Can Alabama A&M cap its dominant season with an invite to the Big Dance?
Alabama A&M is one of the hottest teams in the country, entering the tournament on a 17-game win streak. It will be looking to fend off the other 11 teams and secure its NCAA Tournament berth after a dominant season in the league. With games starting on Monday, here’s a little bit about each team:
1. Alabama A&M (17-1, 21-9 overall)
The top-seeded Bulldogs started the year 1-6 and didn’t beat a Division-I opponent until Dec. 17. Now, they enter tournament play on a 17-game win streak and have not lost since New Year’s Day. Led by the league’s top scoring defense, Alabama A&M is the clear favorite and team to beat.
2. Alcorn State (14-4, 17-12 overall)
The Lady Braves entered conference play 3-8 but went 9-1 in the first 10 league games to earn contender-status. Kiarra Henderson leads the league in assists and is third in steals. Nakia Cheatham is third in rebounds and first in steals, and Maya Hunkin-Claytor is first in 3-pointers made.
3. Alabama State (12-6, 15-14 overall)
The Lady Hornets lead the league in rebounding and field-goal percentage and went 9-3 in the final 12 games of the regular season to earn the No. 3 seed. Clearia Peterson and Charlese McClendon are second and fifth in the league in rebounding, respectively, and will lead the charge.
4. Southern (12-6, 16-13 overall)
The Jaguars have three different players ranked top-five in the league in assists, blocks and steals. A top-five unit in both scoring offense and scoring defense, Southern enters the tournament coming off back-to-back losses which followed five-consecutive wins.
5. Jackson State (10-8, 12-18 overall)
A top-five defense in the league is the important metric, but Jaileyah Cotton is fourth in assists and Rhema Pegues is third in 3-pointers made, so the Lady Tigers have some offensive power as well as they look to make a run.
6. Grambling State (10-8, 13-18 overall)
The Lady Tigers are second in scoring offense, fourth in scoring defense, second in team rebounding and fourth in blocks. Shaniah Nunn is the conference’s leading rebounder and the head of the snake. Grambling State may have darkhorse potential.
7. Arkansas-Pine Bluff (10-8, 13-15 overall)
The league’s No. 5 scoring offense, which is also third in field-goal percentage, is led by the league’s leading scorer, Indiya Bowen. Jailah Pelly is No. 5 in steals to give the Golden Lions some defense upside as they look to make Cinderella’s slipper fit.
8. Florida A&M (7-11, 8-21 overall)
Tahnyija Purifoy is second in both steals and assists. Breazia Robinson is second in blocks, and Niah Rohdes fourth in 3-pointers made. The Rattlers have some two-way potential but lost six of their final seven games.
9. Texas Southern (6-12, 10-20 overall)
Despite posting the top-ranked scoring offense in the league, led by Taliya Longwood, who is second in scoring, having the league’s No. 10 defense held the Tigers from being a contender. They will enter tournament play needing improvement on that end to have any success.
10. Mississippi Valley State (6-12, 7-22 overall)
The Devilettes are a top-five squad in both rebounds and blocks. Nairobi Lewis, the league’s leading shot-blocker will patrol the paint, but the league’s worst scoring defense will need more than a few blocked shots to be competitive.
11. Bethune-Cookman (4-14, 6-25 overall)
The Wildcats are middle-of-the-road defensively in the league, thanks to ranking fifth in blocked shots, but 11th in scoring offense. Entering the tournament on a six-game losing streak, Bethune-Cookman will have to turn the page quickly if it wants to extend its season.
12. Prairie View A&M (0-18, 2-27 overall)
Crystal Schultz and CJ Wilson are third and fifth, respectively, in the league in scoring, but the Lady Panthers are still the last-ranked scoring offense in the league. They are, however, first in blocks as a team, thanks to Ja’nya Polk and Preston Young, who rank third and fourth, individually.
