Bethune-Cookman’s exit blew the 2026 SWAC men’s basketball tournament wide open, but it did not leave the bracket without a clear favorite.
Which of the remaining teams left in the field has the best chance to take the title?
Where the bracket stands
Bethune-Cookman entered Atlanta as the top seed and regular-season champion after a 14‑4 run through the SWAC, but its March ended in the quarterfinals against No. 8-seed Prairie View A&M.
Prairie View advances to the semifinals to meet the winner of the matchup between Texas Southern and Alabama A&M, while the No. 2 seed, Florida A&M, is in the semis after a double-digit win over Jackson State. The Rattlers will play the winner of Arkansas-Pine Bluff-Southern.
Florida A&M SWAC title favorite?
With Bethune-Cookman gone, that structural advantage now belongs almost entirely to Florida A&M and Southern, seeded second and third after 11‑7 conference seasons.
Florida A&M entered the tournament as the No. 2 seed, finishing tied for second in the league at 11‑7 and earning its spot on Bethune-Cookman’s heels through consistent defensive play and late-game execution.
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The Rattlers benefit most from Wednesday’s upset: they avoid the regular-season champions altogether and remain positioned to see a lower-seeded opponent in their first outing.
FAMU has won five straight games and is hitting its stride at just the right time.
Primary challengers: Southern and Texas Southern
Southern, the No. 3 seed at 11‑7, profiles as the most natural challenger. The Jaguars share Florida A&M’s record, sit on the same side of the bracket, and historically have leaned on half-court defense and pace control that tend to travel well in neutral-site tournament settings.
Texas Southern, the No. 4 seed, is lurking on the opposite side and would not see Florida A&M until the championship. Despite a 10‑8 league mark and a spot in the middle of the standings, TSU’s recent tournament history and physical style make it dangerous over a three-game run.
If the Tigers can get past Alabama A&M, it becomes the de facto top seed on Bethune-Cookman’s half of the bracket.
Prairie View’s case as a spoiler
Prairie View A&M’s seeding says underdog, but its résumé suggests something more complicated. The Panthers entered Atlanta as the No. 8 seed at 9‑9 in SWAC play, yet they swept Texas Southern and already have the best win of any team left with a win over B-CU.
Wednesday’s upset of Bethune-Cookman, fueled in part by its defense and stellar play by guard Donte Horne, who has scored 26 or more points in four of his last five games. That combination boosts Prairie View’s belief that it can stack multiple wins in what is an open tournament.
Who should be favored now?
With No. 1 seed B-CU gone, the conversation narrows to which top-half team can balance seeding advantage, rest, and form.
Florida A&M should now be considered the tournament favorite, with Southern as the most likely to challenge out of the top half of the bracket and Texas Southern the team best positioned to capitalize on Bethune-Cookman’s vacancy in the bottom half.
Prairie View A&M, the team that detonated the bracket, remains the ultimate wild card—no longer a feel-good underdog, but a legitimate threat that everyone left in Atlanta now has to take seriously.
