Why one AP Top 25 voter had Jackson State women’s basketball on her ballot
For the second consecutive week Jackson State women’s basketball received a vote in the Associated Press women’s basketball Top 25 poll from AP voter Emily Adams of the Hartford (Conn.) Courant.
Adams said she has had Jackson State as a bubble team on her ballot for a while. This recent weeks have been kind of a nightmare for some of the teams in and near the Top 25. Iowa State, Kansas and Arizona have pulled upsets, but those teams are all 10- or 11-loss teams. A 10-loss team does not feel like a Top 25 team to her, she said.
Adams said she pored through the mid-major programs to see who was undefeated in their conference. Jackson State entered this week with a 19-6 record, including 15-0 in the Southwestern Athletic Conference.
“I really have liked Jackson State for a long time,” Adams said. “They beat St. Johns (60-56) on Nov. 6, 2023, who is in the Big East with UConn. I have been really high on Oregon State and Mississippi State, and they (Jackson State) hung in there with both of those team and with the University of Miami.
"Their (Jackson State) only real blowouts were Texas and Kansas State. Both of those teams are a top 15 team to me and will be host teams (in the NCAA Tournament). I really like that (the Tigers) have been dominant in the Southwestern Athletic Conference.”
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Adams said another factor in her voting for Jackson State is that it has blown out the lesser opponents on its schedule.
“Jackson State is one of those teams that could pull one of those first-round upsets,” Adams said. “I think some of those first-round matchups are not unfavorable for them. I think Jackson State will be a team that will be underestimated and could pull a first-round upset depending on the matchup, if they (JSU) end up drawing a Gonzaga or even some of the Big 12 teams."
This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Why one AP voter had Jackson State women's basketball on Top 25 ballot
