Jackson State and Norfolk State have both earned a bid to compete in the 2024 Women's March Madness tournament. Both teams clinched their conference championships yesterday. Jackson State triumphed over rival Alcorn State to claim the SWAC Championship, while Norfolk State defeated Howard to win the MEAC Championship.

Both teams, who had phenomenal regular seasons, will face a tough road to advance in the tournament. Let's take a look at the teams they have to play and their respective roads to March Madness.

Jackson State

About an hour before the NCAA Women's March Madness Selection Show aired on ESPN, Jackson State head coach Tomekia Reed took to her Twitter/X account to advocate for her team to get a higher seed based on their amazing body of work during the season.

“Today is a big day!!! Will history be made?! Have we garnered enough respect from the work we have put in (26-6) (21-0) Or will everything stay the same,” Reed tweeted.

Jackson State had a red-hot season, finishing the year 26-6 and 21-0 in the SWAC. They finished the season #2 in points per game (71.6) and points allowed (56.6). Their defense was a big part of their team identity, as they also ranked #1 in opponent field goal percentage (33.6%) and #2 in opponent three-point percentage (25.6%). Jackson State is also adept at rebounding, sitting first in the conference with 43.4 rebounds per game.

Reed & Jackson State are also not new to the tournament, as they pushed LSU to its limit in their 2022 appearance. They held a lead in the fourth quarter but ultimately lost 83-77. Jackson State is a talented, battle-tested team and will prove to be a challenge for #3 seed UConn as the #14th seed.

UConn shares conference dominance in common with the Lady Tigers. The Lady Huskies also went undefeated in the conference finishing 18-0 in the Big East while finishing 29-5 overall. The team is led by star guard Paige Bueckers, who suffered an ACL tear last season. She had a standout season, averaging a career-high 21.3 points per game along with 4.8 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 2.1 steals and 1.4 blocks per game.

Bueckers and her Lady Huskies ran through the Big East tournament, blowing out Providence, Marquette and Georgetown. UConn is top of the conference in both offense (averaging 81.6 points per game) and defense (holding opponents to 35.5 points per game). They hold opponents to 26.9% shooting (while they shooting 50.2% from the field), 13.5% from three (while they shoot 40.9% from three).

Norfolk State

Norfolk State also had a phenomenal season, finishing the year 26-7 and 11-3 in conference. Amazing out-of-conference victories over teams such as Appalachian State and Drexel highlighted their season. They were ranked at the top of the MEAC in offense (averaging 67.3 points per game) and defense (holding opponents to 52.5 points per game).

The Lady Spartans are led by North Carolia State transfer point guard Diamond Johnson (20.3 ppg) and MEAC player of the year Kierra Wheeler (17.6 points, 9.7 rebounds per game). They cruised through the MEAC tournament, beating South Carolina State and Coppin State before engaging in a tough battle with Howard University before winning the championship.

They are slated to face #2 Stanford as the #15 seed. Stanford finished the season 28-5 and 15-3 in conference. Standford is a talented, well-balanced team that is adept at offense (averages 77.7 points per game) and defense (holds opponents to 35.4% from the field). They are led by Pac-12 Player of the Year and future WNBA draftee Cameron Brink. Brink averages 17.8 points per game, 12 rebounds per game, and 3.5 blocks per game.

Even with their immense talent and successful season, they fell short in the Pac-12 tournament against Juju Watkins and the USC Lady Trojans.  Stanford looks to prove their medal as one of the best teams in college basketball but will have to face a tough test against a talented Lady Spartans team.

The opening round of the 2024 March Madness Tournament tips off this week.