2025–26 Southwestern Athletic Conference men's basketball season
| 2025–26 Southwestern Athletic Conference men's basketball season | |
|---|---|
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| League | NCAA Division I |
| Sport | Basketball |
| Teams | 12 |
| TV partner(s) | ESPN, HBCU GO,[1] SWAC TV[2] |
| Regular season | |
| Conf. | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | W | L | PCT | W | L | PCT | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bethune–Cookman | 10 | – | 2 | .833 | 13 | – | 12 | .520 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Southern | 8 | – | 4 | .667 | 12 | – | 13 | .480 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Arkansas–Pine Bluff | 8 | – | 4 | .667 | 11 | – | 14 | .440 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Alabama A&M | 7 | – | 5 | .583 | 14 | – | 11 | .560 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Jackson State | 7 | – | 5 | .583 | 8 | – | 17 | .320 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Florida A&M | 6 | – | 6 | .500 | 9 | – | 14 | .391 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Texas Southern | 6 | – | 6 | .500 | 8 | – | 15 | .348 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Grambling State | 5 | – | 6 | .455 | 11 | – | 13 | .458 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Alabama State | 5 | – | 7 | .417 | 8 | – | 17 | .320 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Alcorn State | 5 | – | 7 | .417 | 6 | – | 18 | .250 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Prairie View A&M | 4 | – | 8 | .333 | 9 | – | 16 | .360 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Mississippi Valley State | 0 | – | 11 | .000 | 1 | – | 24 | .040 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| † 2026 SWAC tournament winner As of February 14, 2026 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The 2025–26 Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) men's basketball season started with non-conference play on November 3, 2025, and conference play will start on January 3, 2026. The regular season will end on March 5, 2026, and set up the 2026 SWAC men's basketball tournament, which will take place from March 9-14, 2026, at the Gateway Center Arena in Atlanta, Georgia.[3]
Head coaches
Coaches
| Team | Head Coach | Previous Job | Years At School[a] | Record at School[b] | SWAC Record | SWAC Titles[c] | NCAA tournaments[d] | NCAA Sweet 16's |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama A&M | Donte Jackson | Grambling State | 1 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Alabama State | Tony Madlock | South Carolina State | 4 | 41–58 | 26–28 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Alcorn State | Jake Morton | Florida State (Assistant) | 1 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Arkansas-Pine Bluff | Solomon Bozeman | Oral Roberts (Assistant) | 5 | 36–88 | 22–50 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bethune-Cookman | Reggie Theus | Cal State Northridge | 5 | 55–74 | 39–33 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Florida A&M | Charlie Ward | Florida HS | 1 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Grambling State | Patrick Crarey II | Florida A&M | 1 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jackson State | Mo Williams | Alabama State | 4 | 44–53 | 37–17 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Mississippi Valley State | George Ivory | Mississippi Valley State (Assistant) | 3 | 9–85 | 6–47 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Prairie View A&M | Byron Smith | Prairie View A&M | 10 | 128–161 | 98–70 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| Southern | Kevin P. Johnson | Tulane (Assistant) | 2 | 37–24 | 24–8 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Texas Southern | Johnny Jones | Nevada (Associate HC) | 8 | 121–107 | 80–41 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
Preseason awards
Preseason rankings
| Place | Team | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bethune–Cookman | 232 (12) | |
| 2 | Southern | 214 (5) | |
| 3 | Jackson State | 208 (1) | |
| 4 | Alabama State | 183 (3) | |
| 5 | Texas Southern | 182 | |
| 6 | Alabama A&M | 163 | |
| 7 | Grambling State | 151 | |
| 8 | Florida A&M | 115 | |
| 9 | Prairie View A&M | 99 | |
| 10 | Alcorn State | 74 | |
| 11 | Arkansas–Pine Bluff | 70 (1) | |
| 12 | Mississippi Valley State | 25 | |
| (#) first-place votes | |||
