA's worst division.

OUTLOOK: The Alabama State Hornets posted one of their best seasons in school history by claiming the SWAC regular season and Conference Tournament titles, while earning a spot in the NCAA Tournament.

The Jackson State men's basketball team will be without forward Grant Maxey, guard De'Suan Dixon and forward Davon Jones when it tips off against Millsaps tonight at 7:30 in its first exhibition game.

Starting left tackle Terrael Williams was called for a personal foul on the first play of Jackson State's second possession against Mississippi Valley State on Saturday.

SCOUTING THE NEWCOMERS: The Tigers added some major beef in the off-season with the signings of junior college transfer Gertavin Blake and true freshman Ramond Gregory.

Jackson State was the No. 2 offense in the SWAC by a narrow margin. The Tigers averaged 69.9 points per game to first-place Prairie View A&M's 70.2, with the actual difference being just 11 points between the two clubs.

Jackson State held its media day for the men's and women's basketball team Thursday in the JSU Student Center.

Today, we begin our conference countdown. We'll work backward, from our No. 31 league to the top league in the nation.

More than a year later, the memory still remains very fresh for the Colonels. After they snapped an eight-game losing streak to Eastern Kentucky University with a 34-20 victory last September in Nashville, Tennessee State players enjoyed a rather raucous postgame celebration on the turf at L.P. Field.

Two teams stand as the lone unbeatens in the OVC, and one will fall this weekend when Tennessee State travels to face No.

By PHILLIP WILLIAMS Sports Correspondent GILMER -- It's number one versus ... number one? While epic gridiron battles normally feature a No.

Kansas will be a big favorite in the NCAA basketball tournament. Ah yes, that annual celebration of amateurism.

Jason Capel, a former standout forward at North Carolina , has been hired as an assistant men's basketball coach at Appalachian State.