SWAC Basketball: Taking a look at 1992-93 Southern University Jaguars run to a win in the Big Dance

Greetings to all, it's CWells your tour guide around the SWAC. Writing basketball articles during the off-season can be a tough task. What direction do you go? Season recaps? Nah. Transfer portal? Again? Taking a trip back in time to a classic game? That sounds like a winner. 1993 was a special year for me, I was a 16-year-old with hoop dreams. Right up the road from my house was the Runnin’ Gunnin’ Jags of Southern University. Under Coach Ben Jobe, the Jags were known for their ultra-fast tempo, routinely scoring over 100 points. So you can imagine how much fun that team was to watch. But that fact isn't enough for a good article.

Under Coach Jobe, the Jaguars made the NCAA tournament 4 times (including 3 appearances in a row). After coming up short the previous two seasons, 1993 appeared to be the year the Jags would get to dance again. We will divide this journey into two parts. The first part will discuss the 1992-93 season. The second part will cover March 19, 1993, the day the Jags made history. So buckle up as we take a journey back in time.

The Jags entered the 92-93 season with an experienced team (4 seniors and a junior as key contributors). Southern had 4 players average double digits in points, led by Leonard White's 20.6 ppg. The unique thing about Coach Jobes's system is that he preferred a small rotation (seven players averaged at least 14 minutes a game).

Southern started the season winning 4 out of their first 5 games Even though their wins were against lower division teams, they crossed the 100-point mark 3 times (including 156 points against Baptist Christian). Southern followed that up with 3 straight D1 losses by a combined 17 points. Southern would then win 3 straight including their first 2 SWAC wins. Southern would drop their next two games on the road. A 5-point loss to Lindsey Hunter and Jackson State was the turning point for SU. They would rip off 6 wins in a row, scoring over 90 points in each game. Another two-game losing streak would set the stage for the biggest win of the regular season, an 87-74 victory over Jackson State (that would be JSU's only SWAC loss of the year.

After an 87-86 loss to Texas Southern, the Jags closed the regular season winning 3 straight averaging 123 points per game. Southern would finish the regular season 17-9 (9-5 SWAC). That would set the stage for a SWAC tournament title after defeating JSU 101-80. Southern would earn a 13 seed in the Big Dance. And that's where our second part begins.

To fully understand what makes this day special, you have to get a little backstory. Southern got the 13 seed in the West Region of the tournament. Normally a team like Southern would be a 16 seed, but Jackson State was amazing that year. Back in those days, a few conference tournaments would end right before or even during Selection Sunday. The SWAC tournament was that exact situation. Normally this wouldn't be an issue but this was the one time a team deserved a higher seed. So with the fact that JSU was winning at halftime, the committee gave them the 13 seed. Ultimately Southern would make the comeback and head to Tucson. Their opponent would be the ACC tournament champions Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. Led by James Forrest, Drew Barry, and Malcolm Mackey Tech made a surprising run to an ACC tournament title. 

This game was a clash of styles. You had the running and gunning of Southern versus a slower more physical style of Georgia Tech. Tech entered the game as a 13-point favorite and during the first half, the Yellow Jackets appeared well on their way to covering that spread. Using their size advantage Georgia Tech was able to get whatever they wanted inside. They would take a 44-39 lead into the half. It would have been safe to assume that the second half would play out like the first. But March Madness has a way of creating chaos and the Jags kept using their pressure defense and quick shooting to take control.

Depth was an issue for the Yellow Jackets and in the second half they crumbled under the pressure. Southern outscored Georgia Tech 54-34, to win 93-78. Southern was led by Jervaughn Scales and Leonard White, each recorded a double-double. Scales had 27 points and 18 rebounds as he routinely battled against the size of Georgia Tech. White would log 18 points and 11 rebounds. For Georgia Tech Malcolm Mackey scored 27 points and James Forrest had a 24-point, 11-rebound double-double.

As a young Southern fan this was a moment I will never forget. I watched the VHS tape (!!!) of this game daily. Unfortunately Southern's run would be stopped short by Yinka Dare and George Washington University. Having the opportunity to witness history is one of the greatest perks of being a sports fan. I eagerly await the next historical SWAC basketball moment. I'm your tour guide around the SWAC signing out and please make sure to exit the SWAC bus carefully.