2020 SWAC Tournament Opening Odds: Prairie View A&M Favored to Repeat at +130

• The 2020 SWAC Tournament starts on Tuesday, March 10th, with the better seeds hosting games on campus
• The top-five seeds went 53-6 at home compared to 26-64 on the road
• Which team is the best bet to win the SWAC tourney?

The Southwestern Athletic Conference is set to get its conference tournament underway. Action tips off on Tuesday, March 10th. The top seeds host the quarterfinal games to start the tournament before the semifinals and finals are held in Bartow Arena in Birmingham, Alabama.

The Prairie View A&M Panthers enter as the No. 1 seed and the favorite to win it but are they the best bet to win it?

2020 SWAC Conference Tournament Odds

Odds taken March 9th.

SWAC Tournament Bracket (2020)

The only teams in the field from the state of Alabama are #7 seed Alabama State and #8 seed Alabama A&M.

Prairie View A&M Enters As Top Dog

Prairie View A&M not only enters as the team to beat but they’re also the defending champs. They beat Texas Southern in the Championship Game last season and earned themselves an invite to March Madness as a result. In terms of the big picture and the 2020 National Championship odds, nobody from this conference will make an impact.

The Panthers finished the year 18-13, which is notable as only one other team in this entire conference (Grambling) had a record of two games over .500 or better. The challenge with the Panthers is that they were rolling with momentum on an eight-game winning streak but ended the year losing their final two games.

Prairie View A&M Panthers (@PVAMUPanthers) celebrate winning @theswac Tournament pic.twitter.com/xhlcNMGfYY

— Mark Berman (@MarkBerman_) March 17, 2019

However, both of those losses came on the road. Don’t underestimate home-court advantage here as the Panthers were a perfect 11-0 at home. Taking a look at the top five seeds in this tournament, they are a combined 53-6 at home compared to 26-64 on the road.

Texas Southern Plays Well In SWAC Tournaments

The Texas Southern Tigers are an interesting team to consider here because they play well at this event. They have won two of the last three tournaments and finished as the runner-up in 2019. They’ve been seeded No. 1, No. 2 and No. 3 over those years – even winning it as a No. 3 seed in 2018.

⁦@TSUMensHoops⁩ wins 78-73….finishes regular season 10-1 inside the H&PE Arena! pic.twitter.com/5RvM90flOy

— Texas Southern University (TSU) Athletics (@TXSOTigers) March 3, 2020

They’re again a No. 3 seed and seem to have a decent path. They’ll start by hosting Grambling State on Tuesday, which is a team they swept in the regular season. The Tigers lost momentum to end the year, dropping two in a row, but they were playing without Tyrik Armstrong, who leads the team in scoring (14.3) and assists (4.1) per game.

Watch Out For Southern

If you’re looking for a team that’s on a roll, keep your eye on the No. 2 Southern Jaguars, who enter the tournament on a seven-game winning streak. That includes wins over Texas Southern and Prairie View A&M to end the year. They started the year just 3-13 but finished by winning 13 of their final 15 contests.

Oh Oh They In Came In The Building !! Come Pack The Mini Dome on Thursday Night vs Texas Southern. 🔥🔥 #SUBasketball #Family #KeepThePressure pic.twitter.com/GVSCQDSI0r

— Southern Men's Basketball (@JaguarHoops) March 2, 2020

What’s The Best Bet?

Prairie View A&M is probably the safest bet but I’m willing to take a shot with Texas Southern at +450. The difference between these teams isn’t that great. By the time we get to Birmingham, we’re probably just flipping a coin. Texas Southern has good pedigree at this event and, with Armstrong healthy, they should make a good run.

Pick: Texas Southern (+450)

SBD’s NCAA conference tournament coverage: 

• Opening AAC Tournament Odds Favor Houston at +200
• Opening Big East Tournament Odds Project Chaos Filled Week at MSG
• Colgate Team to Beat in Patriot League Tournament Opening Odds
• 2020 NEC Tournament Opening Odds

• Horizon League Tournament Opening Odds Favor Wright State (-115) and Northern Kentucky (+170)

• Gonzaga a -220 Favorite in WCC Tournament Opening Odds

• Opening SoCon Tournament Odds Favor East Tennessee State Over Furman, UNC-Greensboro

• 2020 CAA Tournament Opening Odds

• 2020 Summit League Tournament Opening Odds
• America East Tournament Opening Odds Favor Vermont by a Huge Margin
• 2020 MEAC Tournament Opening Odds
• SEC Tournament Opening Odds List Kentucky as +150 Favorite; Auburn +275
• Florida State Favored in ACC Tournament Opening Odds; Duke +200, Louisville +275
• Texas State Favored in Sun Belt Conference Tournament Opening Odds
• MAC Tournament Opening Odds Favor Akron at +145; Ball State at +360

• Kansas odds-on -125 Favorite in Big 12 Tournament Opening Odds

• Pac-12 Tournament Opening Odds Favor Oregon at +125, Followed By Arizona and Colorado

• Atlantic 10 Conference Tournament Opening Odds List Dayton as Heavy -160 Favorite

• 2020 MAAC Tournament Opening Odds