SWAC, MEAC Tourneys underway

By LUT WILLIAMS, BCSP Editor

Basketball tournaments got underway this week at the Gateway Center Arena in College Park, Ga. (SWAC – Monday, March 9 – Saturday, March 14) and the Scope Arena in Norfolk, Va. (MEAC – Wednesday, March 11 – Saturday, March 14) as these leagues determine which men’s and women’s teams will advance to the NCAA Div. I Big Dances.

The Alabama A&M women, under head coach Dawn Thornton, and the Bethune-Cookman men, led by head coach Reggie Theus, captured their first-ever SWAC regular season titles and top seeds in their tournaments.

The Howard women, with head coach Ty Grace at the helm, and Howard men, led by head coach Kenneth Blakeney, swept regular season MEAC titles and sit atop their brackets.

SWAC tournament play has alternating women’s and men’s early games at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. and late games at 5:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. thru Friday’s semifinals.

The 12-team SWAC tourney’s opening rounds Monday and Tuesday had the lowest seeded women’s and men’s teams facing each other (see results on right). At press time Tuesday, the first SWAC women’s quarterfinals was set with top seed Alabama A&M facing No. 8 Florida A&M Wednesday at 11 a.m. No. 2 seed Alcorn State was to meet the winner of No. 7 Arkansas Pine Bluff and No. 9 Miss. Valley State in Wednesday’s 5:30 p.m. quarterfinal. The teams seeded third and fourth then face opponents in quarterfinal match ups on Thursday. The semifinals are Friday.

The women’s championship game is Saturday at 1 p.m. with the men’s title game at 7:30 p.m. All women’s and men’s SWAC Tournament games thru the semifinals will be streamed on ESPN+ with the championship game on ESPNU.

The 8-team women’s MEAC Tournament has games going off at 12 noon and 2 p.m. thru Wednesday and Thursday’s quarterfinals and Friday’s semifinals. The men’s games will follow at 6 and 8 p.m.

The men’s championship game will be held first at 1 p.m. Saturday followed by the women’s title game at 4 p.m.

Because the Coppin State men are ineligible for the tournament this year, only seven teams are vying for the men’s title. That means top seed Howard avoids a quarterfinal match up and gets a bye into Friday’s 6 p.m. semifinal game. No. 2 seed Morgan State will play the only men’s game Wednesday in a quarterfinal contest vs. No. 7 Delaware State. Teams seeded fourth (Norfolk State – 6 p.m.) and third (NC Central – 8 p.m.) have quarterfinal games Thursday.

ESPN+ is streaming all the games thru Friday’s semifinals with ESPN News carrying the women’s final and ESPN2 carrying the men’s championship contest on Saturday.

SWAC TOURNAMENTS – GATEWAY CENTER ARENA – COLLEGE PARK, GA

WOMEN FINAL – SEEDING (CONF / ALL)

1. Alabama A&M (17-1 / 21-9)

2. Alcorn State (14-4 / 17-12)

3. Alabama State (12-6 / 15-14)

4. Jackson State (10-8 / 12-18)

5. Southern (12-6 / 16-13)

6. Grambling State (10-8 / 13-18)

7. Arkansas-Pine Bluff (10-8 / 13-15)

8. Florida A&M (7-11 / 8-21)

9. Miss. Valley State (6-12 / 7-22)

10. Texas Southern (6-12 / 10-20)

11. Bethune-Cookman (4-14 / 6-25)

12. Prairie View A&M (0-18 / 2-27)

WOMEN’S TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
Mon., March 9: #11 Bethune-Cookman 66, #10 Texas Southern 62
Mon., March 9: #9 Miss. Valley State 63, #12 Prairie View A&M 49
Tues., March 10: #8 Florida A&M 55, #11 Bethune-Cookman 52
Tues., March 10: #7 Ark.-Pine Bluff vs. #9 Miss. Valley State
Wed., March 11: #1 Alabama A&M vs. #8 Florida A&M
Wed., March 11: #2 Alcorn State vs. UAPB/MVSU winner
Thurs., March 12: #4 Jackson State vs. #5 Southern
Thurs., March 12: #3 Alabama State vs. #6 Grambling State
Fri., March 13: Semifinals
Sat., March 14: Championship Game – 1 pm

MEN FINAL – SEEDING (CONF / ALL)

1. Bethune-Cookman (14-4 / 17-14)

2. Florida A&M (11-7 / 14-15)

3. Southern (11-7 / 15-16)

4. Texas Southern (10-8 / 12-17)

5. Alabama A&M (10-8 / 17-14)

6. Arkansas-Pine Bluff (10-8 / 13-18)

7. Jackson State (10-8 / 11-20)

8. Prairie View A&M (9-9 / 14-17)

9. Grambling State (7-11 / 13-18)

10. Alabama State (7-11 / 10-21)

11. Alcorn State (7-11 / 8-22)

12. Mississippi Valley State (2-16 / 3-29)

MEN’S TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
Mon., March 9: #11 Alcorn State 77, #10 Alabama State 65
Mon., March 9: #9 Grambling State 77, #12 Miss. Valley State 52
Tues., March 10: #8 Prairie View A&M vs. #11 Alcorn State
Tues., March 10: #7 Jackson State vs. #9 Grambling State
Wed., March 11: #1 Bethune-Cookman vs. PV/ALC winner
Wed., March 11: #2 Florida A&M vs. JSU/GSU winner
Thurs., March 12: #4 Texas Southern vs. #5 Alabama A&M
Thurs., March 12: #3 Southern vs. #6 Arkansas-Pine Bluff
Fri., March 13: Semifinals
Sat., March 14: Championship Game – 7:30 pm

MEAC TOURNAMENTS – SCOPE ARENA – NORFOLK, VA

WOMEN FINAL – SEEDING (CONF / ALL)

1. Howard (13-1 / 23-7)

2. Maryland Eastern-Shore (11-3 / 17-13)

3. Norfolk State (11-3 / 16-13)

4. Coppin State (6-8 / 9-22)

5. North Carolina Central (5-9 / 9-19)

6. Morgan State (4-10 / 5-25)

7. Delaware State (4-10 / 7-22)

8. South Carolina State (2-12 / 5-24)

WOMEN’S TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
Wed., March 11: #1 Howard vs. #8 S. Carolina State
Wed., March 11: #2 Maryland-E. Shore vs. #7 Delaware State
Thurs., March 12: #4 Coppin State vs. #5 N. Carolina Central
Thurs., March 12: #3 Norfolk State vs. #6 Morgan State
Fri., March 14: Semifinals
Sat., March 14: Championship Game – 4 pm

MEN FINAL – SEEDING (CONF / ALL)

1. Howard (11-3 / 21-10)

2. Morgan State (10-4 / 14-15)

3. North Carolina Central (8-6 / 12-17)

4. Norfolk State (8-6 / 15-16)

5. South Carolina State (7-7 / 9-21)

6. Maryland Eastern-Shore (5-9 / 9-22)

• Coppin State (5-9 / 7-24) – Ineligible

1. Delaware State (2-12 / 7-22)

MEN’S TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
Wed., March 11: #2 Morgan State vs. #7 Delaware State
Thurs., March 12: #4 Norfolk State vs. #5 S. Carolina State
Thurs., March 12: #3 NC Central vs. #6 Maryland-E. Shore
Fri., March 13: #1 Howard vs. NSU/SCSU winner
Fri., March 13: MSU/DSU winner vs. NCCU/MDES winner
Sat., March 14: Championship – 1 pm