Jackson State women's basketball is March Madness bound for the third time in four seasons.

The No. 14 seed Tigers (26-6) will play No. 3 seed UConn (29-5) on Saturday in the opening round of Portland 3 Region NCAA Tournament at noon Saturday (noon, ABC) at Gampel Pavilion in Storrs, Connecticut. The No. 1 seed in the region is Southern California.

Jackson State women's basketball coach Tomekia Reed said the Tigers were ready for the challenge of playing the Hsukies, who have won 11 NCAA championships under legendary coach Geno Auriemman.

"We've taught and we've learned we've played," Reed said. "... I mean, we're 21-0 (in Southwestern Athletic Conference games) and we have the confidence, and we have the execution knowing what we can do. We just have to fine tune somethings and get locked in on what UConn does offensively and defensively and look at some things we can expose."

Jackson State went undefeated for the second time in three seasons in the SWAC . Three players made the All-SWAC team this season: Miya Crump, Ti'lan Boler and Defensive Player of the Year in Angel Jackson.

Jackson State comes into the NCAA Tournament as one of the hottest teams in the tournament. The Tigers are on a 21-game winning streak and have not lost since Dec. 27, 2023, to Texas 97-52 in Austin, Texas.

Jackson State starts its offense with its defense. The Tigers led the SWAC in scoring defense, allowing only 57.3 points per game. The Tigers led the conference in blocked shots at 2.8 per game.

Jackson State has four players who average double digits scoring. Ten players average more than 10 minutes per game.

Should the Tigers pull off an upset of UConn, they would play Monday in a second-round game against either No. 6 seed Syracuse or the winner of Thursday's First Four game between No. 11 seeds Arizona and Auburn.

This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Jackson State vs. UConn March Madness, 2024 Women's NCAA Tournament