Preseason honors
| Honor | Recipient | School |
|---|---|---|
| Preseason Player of the Year | Daeshun Ruffin | Jackson State |
| Preseason DPOY | Doctor Bradley | Bethune-Cookman |
| Preseason All-SWAC First Team | Michael Jacobs | Southern |
| Daniel Rouzan | Bethune-Cookman | |
| Daeshun Ruffin | Jackson State | |
| Kintavious Dozier | Alabama A&M | |
| Doctor Bradley | Bethune-Cookman | |
| Preseason All-SWAC Second Team | Zaire Hayes | Texas Southern |
| Dorian McMillian | Jackson State | |
| Jordan Chatman | Florida A&M | |
| Seneca Willoughby | Bethune-Cookman | |
| Micah Simpson | Alabama State |
Source:[6]
Regular season
Conference standings
Thru January 24, 2026
| Conference | Overall | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | Team | Record | Percent | Record | Percent | Tiebreaker |
| 1 | Bethune-Cookman | 5–1 | .833 | 8–11 | .421 | |
| 2 | Florida A&M | 5–1 | .833 | 8–9 | .471 | |
| 3 | Jackson State | 4–2 | .667 | 5–14 | .263 | |
| 4 | Arkansas-Pine Bluff | 4–3 | .571 | 7–13 | .350 | |
| 5 | Alabama A&M | 3–3 | .500 | 10–9 | .526 | |
| 6 | Southern | 3–3 | .500 | 7–12 | .368 | |
| 7 | Alabama State | 3–3 | .500 | 6–13 | .316 | |
| 8 | Prairie View A&M | 3–4 | .429 | 8–12 | .400 | |
| 9 | Texas Southern | 3–4 | .429 | 5–13 | .278 | |
| 10 | Grambling State | 2–3 | .400 | 8–10 | .444 | |
| 11 | Alcorn State | 2–4 | .333 | 3–15 | .167 | |
| 12 | Mississippi Valley State | 0–6 | .000 | 1–19 | .050 | |
| Source:[7] | ||||||
Conference matrix
| Alabama A&M | Alabama State | Alcorn State | Arkansas-Pine Bluff | Bethune-Cookman | Florida A&M | Grambling State | Jackson State | Mississippi Valley State | Prairie View A&M | Southern | Texas Southern | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| vs. Alabama A&M | – | 0–0 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 |
| vs. Alabama State | 0–0 | – | 1–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 |
| vs. Alcorn State | 0–0 | 0–0 | – | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 |
| vs. Arkansas-Pine Bluff | 0–1 | 0–1 | 0–0 | – | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 |
| vs. Bethune-Cookman | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | – | 0–1 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 |
| vs. Florida A&M | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 1–0 | – | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 |
| vs. Grambling State | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | – | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 0–1 |
| vs. Jackson State | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | – | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 |
| vs. Mississippi Valley State | 1–0 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | – | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 |
| vs. Prairie View A&M | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | – | 0–1 | 0–0 |
| vs. Southern | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 1–0 | – | 0–1 |
| vs. Texas Southern | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 1–0 | – |
| Total | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 |
Thru January 9, 2026
Players of the Week
| Week | Player of the Week | Impact Performer | Newcomer of the Week |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nov. 11[8] | Michael James Mississippi Valley State |
Daeshun Ruffin Jackson State |
Michael James Mississippi Valley State |
| Nov. 19[9] | Troy Hupstead Texas Southern |
Troy Hupstead Texas Southern |
Sami Pissis Alabama A&M |
| Nov. 25[10] | Michael Jacobs Southern |
Tai'Reon Joseph Prairie View A&M |
Jakobi Heady Bethune-Cookman |
| Dec. 3[11] | Kintavious Dozier Alabama A&M |
Asjon Anderson Alabama State |
Michael James (2) Mississippi Valley State |
| Dec. 10[12] | Quion Williams Arkansas-Pine Bluff |
Daeshun Ruffin (2) Jackson State |
Milhan Charles Arkansas-Pine Bluff |
| Dec. 17[13] | Kintavious Dozier (2) Alabama A&M |
Sami Pissis Alabama A&M |
Koron Davis Alabama A&M |
| Dec. 23[14] | Tai'Reon Joseph Prairie View A&M |
Daeshun Ruffin (3) Jackson State |
Antonio Munoz Grambling State |
| Dec. 30[15] | Tai'Reon Joseph (2) Prairie View A&M |
Dorian McMillian Jackson State |
Michael James (3) Mississippi Valley State |
| Jan. 6[16] | Tai'Reon Joseph (3) Prairie View A&M |
Alex Mirhosseini Arkansas-Pine Bluff |
Quion Williams Arkansas-Pine Bluff |
| Jan. 13[17] | Daeshun Ruffin Jackson State |
Micah Octave Florida A&M |
Cory Wells Prairie View A&M |
