Jackson State will play its first of two games in Southwestern Athletic Conference play on the road Saturday against Bethune-Cookman in Daytona Beach, Florida. The game is scheduled for 4 p.m. Eastern Time and will be broadcast on ESPNU.
The Tigers enter the matchup with a 5-13 record overall and a 4-1 mark in conference play, following consecutive home wins over Prairie View A&M and Texas Southern. Bethune-Cookman holds a 7-11 record and is also 4-1 in SWAC games after recent back-to-back road victories.
Jackson State leads the all-time series against Bethune-Cookman 7-2, including a four-game winning streak. The teams last met in the SWAC semifinals last season. The Tigers are led by guard Daeshun Ruffin, who averages 21.6 points and 5.5 assists per game. Ruffin has posted three straight double-doubles and scored 23 points with 10 assists against Prairie View A&M earlier this week.
Other key contributors include Jayme Mitchell Jr., averaging 12.7 points and 4.1 rebounds, and Dorian McMillian, with 11.7 points and 4.5 rebounds per game. Dionjahe Thomas has recorded back-to-back double-doubles and averages 7.8 points and rebounds in conference play. Tamarion Hoover, coming off the bench, averages 9.2 points in SWAC contests.
Jackson State has faced multiple ranked opponents this season, including Illinois, Louisville, Auburn, and Arkansas, marking the most ranked teams played in the conference this year. The team was projected to finish third in the SWAC preseason poll, behind Bethune-Cookman and Southern.
Last season, the Tigers finished 14-4 in the regular season and reached the SWAC Championship Game. This season, they have started 13 different lineups, with the current lineup remaining undefeated in the last two games. The team scored a season-high 94 points against Texas Southern earlier this month and has scored at least 80 points in all five conference games.
Jackson State is 2-2 all-time in Daytona Beach, with its most recent victory a 84-71 win last season. Fans can follow the Tigers’ coverage through social media at @GoJSUTigers on Instagram and Twitter, or on Facebook at Jackson State Tigers.
