Busting Brackets
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SWAC Basketball: Preseason rankings for 2018-19

By Bryan Mauro

CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA - NOVEMBER 22: Chase Cormier
CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA - NOVEMBER 22: Chase Cormier /
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GAINESVILLE, FL – NOVEMBER 11: Guard Jonathan Lewis #15 of the Jackson State Tigers dives for a ball in the first half against the Florida Gators November 11, 2011 at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center in Gainesville, Florida. The Gators won 99 – 59. (Photo by Al Messerschmidt/Getty Images)
GAINESVILLE, FL – NOVEMBER 11: Guard Jonathan Lewis #15 of the Jackson State Tigers dives for a ball in the first half against the Florida Gators November 11, 2011 at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center in Gainesville, Florida. The Gators won 99 – 59. (Photo by Al Messerschmidt/Getty Images) /

6. Jackson State Tigers

Jackson State will forever be known as the school the Walter Payton attended. The Tiger basketball program does not have a lot tradition, but they do have three NCAA tournament appearances on their resume. In the SWAC last year the Tigers finished middle of the pack and had a .500 record. The Tigers have enough talent to finish in this spot again even with losing their top scorer.

A season ago the Tigers had a great trio of seniors who led their team to virtually all of their wins. Those three players are no longer in school. Without those seniors the Tigers are going to have to make up for most of their scoring. The only player returning who scored over 5 points per game for the Tigers is junior guard Julian Daughtry.

Daughtry is going to have to pick up the scoring tremendously for Jackson State to improve on their record. The Tigers have an overall young team, and potentially one of the youngest teams in the country. What they lack in experience they make up for in the potential to beat up on the teams below them. The teams below them all lack the talent to compete with the top-tier of this conference. The Tigers won’t pose much of a threat to the teams above them in the conference but will rack up enough wins against the bottom tier.  If they can knock off a few of the higher tier teams, and their players develop into their roles anything is possible.