It's no surprise that former Indiana and UAB head coach Mike Davis has quickly established Texas Southern as the team to beat in the Southwestern Athletic Conference. The Tigers have won consecutive SWAC tournament titles and are coming off a campaign where they went 16-2 in league play.
Davis' Tigers are the clear favorite again, but the SWAC does return four first-team all-conference players. Alcorn State has a pair with Marquis Vance and Leantwan Luckett, while Alabama A&M boasts Ladarius Tabb, and Alabama State has talented guard Jamel Waters.
Southern, however, could pose the most legitimate threat to end Texas Southern's run. The Jaguars have arguably the league's top backcourt with Adrian Rodgers (13.1 points per game) and Trelun Banks (10.3 ppg). They also have some size up front with Thomas Pierre-Louis and Jarred Sam. Jackson State is another team to keep an eye on, with eight of its nine top scorers back for third-year coach Wayne Brent.
Favorite
Davis lost SWAC Player of the Year Madarious Gibbs from a team that beat Michigan State and Kansas State on the road last season. However, Davis still returns plenty, including starters Chris Thomas and Malcolm Riley from last year's group. Thomas is a talented 6-foot-5 senior who averaged 12.6 points last season, and Riley is another senior who had a nice campaign a year ago, averaging 10.2 points and 6.4 boards per contest. The Tigers will also have senior forward Tonnie Collier (7.3 ppg) and reserve guard David Blanks (6.5 ppg) back in the fold as well as Jose Rodriguez, who missed last season after averaging in double-figures two seasons ago.
Sleeper
Coach Willie Hayes and the Bulldogs were 9-20 last season, but finished 8-10 in SWAC play, and they return all five starters. More importantly, Hayes brings back Tabb and Nicholas West, two of the best players in the league. Tabb is a 6-foot-5 senior wing who led the league in scoring and rebounding last season (17.9 ppg), and West is a 6-foot-10 senior center who averaged 12.4 points and 7.9 boards a year ago. Alabama A&M also returns its pure point guard, Rakiya Battle, who led the league in assists at 5.8 per contest.
Team that could fall on its face
Coach Lewis Jackson lost three starters from last year's team, one that went 19-10 and 14-4 in SWAC play. Gone are DeMarcus Robinson (10.7 ppg), Wendell Lewis (10 ppg, 5 rpg) and Maurice Strong (8.7 ppg, 7.7 rpg). Leading scorer Waters (14 ppg, 5.2 apg) and senior forward Bobby Brown (8.4 ppg) are back, but the Hornets could take a step back. Jackson will need sophomore guard Steve Rogers Jr. to take on more of the load after a nice freshman season.
Top pro prospect
Tabb, Alabama A&M
The former junior college product led the conference in both scoring and rebounding. He's got good size, toughness, athleticism and also can make shots from the perimeter (he made at least three 3-pointers in six games last season). He can get to the basket and finish through contact. He's likely an overseas player but, along with Texas Southern's Thomas, is the player with the most professional upside.
Projected all-conference team
G: Jamel Waters, Alabama State
G: Ladarius Tabb, Alabama A&M
G: Leantwan Luckett, Alcorn State
F: Nicholas West, Alabama A&M
F: Malcolm Riley, Texas Southern