Get To Know: Jackson State

Name: Jackson State University

Where: Jackson, Mississippi

Founded: 1877

Not Their First Campus: JSU was originally founded as Natchez Seminary in Natchez, MS, by the American Baptist Home Mission Society.  It was moved to Jackson in 1882 and renamed Jackson College.  The state of Mississippi started supporting the school in 1940, and it took on the name Jackson State College.  Expansion of the school in the mid-20th century led to a re-naming to Jackson State University in 1974.

Enrollment: 9,802

Hey, That's Kind Of The Same Size As Marquette: True, but JSU is the fourth largest historically black college or university in the United States.

What's New On Campus: Back in May, the Mississippi state legislature approved funding to create the state's first School of Public Health at JSU.

Nickname: Tigers

Why "Tigers?" I can't find anything on that topic, including literally typing the question into a Google search.

The Sonic Boom Of The South: That's the nickname for JSU's 300+ piece marching band, making them the largest marching band in the SWAC.  The nickname dates back to 1971, when the band was under the direction of Harold J. Haughton, Sr.  The band became so well known for their performance of 'Get Ready,' the classic Temptations song, that they participated in the Motown 30th anniversary show.

Here's the band performing at the 2014 Southern Heritage Classic.

Notable Alumni: Dr. Rod Paige, Secretary of Education under President George W. Bush; gospel singer Willie Norwood, who also happens to be the father of Brandy and Ray J; Grammy award winning jazz musician Cassandra Wilson; Cornell William Brooks, 18th President & CEO of the NAACP; Robert G. Clark, Jr., the first African American elected to the MS state legislature since Reconstruction; Tony Yarber, the current mayor of Jackson, MS; Football Hall of Fame offensive lineman Jackie Slater; and Football Hall of Fame running back Walter Payton.

Last Season: 11-21, with a 9-9 record in the SWAC.  The Tigers lost to Prairie View A&M in the first round of the SWAC conference tournament.

This Season: 1-4, all on the road.  The win came against Southern Miss by a final of 78-60.

Current KenPom Ranking: #237, beating out #300 IUPUI to not be the lowest ranked team that Marquette has played to this point of the season.

KenPom Projection: 13-5 in the SWAC and the current favorite to win the regular season title by one game over Southern.

Current Stats Leaders:

Points: Paris Collins, 15.0 ppg
Rebounds: Raeford Worsham, 6.8 rpg
Assists: Raeford Worsham, 3.6 apg

Head Coach: Wayne Brent, in his third season at Jackson State.  He has a career record of 23-45 right now, as he was only a head coach at the high school level before taking the JSU job.  Brent won four state titles in six seasons at Callaway HS in Jackson before being hired at JSU, giving him five Mississippi state high school titles in his coaching career.  Previously, he had been an assistant for four years at Ole Miss and a graduate assistant for two years at Louisiana-Monroe, where he played for two seasons.

All Time Series: This is the first meeting between Marquette and Jackson State.