SWAC Basketball: 2021 Conference Tournament preview and predictions

Wild Card (Needing things to fall into place)

Grambling State

Gambling closed the season on a two-game winning streak. The Tigers went 1-4 against the conference’s top three seed. They split with both Texas Southern and Southern.

Grambling is very experienced, and the Tigers get production for their top eight players. Cam Christon is the player to watch, averaging 13.0 points song with 1.7 treys and 5.0 rebounds. The Tigers have a NET ranking of 304 and an RPI of 254. Grambling State finished the conference campaign with a+2.9 point differential.

Strengths: Playing with pace, Getting to the free-throw line, Forcing Turnovers, and getting steals. Sharing the basketball.

Weaknesses: Defensive Rebounding, 3-point Defense, and Rim Protection.

Southern

Southern has had a variety of personnel issues (unknown reasons) as just four players have appeared in all 18 games. The Jaguars split with Grambling and played Jackson State, Texas Southern, and Prairie View fairly tough.

Southern, a well-balanced team, is one of the most complete teams in the conference. The Jaguars are efficient on both ends of the floor and shoot the ball fairly well, particularly from the outside, where they lead the SWAC in 3-point percentage at 36.1%. The Jags, who have a +7.7 conference scoring margin, have a NET ranking of 280 and an RPI of 257.

Strengths: Shooting, Getting to the free-throw line, Defending the 3-point line, Defense, and Sharing the ball.

Weakness: Fouling, Rim Protection and Turnovers.