SWAC Men's Basketball Tournament Seedings, Bethune-Cookman at No. 1

The Southwestern Athletic Conference has unveiled the complete seedings for the 2026 Pepsi SWAC Men's Basketball Tournament presented by Buick, with all 12 league programs locked in for what promises to be a dramatic week of HBCU basketball in Atlanta.

Bethune-Cookman, the 2026 SWAC regular season champion, enters the field as the No. 1 seed after finishing conference play at 14-4, the best record in the league. The Wildcats will be the team everyone is gunning for when the tournament tips off March 9 at Gateway Center Arena in Atlanta.

Florida A&M and Southern both finished 11-7 in conference play, claiming the No. 2 and No. 3 seeds respectively, with the league's tiebreaker policy used to separate them in the standings. Texas Southern rounds out the top four at 10-8 despite dropping the season series to rival Prairie View A&M just days ago.

REGGIE THEUS — Dec 22, 2025; Tucson, Arizona, USA; Bethune-Cookman Wildcats head coach Reggie Theus yells out towards players during the first half of the game against the Arizona Wildcats at McKale Memorial Center. Mandatory Credit: Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images | Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images

🏆 2026 Pepsi SWAC Basketball Tournament

Men's Seedings

🥇 No. 1 — Bethune-Cookman (14-4 SWAC) — Regular Season Champion
🥈 No. 2 — Florida A&M (11-7 SWAC)
🥉 No. 3 — Southern (11-7 SWAC)
4️⃣ No. 4 — Texas Southern (10-8 SWAC)
5️⃣ No. 5 — Alabama A&M (10-8 SWAC)
6️⃣ No. 6 — Arkansas-Pine Bluff (10-8 SWAC)
7️⃣ No. 7 — Jackson State (10-8 SWAC)
8️⃣ No. 8 — Prairie View A&M (9-9 SWAC) 🐾
9️⃣ No. 9 — Grambling State (7-11 SWAC)
🔟 No. 10 — Alabama State (7-11 SWAC)
1️⃣1️⃣ No. 11 — Alcorn State (7-11 SWAC)
1️⃣2️⃣ No. 12 — Mississippi Valley State (2-16 SWAC)

Men's Tournament Schedule

📍 Gateway Center Arena | College Park, Georgia
📺 All Games on ESPN+ (Championship on ESPNU)
🕐 All times Eastern Standard Time (EST)

Monday, March 9

🏀 2:00 PM — Game One: No. 10 Alabama State vs. No. 11 Alcorn State | ESPN+
🏀 8:30 PM — Game Two: No. 9 Grambling State vs. No. 12 Mississippi Valley State | ESPN+

Tuesday, March 10

🏀 2:00 PM — Game Three: No. 8 Prairie View A&M vs. Winner of Game One | ESPN+
🏀 8:30 PM — Game Four: No. 7 Jackson State vs. Winner of Game Two | ESPN+

Wednesday, March 11

🏀 2:00 PM — Game Five: No. 1 Bethune-Cookman vs. Winner of Game Three | ESPN+
🏀 8:30 PM — Game Six: No. 2 Florida A&M vs. Winner of Game Four | ESPN+

Thursday, March 12

🏀 2:00 PM — Game Seven: No. 4 Texas Southern vs. No. 5 Alabama A&M | ESPN+
🏀 8:30 PM — Game Eight: No. 3 Southern vs. No. 6 Arkansas-Pine Bluff | ESPN+

Friday, March 13

🏀 2:00 PM — Game Nine: Winner of Game Five vs. Winner of Game Seven | ESPN+
🏀 8:30 PM — Game Ten: Winner of Game Six vs. Winner of Game Eight | ESPN+

Saturday, March 14

🏆 7:30 PM — Championship Game | ESPNU

Three teams, Alabama A&M, Arkansas-Pine Bluff, and Jackson State, all finished 10-8 in SWAC play, earning the No. 5, No. 6, and No. 7 seeds respectively after tiebreakers were applied. Prairie View A&M, fresh off a season sweep of Texas Southern, enters as the No. 8 seed with a 9-9 conference record and a team that is quietly starting to get hot at exactly the right time.

Grambling State and Alabama State each finished 7-11 in league play, drawing the No. 9 and No. 10 seeds, while Alcorn State, also 7-11, enters at No. 11. Mississippi Valley State rounds out the field as the No. 12 seed after going 2-16 in SWAC play.

The bottom half of the bracket sets up a compelling opening round, with Alabama State facing Alcorn State in Game One and Grambling State squaring off against Mississippi Valley State in Game Two, both on March 9. The Game One winners advance to face Prairie View A&M and Game Two victors play Jackson State on March 10.

The 2026 Pepsi SWAC Men's Basketball Tournament runs March 9-14 at Gateway Center Arena in Atlanta, Georgia, with all games streaming on ESPN+ and the championship game airing on ESPNU at 7:30 p.m. EST on March 14.