BATON ROUGE - A new season brings a new roster, but the Southern women’s basketball team isn’t changing its approach.

The Lady Jaguars are coming off back-to-back SWAC Tournament championships and the first two NCAA Tournament victories in program history. Now, head coach Carlos Funchess and his team are looking to carry that momentum into another challenging season.

This year’s schedule presents another major test, with the Lady Jags set to face seven teams ranked in the nation’s preseason top 25.

“We’re gonna play one of the toughest schedules in the country, no doubt every year, so we’re gonna continue that trend this year,” Funchess said. 

The success has put a lot of attention on the Southern program, and as a result, they’ve become the team to beat in the conference. 

“We still go into every practice knowing that we have a target on our back,” junior guard Jocelyn Tate said. “With us winning the last two seasons, we know that teams are gonna want to come out and beat us. I don’t think we’re gonna get too hyped up in all of that talk. We’re just gonna play our game and play how we know to play.”

Southern is bringing together a mix of returning experience and new talent to maintain its success. The Jaguars have six returning players and eight newcomers, giving Funchess a roster with options at every position.

Among the players expected to make an impact are DeMya Porter, a preseason first-team All-SWAC selection, and Jocelyn Tate, who was named the conference’s preseason defensive player of the year. 

“I like versatile players. We’re gonna have some bigs that can score,” Funchess said. “We have a good mixture, and I think we have enough experience to come back and do pretty well.”

While championships and NCAA Tournament success remain goals, Funchess says the program’s accomplishments extend beyond the basketball court.

The Jags were picked to win the SWAC for the third year in a row. They open up the season on Monday at No. 22 Oklahoma State at 5 p.m.