BIRMINGHAM, Ala.- The Southwestern Athletic Conference has announced updated formats for the upcoming Cricket Wireless SWAC Men’s and Women’s Basketball Tournaments.
The quarterfinal round schedule of games initially slated to be held at the home facility of the respective higher-seeded teams has been moved to Bartow Arena located in Downtown Birmingham.
“Over the course of the past several weeks we’ve had extensive discussion with our membership related to the hosting of our upcoming SWAC Men’s and Women’s Basketball Tournaments,” said SWAC Commissioner Dr. Charles McClelland.
“Upon the conclusion of those discussions we’ve determined that moving the tournaments to one central location is in the best interest of the health and safety of our student-athletes and team staffs. Having these events in one centralized location gives us the ability to ensure that we meet all COVID-19 protocols and guidelines related to hosting athletic events in this current climate.”
Also read: No bands allowed for classic games, SWAC announces band travel restrictions for 2021 spring season
The league has also announced a reduced attendance policy for the duration of the tournament. A limited number of general admission tickets will be made available to the general public based upon COVID-19 facility capacity standards.
“Hosting athletic events in the midst of a global pandemic has without a doubt presented an unprecedented number of unique challenges,” said McClelland. “It has truly been impressive to witness how our student-athletes and teams have responded and acclimated to what is our new normal. The sincere amount of understanding and the flexibility they have collectively exhibited on a daily basis must be commended.”
“The Southwestern Athletic Conference will remain steadfast and committed to providing our student-athletes with the safest possible environments to compete and we look forward to hosting an exciting slate of games that will ultimately end with the hoisting of two championship trophies for Men’s and Women’s Basketball.”
The updated Men’s and Women’s Basketball tournament schedules are listed below. Each Men’s and Women’s Basketball tournament game is slated to be carried live on ESPN3 with the exception of the Men’s Championship game which will be broadcast live on ESPNU.
| DATE | WOMEN’S TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE | TIME | WATCH |
| March 10 | Game 1: Women’s #7 seed vs. Women’s #2 seed | 11:00 am | ESPN3 |
| March 10 | Game 2: Women’s #8 seed vs. Women’s #1 seed | 5:30 pm | ESPN3 |
| March 11 | Game 3: Women’s #6 seed vs. Women’s #3 seed | 11:00 am | ESPN3 |
| March 11 | Game 4: Women’s #4 seed vs. Women’s #5 seed | 5:30 pm | ESPN3 |
| March 12 | Game 5: Winner of Game 1 vs. Winner of Game 3 | 11:00 am | ESPN3 |
| March 12 | Game 6: Winner of Game 2 vs. Winner of Game 4 | 5:30 pm | ESPN3 |
| March 13 | Game 7: Women’s Basketball Championship Game | 1:30 pm | ESPN3 |
| DATE | MEN’S TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE | TIME | WATCH |
| March 10 | Game 1: Men’s #7 seed vs. Men’s #2 seed | 2:00 pm | ESPN3 |
| March 10 | Game 2: Men’s #8 seed vs. Men’s #1 seed | 8:30 pm | ESPN3 |
| March 11 | Game 3: Men’s #6 seed vs. Men’s #3 seed | 2:00 pm | ESPN3 |
| March 11 | Game 4: Men’s #4 seed vs. Men’s #5 seed | 8:30 pm | ESPN3 |
| March 12 | Game 5: Winner of Game 1 vs. Winner of Game 3 | 2:00 pm | ESPN3 |
| March 12 | Game 6: Winner of Game 2 vs. Winner of Game 4 | 8:30 pm | ESPN3 |
| March 13 | Game 7: Men’s Basketball Championship Game | 5:00 pm | ESPNU |
Courtesy: SWAC
