Road to 2023 March Madness: SWAC Tournament Odds & Preview

Grambling: Even Money Favorite to Win Tournament Title After Finishing 22-8/15-3

Alcorn State (18-12/15-3) won the regular season title by a tiebreaker after a 63-60 win against Grambling back on January 30th. That head-to-head victory was enough to propel the Braves (+375) to the top seed.

According to the latest Jeff Sagarin ratings, the Tigers are tops in the SWAC with a 69.53 rating, good for 215th on the chart. Alcorn State is 259th with a rating of 66.51. None of these teams will help you win a March Madness contest but it’s fair to anticipate a competitive tournament for that one ticket into the Big Dance.

First Round-Wednesday, March 8th

Grambling vs Bethune-Cookman

Day/Time: Streaming: ESPN+

A quick look at the NCAA ATS records shows that the Grambling Tigers have been a reliable team to wager on with a 17-11 record against the number. Their opponent, Bethune-Cookman, was almost as good with a 17-12 ATS record despite their 12-19 record.

Grambling has covered five straight games and 10 of their last 12. The Wildcats have covered three of their last four games and 14 of their last 20. Grambling beat Bethune-Cookman 66-54 ten days ago and 76-70 earlier in the season.

In their recent meeting, the Tigers shot 54% (28-52) while holding the Wildcats to 41% from the field (23-56). Grambling moves on in this one with a double-digit win.

Alcorn State vs Texas Southern

Day/Time: Wednesday, March 8th, 8:30 p.m. Streaming: ESPN+

The two-time SWC champions will start their tournament as the top seed, but according to SWAC tournament odds, they’ll be the second choice to advance to the round of 64. Their back-to-back titles are the first time that has happened in 23 years.

It was their 18th overall which is the most in conference history. In many ways, Texas Southern is lucky to be here after dropping their SWAC Tournament finale’ against Prairie View A&M (78-74). A win would have put them in but instead, they had to wait for losses from Arkansas Pine-Bluff and Alabama State to solidify their spot. Alcorn State will move on but we suggest taking the points in this one.

Jackson State vs Prairie View

Day/Time: Streaming: ESPN+

This is where the upsets may start. The Panthers have won four of their last five games, with their only loss coming at the hand of the Tigers (61-57). That loss avenged a previous nine-point Prairie View win (59-50) in mid-January.

The Panthers and Tigers are two seasons removed from sharing the SWAC title, adding some spice to this first-round match-up. Take Prarie View in a close game.

Southern vs Alabama A&M

Day/Time: Streaming: ESPN+

SWAC Tournament odds have Southern as the third favorite (+700) to win the SWAC Tournament, while Alabama A&M comes in as the seventh favorite (+1200). This won’t be a simple win but Southern will move on with a 3-5 point win.

It’s been seven years since the Jaguars’ last tournament championship. They will likely move on in this NCAAB matchup but it should be noted that they’ve failed to cover five of their last six games and seven of their last 9. Against the Bulldogs this season, the Panthers were unable to win either game falling to cover both. It’s worth noting that five straight games have cashed under tickets for Southern and three straight for Prairie View.

Tigers Predicted to Win SWAC Tournament

We didn’t expect the oddsmakers to agree, but they saw what we did and made Grambling a massive favorite (Even). Current SWAC Tournament odds are clearly begging the public to take any other team but Grambling. No one is coming into this tournament hotter against the spread than the Tigers, and we’re going to ride that right to the cashiers’ cage.  Check for the latest, NCAAB against the spread numbers; right here, the rest of the way. Also, be sure to check the latest Sagarin college basketball ranking with our in-house expert.

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