Jackson State men's basketball team was picked to finish fourth in the Southwestern Athletic Conference preseason poll. Coach Mo Williams and every player on the team said out loud to anyone who would listen, it bothered them to be picked that low. And they expected to win the SWAC.

One of the most vocal Tigers against being ranked so low was guard Chase Adams. Adams is a 5-foot-8, 144-pound senior from Chicago who is in his second year playing under Williams.

"This year we have the mentality like, going into SWAC play we want to be feared," Adams said. "We want everybody to feel us. We want to be known; we didn't want to make our identity in SWAC play like we did last year. We wanted our identity to already be made before we got to SWAC play."

That goal got a big boost on Nov. 19, 2023, when Jackson State went to Columbia, Missouri, and upset SEC member Missouri, 73-72.

What upset of Missouri meant to Jackson State basketball

Adams told the team they were going to use full-court pressure against Missouri. Adams said he felt like the head of the snake, and he had to change his attitude and be aggressive in his mindset and play.

Guard Ken Evans Jr. said Adams' play and attitude were crucial in JSU's win. Adams said if people paid attention, they would have known JSU was very close to getting over the hump and winning other games against Power Five programs as well.

The win over Missouri gave Jackson State confidence it was a much better than a fourth-place team in the SWAC.

“I think it just goes to show the work we have been putting in,” Adams said. “That’s been our main goal since before the season started. We had some goals set and we are on the verge of achieving them. But the first one is to go undefeated in the SWAC.”

JSU KNOCKS OFF MISSOURI ON THE ROAD Jackson State men's basketball knocks off Missouri for first win of the season

Adams is the leader

Adams' overall production is up from his junior season. Starting with his scoring, he is averaging 9.1 per game compared to 8 as a junior. He is the team’s best free throw shooter at .806 with over 30 attempts.

But, more importantly, Adams is the table setter, who gets his guys going with the way he dishes the basketball to the team's leading scorer Ken Evans Jr., who is averaging 18.6 points per game.

Adams' assists are up this season. He is second in the SWAC at 4.3 assists per game. Last year, he averaged 3.7 assists per game. He also is third in the SWAC in assist /turnover ratio at 2.2 per game.

“He’s our leader,” Williams said. “He’s the little engine that could. He does everything that a coach would want from his leader. He does everything the right way.”

Jackson State is not dominating in any SWAC statistical category. The Tigers are fifth in scoring, averaging 70.6 points per game, Defensively, they are seventh, giving up 78.7 points per game. Yet, JSU is undefeated in conference play.

“As a senior," Adams said, “I want to go out with a bang. The special part about it is, our other seniors and our teammates are on the same page, and we are just making sure we go out with a bang in our last year.”

J.T. Keith is the HBCU sports editor for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at JKeith@gannett.com or reach him on Twitter @JTKEITH1.

This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Jackson State basketball: How 'little engine' Chase Adams drives team