Season in Review
One of the worst conferences in America, I've barely watched the SWAC this season, so this preview won't be as in depth and the others. However, I have still followed the conference throughout the year, so I have some thoughts. The favorite should be Texas Southern, who has won either the regular season title or the conference tournament each of the past six seasons. They are notorious for their difficult non-conference schedules, playing almost exclusively high majors, and this year, they took down three of them. They beat Baylor, Oregon, and Texas A&M, and recently won 11 straight games in the SWAC. Meanwhile, Prairie View A&M was dominant, losing just one game in the conference to the Tigers, and they will be a worthy challenger.
Bracket
Contenders
Prairie View A&M (19-12, 17-1)
The Panthers had a tough non-conference schedule, winning just 2 games, but they took over in SWAC play. The one thing they are going to do is force turnovers. They get 8.6 turnovers a game, and they have the second highest turnover rate in the nation, which leads to a ton of fast breaks. This obviously leads to a very quick pace, and the Panthers have harassed their conference opponents and kept turning the ball over. They also do a really good job defending the three point line, holding opponents to 30.2%, and an even lower number of 27.5% in conference play. They flipped a switch in SWAC play, and they have a real shot to win the tournament.
Texas Southern (19-12, 14-4)
The Tigers have had grueling schedules, high major transfers, and NCAA Tournament appearances for years, and they will look to do that again this season. They have the fifth highest tempo in the country, and by far the best offense in the conference. They have a lot of high major level athletes and size, and that has allowed them to attack the rim with reckless abandon. One thing to be wary of: Mike Davis was the coach in the crazy run they had, but he left and was replaced by former LSU head coach. They still have a really great shot to win the conference tournament and represent the SWAC once again.
Sleeper Team
Grambling State (16-15, 10-8)
The Tigers won the conference last season, but weren't eligible to compete in the conference tournament. They didn't have as good of a season this year, but they have a good shot to win the conference tournament for two reasons. One, they do an excellent job defending the paint, holding their opponents to 44.9% from two point range this season. This contributes to a 45.1% effective field goal percentage, which is eleventh best in the country. They also shoot the ball really well from deep, making 40.2% of their attempts on the year, fifth best in the country, and they could make a run to the tournament.
Players to Watch
Jeremy Combs
Stats: 16.9 PPG, 9 RPG, 1.5 APG, 1.5 SPG, 0.6 BPG, 60.1/26.7/60.1
Combs is on his third stop in college, having previously played at North Texas and then transferred to LSU, before coming to Texas Southern this season. He is now one of the top big men in the country, and he has been going off. He put up 23 and 20 against Prairie View A&M and 33 and 17 against Jackson State, so there is very clearly the potential for him to take over in the tournament.
Gary Blackston
Stats: 15.3 PPG, 7.3 RPG, 1.8 APG, 1.6 SPG, 0.2 BPG, 42.7/33.9/64.9
The junior college transfer has led the way for Prairie View A&M this year, and he often goes off to lead the Panthers to victory. He's not a spectacular player, but he's got the ability to ball out, and does an excellent job rebounding for his size. He's got a chance to make noise in the SWAC Tournament, and I think he is the one guy most likely to go off, which is why he's a Player to Watch.
Martaveous McKnight
Stats: 21.2 PPG, 5 RPG, 3 APG, 1.5 SPG, 0.4 BPG, 44.8/39.7/70.9
McKnight was a junior college transfer, and he has put up numbers ever since he arrived in Pine Bluff. He clearly balled out this season, putting up some insane numbers, and he will be a threat to go off in the SWAC Tournament. He has scored over 40 points twice, and is scoring 22.3 points per game over his last three, so I am excited to see what he can do in the tournament.
My All Conference Teams
First Team
G: Martaveous McKnight, Arkansas Pine-Bluff
G: Gary Blackston, Prairie View A&M
G: Ivy Smith, Grambling State
F: Jeremy Combs, Texas Southern
F: Chris Howell, Jackson State
My Pick: Texas Southern over Prairie View A&M
I just can't bet against the Tigers given their dominance of the SWAC in recent years. They were also the only team that beat the Panthers in conference play, and did so in their most recent meeting, so it looks like they have their number. I honestly don't have a great feel for the game, and I think it could go either way, but I like Texas Southern to pull it out.
