SWAC Tournament Updates: After double-overtime win in the semis, No. 3 Jackson State faces No. 1 Southern in today’s SWAC Final

The No. 1 and No. 3 seeds rise to the top after Friday’s battles in the SWAC Tournament semifinals. With a two-point victory on the Ides of March, the No. 1 Southern Lady Jaguars broke the hearts of the No. 4 Grambling State Tigers, while the No. 3 Jackson State Lady Tigers toppled the No. 2 Prairie View A&M Lady Jaguars in a double-overtime win for the ages.

Original story:

The No. 4 Grambling State Tigers may be the hottest .500 team to contend for a conference tournament championship. At minimum, this is true in the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) where the Tigers are 15-15 overall but boast an impressive 12-6 conference record.

With SWAC leading scorer Shakyla Hill contributing 18.7 points per game and senior guard Jazmin Boyd adding another 11.7 points, Grambling State has the opportunity not only to make it to the title game, but to win it.

A chance, however, is not a guarantee, and the crowded field at the top of the standings means it won’t be easy.

Standing in the Tigers’ way are the No. 1 Southern Lady Jaguars (17-12, 14-4), the No. 2 Prairie View A&M Panthers (16-12, 13-5) and the No. 3 Jackson State Lady Tigers (16-13, 12-6). Adding to Grambling State’s favor, however, is the fact that their 15-15 overall record includes a conference record of 12-6, the same as Jackson State.

But it’s not just the teams above Grambling State that demand to be reckoned with.

No. 5 Texas Southern is 15-14 overall and 11-7 in the conference, while No. 6 Alabama State is below .500 with an 11-18 overall record, but 10-8 in the conference.

Thus, the tournament should be competitive but, really, the championship is up for grabs. And no matter what happens, all eyes will be on the conference’s leading scorer, Shakyla Hill, to see what new feats she may accomplish in her quest to own the crown.

Here’s the schedule, bracket and viewing information:

Schedule

When: Tuesday, March 12; Friday, March 15; Saturday March 16

Where:

Quarterfinals — campus sites

Semifinals and championship — Bill Harris Arena at the Crossplex, Birmingham, AL

How to view:

SWAC Digital Network — quarterfinals

ESPN3 — semifinals and championship

Bracket

And then there were four. The top four seeds in the conference, to be exact, with No. 1 Southern, No. 2 Prairie View A&M, No. 3 Jackson State and No. 4 Grambling State advancing to the semifinals.

QUARTERFINALS (campus sites)

No. 4 Grambling State defeated No. 5 Texas Southern, 72-61

Tuesday, March 12, 5:30 p.m. ET, SWAC Digital Network

No. 2 Prairie View A&M dropped No. 7 Alabama A&M, 69-56

Tuesday, March 12, 5:30 p.m. ET, SWAC Digital Network

No. 3 Jackson State blew out No. 6 Alabama State, 75-59

Tuesday, March 12, 6 p.m. ET, SWAC Digital Network

No. 1 Southern eked past No. 8 Mississippi Valley State, 51-44

Tuesday, March 12, 7 p.m. ET, SWAC Digital Network

SEMIFINALS (Bill Harris Arena at the Crossplex, Birmingham, AL)

No. 3 Jackson State beat the No. 2 Prairie View A&M, 75-63

Friday, March 15, 12 p.m. ET, ESPN3

No. 1 Southern defeated No. 4 Grambling State, 71-69

Friday, March 15, 6 p.m. ET, ESPN3

The No. 1 and No. 3 seeds rise to the top after Friday’s battles in the SWAC Tournament semifinals. With a two-point victory on the Ides of March, the No. 1 Southern Lady Jaguars broke the hearts of the No. 4 Grambling State Tigers, while the No. 3 Jackson State Lady Tigers toppled the No. 2 Prairie View A&M Lady Jaguars in a double-overtime win for the ages.

CHAMPIONSHIP (Bill Harris Arena at the Crossplex, Birmingham, AL)

TBD vs. TBD

Saturday, March 16, 1:30 p.m. ET, ESPN3