SWAC Basketball: Alabama State slides down the rankings as Bethune-Cookman continues to rise closer to the top
What's happening, Busting Brackets family? It's your friendly tour guide around the SWAC CWells and it's time for another edition of my SWAC power rankings. This week our top and bottom spots remained the same, which means there is crazy movement for the rest of the teams. Two teams rose 4 spots while another climbed 3 spots. There wasn't as much downward movement with only one team taking a big fall.
We only have 7 games left in the regular season and there really hasn't been any major separation in the standings. 7 games separates number 1 and number 11, which means that every game this upcoming weekend is important. There are no off days for any team. I am not exaggerating when I say any of the 8 teams that make the tournament can win it all. That means we're in for a crazy roller coaster ride till the end. Without any further ado let's get on to this week's rankings.
12. Mississippi Valley State: 0-11 (Last Week: 12) (Last Weekend's Record: 0-2) (Upcoming Games: 2/17: @ AAMU 2/19 @ AlaSU)
The misery continues for the Delta Devils as they dropped their 11th straight game in the SWAC and 24th overall. This past weekend MVSU battled hard against JSU in an 8-point loss, while on Monday the bottom fell out in a 17-point loss to Alcorn. Rayquan Brown continues to be the top threat for MVSU scoring 46 total points this weekend. Time is running out for the Delta Devils, the window for making the tournament is closing rapidly. The goal for this season is to actually win a game. With 7 opportunities left, I'm still holding out that the Delta Devils will get that elusive victory.
11. Florida A&M: 2-9 (Last Week: 11) (Last Weekend's Record: 0-2) (Upcoming Games: 2/17: @ JSU 2/19 @ AlcSU)
After upsetting JSU the Rattlers have now lost 4 straight games. This team could easily have a better record as they don't usually get blown out in their losses, during this losing streak they have lost by a combined 27 points. FAMU blew a second-half lead in an overtime loss to Texas Southern. Monday night the Rattlers let another halftime lead get away as they lost to PVU by 3 points. Shannon Grant led the way against PVU with 15 points, while Matthew Webster dominated the boards with 16 off the bench. Against TSU Keith Lamar led the way with 18 points. The Rattlers are down but not out. If they can find a way to turn close losses into wins they may be able to squeeze into the tournament.
10. University of Arkansas Pine Bluff SWAC: 5-6 (Last Week: 6) (Last Weekend's Record: 0-2) (Upcoming Games: 2/17: @ AlaSU 2/19 @ AAMU)
This season is turning into a disappointment for the Golden Lions. UAPB has lost 3 straight games after winning two straight. They had their chances against Alcorn but they could never take hold of the game. Kylen Milton led the way with a double-double (19 points and 14 rebounds). A second-half collapse was their undoing against JSU. Rashad Williams paced UAPB with a double-double (16 points 10 rebounds). This team has the ability to outscore any team in the league. But they also lack the ability to stop teams when it matters. All that adds up to an average team that could be sitting at home in March. And that to me is a real shame.