2025 SWAC Men's Tournament Semifinal Preview: Grambling State vs. Alabama State

Expect a thrilling clash between the Hornets and Tigers in the semifinal game at the SWAC Men's Basketball Tournament.

Kintavious Dozier | Credit: GSU Athletics

The 2025 Starry SWAC Men's Basketball Tournament has delivered dramatic finishes and thrilling upsets, culminating in a compelling semifinal lineup scheduled for Friday, Mar. 14.   Let's preview the Grambling State vs. Alabama State matchup.

The Final Four SWAC Matchups:

• No. 8 Grambling State Tigers (7-11 SWAC) vs. No. 5 Alabama State Hornets (12-6 SWAC) - 2:00 PM CT
• No. 2 Jackson State Tigers (15-17, 14-4 SWAC) vs. No. 3 Bethune-Cookman Wildcats (17-15, 13-5 SWAC) - 8:30 PM CT

The men's games will occur at the Gateway Center in College Park, Georgia, with the winners moving on to the championship round on Mar. 15.

Grambling State Defeat Alabama A&M | Courtesy: Aniyah Rivers/GSU Athletics

Grambling State vs. Alabama State

Grambling State Tigers

• Journey: Pulled off the tournament's most significant upset, defeating #1 Southern, 65-62, in overtime after beating Alabama A&M, 73-56.
• Key Players:  Mikale Stevenson and Kintavious Dozier
• Strength: Tenacious defense, a coach (Donte' Jackson), and players who have already won a SWAC Championship. Don't count out the G-Men, who proved they have the mettle to compete when it counts - in the tournament!

Alabama State Rallies in 2nd Half and Defeats Alabama A&M in Thriller | Credit: ASU Athletics

Alabama State Hornets

• Journey: The Hornets were aggressive from the opening tip-off as they hit a barrage of three-pointers in the first half to gain a sizeable lead on Texas Southern.    ASU advanced past a Texas Southern team that had visited the championship game the previous four seasons, winning three titles.
• Key Players: D'Ante Bass and TJ Madlock
• Strength: The Hornets are a very physical team and seem highly determined to win. Expect scoring in the paint, and don't be surprised if ASU is vying for the title on Saturday.

Outlook

Will the emotions after defeating Texas Southern run their course for the Hornets? They will face a Grambling State team who will be rested and ready.  While the G-Men will be mentally prepared, can the Alabama State surprise the Gateway Center spectators again?

GSU | ESPN

Prediction

Alabama State will win if they can hit the treys as they did against TSU. Should Grambling control the paint, the Tigers will win.  

Grambling State by 3 points over Alabama State.

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HORNETS STING TIGERS, ADVANCE TO SEMIFINALS

For the first time in five seasons, the No. 4 seed Texas Southern Tigers won't be competing in the SWAC Men's Tournament Championship game. No. 5 Alabama State defeated No. 4 Texas Southern, 84-79, at the 2025 Starry SWAC Men's Basketball Tournament at Gateway Center in College Park, Georgia.

D'Ante Bass scored 16 points, with two crucial follow-up slam dunks and less than minutes to go for No. 5 Alabama State. Three additional Hornets were in double figures against TSU: Antonio "TJ" Madlock (15 points, eight rebounds), CJ Hines (15 points, two rebounds), and Micah Simpson (10 points, three rebounds).

ASU Stings TSU | Credit: ESPN

Alabama State commanded a 41-29 lead over Texas Southern heading into halftime. The Hornets never trailed and allowed one tie at 59 apiece in the second half. ASU went 14-for-29 from three-point range compared to TSU as a team, hitting 10-of-22 in the game.

Zaire Hayes led the quarterfinals scorers with 24 points for the Tigers. He was on fire the entire game, scoring 8-of-9 from the field with 6-for-7 from beyond the arc. His backcourt teammate, Kavion McClain, went 6-of-11 from the floor for 15 points. Jaylen Wysinger was efficient, scoring 14 points and grabbing two rebounds.

No. 8 Grambling State will meet No. 4 Alabama State in Friday's semifinal game at 2:00 PM CT. Jackson State will square off against the winner of the Bethune-Cookman-Alcorn State match.

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JSU EMERGES AS THE FAVORITES

The Jackson State Tigers continue to surge at the right time by showcasing their conference dominance with a 91-76 victory over the Florida A&M Rattlers. JSU's win and the Southern Jaguars' upset have established the Tigers as the favorites at the 2025 Starry SWAC Men's Basketball Tournament at Gateway Center Arena in College Park, Georgia.

Jackson State Aggressive

Mo Williams had the No. 2 seed Tigers (14-17, 14-4 SWAC) controlling the tempo of the game right from the opening tip-off. The No. 7 Rattlers (14-16, 10-8 SWAC) were ultimately outpaced by 15 points, highlighting why Jackson State finished near the top of the conference standings during the regular season.

Tigers guard Daeshun Ruffin was nearly unstoppable. He was stellar, scoring 29 points, grabbing seven rebounds, and dishing out seven assists in the win. Four additional JSU players posted double figures: Shannon Grant (17 points, 16 rebounds), Romelle Mansel (14 points), Keiveon Hunt (15 points), and Doriam McMillian (13 points).

On to the next#TheeILove | #BleedTheeBlue pic.twitter.com/gmjmpWYFfE

— Jackson State Men's Basketball (@GoJSUTigersMBB) March 13, 2025

Jackson State vs. Florida A&M Team Performances

Jackson State showcased its offensive strength by scoring 91 points against a typically strong Florida A&M defense, which should raise concerns for their SWAC rivals.

The Tigers shot an impressive 61.2%, significantly higher than their season average of 41.8%. Their offensive performance was remarkable, as they also made 23 of 29 free throws, achieving a success rate of 79.3%.

In contrast, Florida A&M struggled against Jackson State's aggressive defense, managing to shoot just 41.0% from the field, well below their usual offensive standards.

Roderick Coffee III was the standout player, leading all scorers with 30 points, along with four rebounds, five assists, and two steals for the Rattlers. Jordan Chatman and Milton Matthews each contributed 18 points in the loss.

Jackson State Tigers head coach Mo Williams looks down his sideline in the first half of the NCAA Men’s Basketball game between the Xavier Musketeers and the Jackson State Tigers at the Cintas Center at Xavier University in Cincinnati on Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2024. Xavier led 40-25 at halftime. | Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Tigers Become The Tournament Favorites

This quarterfinal matchup followed a major upset earlier in the day when No. 8 seed Grambling State defeated No. 1 seed Southern University 65-62 in overtime.

Southern's elimination has opened up a significant opportunity in the tournament bracket for Jackson State, Bethune-Cookman, Texas Southern, and last year's champions, Grambling.

As Jackson State advances to the semifinals, they will face the winner of Game Six between No. 3 Bethune-Cookman and No. 6 Alcorn State.

The semifinals are scheduled for March 14 at 8:30 PM ET and will be broadcast on ESPN+.

Tournament Structure

The 2025 Starry SWAC Men's Basketball Tournament presented by Buick features the conference's top ten teams and runs from Mar. 11-15. The men's championship game is set for Mar. 15 at 9:30 PM ET and will be broadcast on ESPNU.

As most SWAC tournaments, nothing is more predictable than the unpredictable. Jackson State has a clearer path to the championship game and gaining the conference's automatic bid to the 2025 NCAA Basketball Tournament.

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