| Jan. 20[18] | Jakobi Heady Bethune-Cookman |
Daeshun Ruffin (4) Jackson State & Bryce Roberts Texas Southern |
Dontae Horne Prairie View A&M |
| Jan. 29[19] | Daeshun Ruffin (2) Jackson State |
Doctor Bradley Bethune-Cookman |
Troy Hupstead Texas Southern |
Records against other conferences
Thru January 26, 2026
| Major 6 Conferences | Record | Major 6 Conferences | Record |
|---|---|---|---|
| ACC | 0–9 | American | 1–7 |
| Big East | 0–2 | Big Ten | 0–11 |
| Big 12 | 0–15 | SEC | 0–22 |
| Major 6 Total | 1–66 | ||
| Other Division I Conferences | Record | Other Division I Conferences | Record |
| Atlantic 10 | 0–2 | ASUN | 3–3 |
| America East | 0–0 | Big Sky | 0–0 |
| Big South | 1–1 | Big West | 0–3 |
| CAA | 1–2 | Conference USA | 0–5 |
| Horizon League | 1–0 | Ivy League | 0–0 |
| Independents | 0–0 | MAAC | 0–1 |
| MAC | 1–1 | MVC | 2–1 |
| MWC | 0–3 | NEC | 0–0 |
| OVC | 2–3 | Patriot League | 0–0 |
| SoCon | 0–2 | Southland | 1–0 |
| MEAC | 3–2 | Summit League | 0–1 |
| Sun Belt | 2–7 | WAC | 0–6 |
| WCC | 0–4 | ||
| Other Division I Total | 17–47 | ||
| NCAA Division I Total | 18–113 | ||
| NCAA Division II Total | 1–0 | ||
| NCAA Division III Total | 3–0 | ||
| NAIA Total | 9–0 | ||
| NCCAA/USCAA Total | 8–0 | ||
| Total Non-Conference Record | 39–113 | ||
Record against ranked non-conference opponents
SWAC records against ranked teams (rankings from AP Poll, SWAC teams in Bold):
| Date | Visitor | Home | Site | Score | Conference record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| November 3 | Southern | No. 14 Arkansas | Bud Walton Arena Fayetteville, AR |
77–109 | 0–1 |
| November 3 | Jackson State | No. 17 Illinois | State Farm Center Champaign, IL |
55–113 | 0–2 |
| November 3 | Bethune-Cookman | No. 20 Auburn | Neville Arena Auburn, AL |
90–95 OT | 0–3 |
| November 3 | Texas Southern | No. 21 Gonzaga | McCarthey Athletic Center Spokane, WA |
43–98 | 0–4 |
| November 6 | Grambling State | No. 16 Iowa State | Hilton Coliseum Ames, IA |
62–102 | 0–5 |
| November 6 | Jackson State | No. 11 Louisville | KFC Yum! Center Louisville, KY |
70–106 | 0–6 |
| November 19 | Jackson State | No. 22 Auburn | Neville Arena Auburn, AL |
66–112 | 0–7 |
| November 21 | Jackson State | No. 21 Arkansas | Bud Walton Arena Fayetteville, AR |
61–115 | 0–8 |
| November 29 | Bethune-Cookman | No. 25 Indiana | Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall Bloomington, IN |
56–100 | 0–9 |
| December 3 | Alcorn State | No. 10 Iowa State | Hilton Coliseum Ames, IA |
68–132 | 0–10 |
| December 10 | Jackson State | No. 7 Houston | Fertitta Center Houston, TX |
38–80 | 0–11 |
| December 22 | Bethune-Cookman | No. 1 Arizona | McKale Memorial Center Tucson, AZ |
71–107 | 0–12 |
| December 29 | Southern | No. 20 Illinois | State Farm Center Champaign, IL |
55–90 | 0–13 |
Thru January 26, 2026
Home Attendance
Thru January 26, 2026
| Team | Arena | Capacity | Total Games | Average Attendance | Attendance High | Total Attendance | Avg % of Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama A&M | AA&M Events Center | 6,000 | 10 | 1,501 | 3,223 December 3 |
15,005 | 25% |
| Alabama State | Dunn-Oliver Acadome | 7,400 | 3 | 782 | 1,101 January 12 |
2,346 | 11% |
| Alcorn State | Davey Whitney Complex | 7,000 | 2 | – | 454 January 19 |
454 | 3% |
| Arkansas-Pine Bluff | K.L. Johnson Complex | 4,500 | 6 | 1,245 | 2,423 January 17 |
7,467 | 28% |
| Bethune-Cookman | Moore Gymnasium | 3,000 | 7 | 773 | 912 January 26 |
5,409 | 26% |
| Florida A&M | Al Lawson Center | 9,639 | 7 | 873 | 1,101 January 24 |
6,109 | 9% |
| Grambling State | Hobdy Assembly Center | 7,500 | 6 | 1,817 | 4,787 January 17 |
10,899 | 24% |
| Jackson State | Williams Assembly Center | 8,000 | 4 | 1,133 | 2,220 January 3 |
4,532 | 14% |
| Mississippi Valley State | Harrison HPER Complex | 5,000 | 6 | 264 | 554 January 17 |
1,582 | 5% |
| Prairie View A&M | William Nicks Building | 4,000 | 7 | 341 | 626 November 5 |
2,388 | 9% |
| Southern | F.G. Clark Center | 7,500 | 6 | 3,507 | 4,357 January 3 |
21,043 | 47% |
| Texas Southern | Health and Physical Education Arena | 8,100 | 8 | 741 | 1,803 January 12 |
5,928 | 9% |
Bold - Exceed capacity
Does not include exhibition games
Postseason
Conference tournament
For the first time, all teams in the conference will qualify for the 2026 SWAC men's basketball tournament.[20] The tournament will be held at the Gateway Center Arena in Atlanta, Georgia from March 9 to 14, 2026.
