SWAC Basketball: 2020 conference tournament preview and predictions

DAYTON, OHIO - MARCH 19: Gary Blackston #3 of the Prairie View A&M Panthers is helped up by teammates during the second half against the Fairleigh Dickinson Knights in the First Four of the 2019 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at UD Arena on March 19, 2019 in Dayton, Ohio. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /

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DAYTON, OH – MARCH 14: The Texas Southern Tigers bench reacts in the second half against the North Carolina Central Eagles (Photo by Kirk Irwin/Getty Images) /

The Praire View Panthers once again finished as the top dog in SWAC Basketball. Will they continue their dominance onto a conference tournament championship, or will another team rise up and get an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament?

Statistically the worst conference in recent division 1 history, the teams that makeup SWAC Basketball continued that trend this year. Finishing 32nd out the 32 conferences that makeup division 1 basketball in SRS (a rating that takes into account average point differential and strength of schedule, according to Sports Reference) and 31st in overall conference win-loss record, the SWAC failed to create any waves on a national scale once again.

Like most seasons, the conference struggled mightily outside of conference play, combining for a 25-96 with no wins against teams inside quadrants 1 or 2. Texas Southern picked up a very respectable quadrant 3 dub over Northern Kentucky in the Norsemen’s own building but besides that, the out of conference play of these teams was definitely nothing to write home about.

Conference play, on the other hand, has been much more competitive. Projected as the top team in the conference, Texas Southern has had another solid year in the SWAC, going 12-6 and taking care of business in their gym, going 8-1 there. Grambling, a familiar face amongst the top of the SWAC leaderboard, has continued to play solid basketball under 3rd-year head coach Dante Jackson, amassing double-digit conference wins in each of his first 3 years.

On the opposite end, Arkansas Pine Bluff has predictably suffered mightily from losing their star playmaker and SWAC leading scorer Martaveous McKnight, finishing 2nd to last in the conference with a 3-14 record. And Jackson State, who was projected to be a top contender in the SWAC after suffering no key losses from a squad that finished tied for 3rd in the SWAC last season and bringing in a talented haul of transfers, has unexpectedly taken a step back this season, sitting tied for 5th and has had multiple 3-game losing streaks in conference.

However, perhaps the biggest surprise in the SWAC this season has been the continued dominance of Prairie View who, after going 17-1 last season and earning their first conference tournament victory since 1998, had most of their key players graduate and were projected to take a big step back this year. Instead, due to some surprising contributions and players stepping up to fill the shoes of their past leaders, the Panthers are once again at the top of the SWAC, going 14-4 and looking like odds on favorites to win both the regular season and postseason SWAC titles once again.

So, will Prairie view continue their season-long dominance once again into the conference tournament? Or will another team rise to the occasion and secure an automatic bid into March Madness?