By LUT WILLIAMS BCSP Editor
The SIAC men’s and women’s Basketball Tournaments take center stage this week, running from Saturday, Feb 25 thru Saturday, March 4 at Tiger Arena at Savannah State University. .
The top seeds for the men are the Morehouse men from the East Division and Tuskegee from the West.
For the ladies, Tuskegee enters with an unblemished 17-0 conference record and the top seed from the West while Clark Atlanta is the women’s top seed from the East.
MEAC
The MEAC has only games left on its regular season schedule on Thursday before Tournament play begins at the Norfolk Scope on Wednesday, March 8 with quarterfinal action.
The MEAC championship games are set for Saturday, March 11.
There has been some shake-up over the last week in the standings. Morgan State, who had won its first nine conference games to lead the women’s race, has now dropped four straight and fallen into a tie for second in the conference with Howard at 9-4. The Lady Bears close out the season Thursday at crosstown rival Coppin State.
After trailing Morgan State for much of the season, Norfolk State is now the women’s leader with a 11-2 conference mark.
Norfolk State closes out the season Thursday at Howard.
On the men’s side, Howard (10-3) has dropped two of its last three games but has managed to stay a game ahead of both Norfolk State and N. Central who check in with 9-4 league records.
The Howard/NSU showdown Thursday in Washington, DC will go a long way to determining who will be the top seed at the tournament. Howard defeated Norfolk State 86-84 on Jan. 14 in Norfolk in a controversial ending.
NCCU closes Thursday at SC State.
SWAC
Play begins in the 2023 SWAC Basketball Tournament next Wednesday, March 8 at Bartow Arena in Birmingham and runs thru Saturday March 11. The top eight teams in the men’s and women’s standings will make it to Birmingham for next week’s tournament.
There is a little bit of unfinished business on the men’s side.
The Alcorn State men (13-3) survived a 41-point outburst from Texas Southern guard P. J. Henry Monday to come away with an 89- 81 home victory.
The critical win kept head coach Landon Bussey’s Braves tied atop the men’s SWAC race with Grambling State and head coach Donte’ Jacison as the final two games of the regular season are played out this week – on Thursday and Saturday.
Alcorn plays at Miss. Valley State Thursday and at Arkansas- Pine Bluff Saturday in their finales.
Grambling, riding a 7-game winning streak, hosts Alabama A&M Thursday and Alabama State Saturday.
Either Alcorn State or Grambling will be the top men’s seed as they currently have a 3-game lead over Southern and Jackson State (at 10-6) headed into the final games.
Prairie View (8-9) has nine losses and four teams – Texas Southern, Bethune-Cookman, Arkansas-Pine Bluff and Alabama State – all have 10 conference losses and will be jockeying for slots six thru eight over the final week.
Jackson State (15-1) has a three-game lead in the women’s race and will be the top seed in the SWAC Tournament.