References
- ^ "SWAC Announces 2026 Men's and Women's Basketball HBCU GO Schedules". swac.org. December 9, 2025. Retrieved December 22, 2025.
- ^ "SWAC Announces Creation of SWAC TV Streaming Platform". swac.org. July 16, 2025. Retrieved December 22, 2025.
- ^ Southwestern Athletic Conference. "2026 SWAC Men's and Women's Basketball Tournaments Information". swac.org. Retrieved December 22, 2025.
- ^ Southwestern Athletic Conference (October 8, 2025). "SWAC Announces 2025 Men's Basketball Preseason Selections". swac.org. Retrieved December 20, 2025.
- ^ https://hbcusports.com/2025/10/09/bethune-cookman-men-picked-as-preseason-swac-basketball-favorite/#google_vignette
- ^ Southwestern Athletic Conference (October 8, 2025). "SWAC Announces 2025 Men's Basketball Preseason Selections". swac.org. Retrieved December 20, 2025.
- ^ "SWAC Men's College Basketball Standings - 2025-26". espn.com. Retrieved January 25, 2026.
- ^ "SWAC Men's Basketball Weekly Awards: Nov. 11". swac.org. Southwestern Athletic Conference. November 11, 2025. Retrieved December 22, 2025.
- ^ "SWAC Men's Basketball Weekly Awards: Nov. 19". swac.org. Southwestern Athletic Conference. November 19, 2025. Retrieved December 22, 2025.
- ^ "SWAC Men's Basketball Weekly Awards: Nov. 25". swac.org. Southwestern Athletic Conference. November 25, 2025. Retrieved December 22, 2025.
- ^ "SWAC Men's Basketball Weekly Awards: Dec. 3". swac.org. Southwestern Athletic Conference. December 3, 2025. Retrieved December 22, 2025.
- ^ "SWAC Men's Basketball Weekly Awards: Dec. 10". swac.org. Southwestern Athletic Conference. December 10, 2025. Retrieved December 22, 2025.
- ^ "SWAC Men's Basketball Weekly Awards: Dec. 17". swac.org. Southwestern Athletic Conference. December 17, 2025. Retrieved December 22, 2025.
- ^ "SWAC Men's Basketball Weekly Awards: Dec. 23". swac.org. Southwestern Athletic Conference. December 23, 2025. Retrieved December 31, 2025.
- ^ "SWAC Men's Basketball Weekly Awards: Dec. 30". swac.org. Southwestern Athletic Conference. December 30, 2025. Retrieved January 5, 2026.
- ^ "SWAC Men's Basketball Weekly Awards: Jan. 6". swac.org. Southwestern Athletic Conference. January 6, 2026. Retrieved January 8, 2026.
- ^ "SWAC Men's Basketball Weekly Awards: Jan. 13". swac.org. Southwestern Athletic Conference. January 13, 2026. Retrieved January 14, 2026.
- ^ "SWAC Men's Basketball Weekly Awards: Jan. 20". swac.org. Southwestern Athletic Conference. January 20, 2026. Retrieved January 25, 2026.
- ^ "SWAC Men's Basketball Weekly Awards: Jan. 29". swac.org. Southwestern Athletic Conference. January 29, 2026. Retrieved February 2, 2026.
- ^ Kyle Mosley, HBCU Legends (June 27, 2024). "SWAC Announces Changes In Football Technology, Basketball Weekly Game Schedules, And Tournament Expansion". si.com. Retrieved December 22, 2025.
