JC of HBCU Sports Blog is the RTC correspondent for the SWAC and MEAC Conferences.

In all of the hubbub surrounding the MEAC big win last week via Morgan State University, somewhere lost in the Bible Belt was the beginning of conference play for the SWAC. Conference play signals the end of merciless beatings on the road at the hands of power conference teams, and a chance for southwestern trash talkers to get their pipes warmed up for March.

Let’s take a look at some of the action from the week that was in the SWAC.

THIS WEEK – With conference play in full swing, three teams – Alabama State, Jackson State and Prairie View A&M are beginning to distance themselves from the rest of the SWAC competition. The Hornets and the Panthers are 3-0 so far, and the Tigers are 2-1. Both the Hornets (Alabama State) and the Panthers (Prairie View) have won at least five of their last ten.

WHAT’S HELPING

• Obviously it’s a help when you don’t have to get murdered on the road in places like Oklahoma and Kansas, and the money they made with these guaranteed games will go a long way in building the athletic program. Or subsidizing football debts, depending on which way you look at it.
• All but two teams are averaging double-digits in assists, which goes a long way in spreading defenses and creating offensive balance.

WHATS HURTING

• When they do spread the floor, they usually don’t make the shot. Particularly from three-point range. Only half of the conference is shooting better than 30 percent from long range, which is not going to be helpful for the team seeking that one shining moment as the 65th seed.
• The SWAC has a hard time defending the basket, as only Alabama A&M and Arkansas Pine-Bluff average better than two blocks per game.

WHATS NEXT?

There are a few big regional games coming up this week in the SWAC, which means you tuning into the SWAC games on ESPNU is not such a bad idea.

• Alabama St @ Alabama A&M – Saturday, Jan. 17 – Dynamic Bulldog guard Trant Simpson will look to shoot A&M to a big win against the rival Hornets on the road this weekend.
• Mississippi Valley State @ Jackson State – Saturday, Jan. 31 – The defending champion Delta Devils will likely limp into Jackson to face the possible SWAC champions of 2009.

rtmsf (3998 Posts)

This entry was posted on Friday, January 16th, 2009 at 3:40 pm by rtmsf and is filed under Checking In On. Tagged: alabama a&m, alabama st, arkansas-pine bluff, conference check-ins, jackson st, mississippi valley st, prairie view a&m, swac, trant simpson. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.