One of the worst conferences in America, I've barely watched the SWAC this season, so this preview won't be as in depth and the others. However, I have still followed the conference throughout the year, so I have some thoughts. The favorite should be Texas Southern, who has won either the regular season title or the conference tournament each of the past six seasons. They are notorious for their difficult non-conference schedules, playing almost exclusively high majors, and this year, they took down three of them. They beat Baylor, Oregon, and Texas A&M, and recently won 11 straight games in the SWAC. Meanwhile, Prairie View A&M was dominant, losing just one game in the conference to the Tigers, and they will be a worthy challenger.
Bracket
Contenders
Prairie View A&M (19-12, 17-1)
The Panthers had a tough non-conference schedule, winning just 2 games, but they took over in SWAC play. The one thing they are going to do is force turnovers. They get 8.6 turnovers a game, and they have the second highest turnover rate in the nation, which leads to a ton of fast breaks. This obviously leads to a very quick pace, and the Panthers have harassed their conference opponents and kept turning the ball over. They also do a really good job defending the three point line, holding opponents to 30.2%, and an even lower number of 27.5% in conference play. They flipped a switch in SWAC play, and they have a real shot to win the tournament.
Texas Southern (19-12, 14-4)
The Tigers have had grueling schedules, high major transfers, and NCAA Tournament appearances for years, and they will look to do that again this season. They have the fifth highest tempo in the country, and by far the best offense in the conference. They have a lot of high major level athletes and size, and that has allowed them to attack the rim with reckless abandon. One thing to be wary of: Mike Davis was the coach in the crazy run they had, but he left and was replaced by former LSU head coach. They still have a really great shot to win the conference tournament and represent the SWAC once again.
Sleeper Team
Grambling State (16-15, 10-8)
The Tigers won the conference last season, but weren't eligible to compete in the conference tournament. They didn't have as good of a season this year, but they have a good shot to win the conference tournament for two reasons. One, they do an excellent job defending the paint, holding their opponents to 44.9% from two point range this season. This contributes to a 45.1% effective field goal percentage, which is eleventh best in the country. They also shoot the ball really well from deep, making 40.2% of their attempts on the year, fifth best in the country, and they could make a run to the tournament.
Players to Watch
Jeremy Combs
Stats: 16.9 PPG, 9 RPG, 1.5 APG, 1.5 SPG, 0.6 BPG, 60.1/26.7/60.1
Combs is on his third stop in college, having previously played at North Texas and then transferred to LSU, before coming to Texas Southern this season. He is now one of the top big men in the country, and he has been going off. He put up 23 and 20 against Prairie View A&M and 33 and 17 against Jackson State, so there is very clearly the potential for him to take over in the tournament.
Gary Blackston
Stats: 15.3 PPG, 7.3 RPG, 1.8 APG, 1.6 SPG, 0.2 BPG, 42.7/33.9/64.9
The junior college transfer has led the way for Prairie View A&M this year, and he often goes off to lead the Panthers to victory. He's not a spectacular player, but he's got the ability to ball out, and does an excellent job rebounding for his size. He's got a chance to make noise in the SWAC Tournament, and I think he is the one guy most likely to go off, which is why he's a Player to Watch.
Martaveous McKnight
Stats: 21.2 PPG, 5 RPG, 3 APG, 1.5 SPG, 0.4 BPG, 44.8/39.7/70.9
McKnight was a junior college transfer, and he has put up numbers ever since he arrived in Pine Bluff. He clearly balled out this season, putting up some insane numbers, and he will be a threat to go off in the SWAC Tournament. He has scored over 40 points twice, and is scoring 22.3 points per game over his last three, so I am excited to see what he can do in the tournament.
My All Conference Teams
First Team
G: Martaveous McKnight, Arkansas Pine-Bluff
G: Gary Blackston, Prairie View A&M
G: Ivy Smith, Grambling State
F: Jeremy Combs, Texas Southern
F: Chris Howell, Jackson State
My Pick: Texas Southern over Prairie View A&M
I just can't bet against the Tigers given their dominance of the SWAC in recent years. They were also the only team that beat the Panthers in conference play, and did so in their most recent meeting, so it looks like they have their number. I honestly don't have a great feel for the game, and I think it could go either way, but I like Texas Southern to pull it out.
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