SWAC tournament preview

This is part 17 of a 32-part preview.

Standings:
Grambling 13-5
Prairie View A&M 12-6
Texas Southern 12-6
Arkansas-Pine Bluff 12-6
Southern 10-8
Jackson St 9-9
Alabama St 8-10
Alcorn St 7-11
Mississippi Valley St 4-14
Alabama A&M 3-15

Format:
Quarterfinals are March 6 at campus sites.  The final 4 will then converge in Houston on March 9-10.

10 teams in the conference, but only 8 play.  Two teams are ineligible for postseason - Grambling and Alabama A&M.  In years past, all 10 teams would play the tournament anyways.  This led to a couple occasions where an ineligible team played in the final, meaning there was no autobid on the line in the final.  The SWAC has remedied that situation.  Thank GOD.

Matchups:
1) Arkansas-Pine Bluff vs. 8) Mississippi Valley St
4) Southern vs. 5) Jackson St
3) Texas Southern vs. 6) Alabama St
2) Prairie View A&M vs. 7) Alcorn St

The stakes:
The SWAC is the worst conference.  Everyone but Grambling is below .500 overall.  Send the winner to Dayton.  There's nothing else left to say.

I do believe UAPB holds a NIT auto-bid in its hands, as being the "champion" of record for this conference, since Grambling is ineligible.