SWAC Basketball: Alabama A&M rises as Alcorn State tumbles in latest power rankings
9. Alcorn State: 4-5 (Last Week: 5) (Last Weekend's Record: 0-2) (Upcoming Games: 2/10 @ UAPB 2/12 @ MVSU)
One thing I will always say is “The SWAC is wild….” No team understands that statement more than the Braves. After winning three in a row to climb in the rankings, Alcorn has lost two straight while falling 5 spots in the rankings. A heartbreaking one point loss to Southern, led to a loss to Grambling State. In that game, the Braves couldn't keep up in the second half. Jeremiah Kendall continues to be the man for ASU with 40 points in the past two games. If I am a team in the top half of the conference I'm hoping the Braves go on a run because I wouldn't want to face them in the first round. I dropped them 5 spots because of the performance of the teams behind them. Not necessarily because the Braves lost to the two top teams in the SWAC. This road trip is a must-have for the Braves if they want to get to the tournament.
8. Alabama A&M: 4-5 (Last Week: 11) (Last Weekend's Record: 2-0) (Upcoming Games: 2/10 @ SU 2/12 @ GSU)
The Bulldogs are my biggest climber, rising up 3 spots. Coming home is usually where teams get right and it definitely helped AAMU. Upsetting Bethune-Cookman showed that this can be a dangerous team if they can be consistent. The starters led the way against FAMU, while the bench carried the Bulldogs (led by Omari Peek's 16 points) against BCU. The Bulldogs have a huge weekend road trip to Louisiana to face Southern and Grambling State. I think this trip will determine the Bulldogs tournament fate.
7. Prairie View A&M: 4-5 (Last Week: 9) (Last Weekend's Record: 1-1) (Upcoming Games: 2/10 @ BCU 2/12 @ FAMU)
The Panthers took advantage of a make-up game against UAPB to climb up the rankings. The Panthers now find themselves in a four way logjam for the final two tournament spots. Despite three double-digit scorers, PVU lost to Texas Southern due to the rest of the team scoring 17 points combined. Four double-digit scorers paced the Panthers against UAPB, while the rest of the team scored 5 points. PVU will need everyone to contribute to this upcoming Florida trip if they want to climb their way out of this logjam. I don't know if the Panthers have it in them to avoid a long battle for a tournament spot.