The Jackson State women's basketball team is picked to win the Southwestern Athletic Conference regular-season crown for the fifth consecutive season.

The road to the SWAC title again will run through Jackson State and the Lee E. Williams Athletic and Assembly Center, but it will be tougher than at any time previously during the Tomekia Reed era.

In preparation, the Tigers (5-6) played stiff competition in their nonconference schedule, including a December stretch in which it was handed losses by Power Five programs Kansas State, Oregon State, Mississippi State, Miami and Texas.

Jackson State does have a huge win against Big East Conference member St. John's in the Discover Puerto Rico Classic.

The Tigers host Alcorn State when they open SWAC play Saturday (12 p.m.). Here are three things that could derail Jackson State's title hopes.

SWAC opponents have more confidence after major upsets

Many of the SWAC teams have followed Jackson State’s demanding non-conference schedule plan and played Power 5 schools. There have been notable upsets.

On Nov. 16, Grambling made noise with an upset of Arizona State as part of the PAC12/ SWAC Legacy Series.

On Dec. 4, Arkansas-Pine Bluff upset SMU and followed it with the biggest win in school history by knocking off Arkansas on Dec. 10. Both wins were on the road.

The confidence built by those kind of wins will carry over into games against Jackson State.

Jackson State has struggled from 3-point range

Last year, the Achilles' heel for the athletic Jackson State team was its lack of a consistent shooter from the 3-point line. The Tigers averaged 14.2 3-point attempts per game and converted 4.6 per game, or 32.3%.

Last year, the designated 3-point sniper was Liz Martino, who had 142 attempts but converted only 41 for 28.9%. Martino has transferred to Omaha. Jariyah Covington attempted 84 3-pointers and made 35 for a team-best 41.7%, but she has exhausted her eligibility. The top returning player is Ti’lan Boler, who took 92 3-pointers and made 34 for 37%.

This season, the Tigers are attempting 3-pointers more frequently, averaging 18 attempts in their first 11 games. However, their accuracy has declined to 24.6%.

Boler has taken 43 3-point attempts and made 10 for 23.3%. Taylor Woodhouse is 10-for-28, shooting 35.7%.

The lack of a 3-point shooter has not hurt the Tigers during the regular season, because their athleticism shows up. But the deficiency has shown in the postseason.

In the SWAC Tournament semifinals against Southern, Jackson State was 3-for-9 while the Jaguars were 10-for-18. That included a 30-footer by Aleightyah Fontenot at the buzzer that knocked the Tigers out of the tournament.

In the NIT game against Memphis, against whom Jackson State needed outside shooting to counter its opponent's size inside, JSU went 3-for-18 on 3-pointers.

Jackson State leans heavily on its Twin Towers

Jackson State needs to make sure its Twin Towers, 6-foot-5 Daphane White and 6-6 Angel Jackson, are making an impact during the SWAC run.

White is averaging 9.6 points and 4.8 rebounds in 16.6 minutes per game. Jackson is averaging 8.2 points, 6.2 rebounds and 21.7 minutes. Jackson was selected as preseason SWAC defensive player of the year, and White was named to the preseason All-SWAC team.

When the Tigers are at their best, the defense dictates the flow of the game and sparks the offense. When both White and Jackson are getting the defensive rebounds, that limits the opponents' shot opportunities and jump-starts the Tigers' guards on the fast break and transition to offense.

Both posts have mostly stayed out of foul trouble -- White is averaging only 1.4 fouls per game and Jackson 2.2 -- and continuing to do that will be critical in the SWAC.

This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Jackson State women's basketball: 3 things that could stop SWAC run