The Southwest Athletic Conference (SWAC Basketball) will begin tournament play on Wednesday, March 9th, and the league is as open as any conference tournament you will ever find. Dating back to 2010, only four regular-season champions have finished the job in the conference tournament to secure a bid to the big dance.
And look no further than #1 seed Alcorn State’s season split with #8 seed Prairie View A&M as a sign that this season could be no different. In fact, all lower-seeded teams entering tournament play lost to their opening-round opponent at least once during the regular season. Expect mayhem in a conference that is different from other conference tournaments, to begin with.
After recent conference expansion from 10 to 12 teams, the tournament’s format only allows for two-thirds of the league to have a chance at a tournament bid in the first place. Viewing eyes might be elsewhere this champ week, but make no mistake that the SWAC is sure to provide some fireworks done in Birmingham, AL themselves.