The SWAC will implement a new postseason basketball tournament format beginning with the 2027 men’s and women’s championships, the league announced Thursday.
The revised format, recommended by the SWAC Men’s and Women’s Basketball Working Group, will expand the tournament field to include the conference’s top 10 teams at the conclusion of the regular season.
Under the new structure, the top two seeds in each tournament will receive automatic byes into the semifinal round. Seeds No. 3 and No. 4 will advance directly to the quarterfinals, while seeds No. 5 and No. 6 will earn byes into the second round.
Tournament play will open with first-round games featuring the No. 8 seed against the No. 9 seed and the No. 7 seed against the No. 10 seed. The winners will move on to face the No. 5 and No. 6 seeds in the second round.
In the quarterfinals, the No. 4 seed will face the team that advances from the No. 5 side of the bracket, while the No. 3 seed will play the team emerging from the No. 6 side.
The semifinals will match the No. 1 seed against the winner from the No. 4 side of the bracket and the No. 2 seed against the winner from the No. 3 side.
Conference officials said the working group, which includes league head coaches and administrators, will continue evaluating the overall viability, growth opportunities and long-term sustainability of basketball across the SWAC while exploring additional enhancements to the championship experience.
The conference said details regarding tournament dates, game times and ticket information will be announced at a later date.
