Itta Bena, Miss. - The Southwestern Athletic Conference has officially announced the seedings and bracket for the 2026 men's basketball championship tournament, as Mississippi Valley State University prepares to compete in postseason play.

Mississippi Valley State will enter the tournament as the No. 12 seed after finishing the regular season with a 2–16 record in SWAC play. The Delta Devils now shift their focus toward the conference tournament, where every team begins with a fresh opportunity to compete for the league title and an automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament.

The 2026 Pepsi SWAC Men's Basketball Tournament presented by Buick is scheduled to take place March 9–14 at Gateway Center Arena, located just outside Atlanta, Georgia. The week long championship event will feature all 12 SWAC institutions competing in a single-elimination format.

The tournament will begin with first-round match ups on Monday, March 9, followed by quarterfinal contests on Wednesday, semifinal games on Friday, and the championship game on Saturday evening.

Mississippi Valley State will open tournament play in the first round as the Delta Devils look to build momentum and make a postseason run on the conference's biggest stage.

The upcoming tournament schedule of games is listed below, to purchase tickets online please click here. 
 
Tournament Bracket 
 

DATE	TIME	MEN'S TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE	WATCH
March 9	2:00 pm	Game One: No. 10 Alabama State vs. No. 11 Alcorn State	ESPN+
March 9	8:30 pm	Game Two: No. 9 Grambling State vs. No. 12 Mississippi Valley State	ESPN+
March 10	2:00 pm	Game Three: No. 8 Prairie View A&M vs. Winner Game One	ESPN+
March 10	8:30 pm	Game Four: No. 7 Jackson State vs. Winner Game Two	ESPN+
March 11	2:00 pm	Game Five: No. 1 Bethune-Cookman vs. Winner Game Three	ESPN+
March 11	8:30 pm	Game Six: No. 2 Florida A&M vs. Winner Game Four	ESPN+
March 12	2:00 pm	Game Seven: No. 4 Texas Southern vs. No. 5 Alabama A&M	ESPN+
March 12	8:30 pm	Game Eight:  No. 3 Southern vs. No. 6 Arkansas-Pine Bluff	ESPN+
March 13	2:00 pm	Game Nine: Winner Game Five vs. Winner Game Seven	ESPN+
March 13	8:30 pm	Game Ten: Winner Game Six vs. Winner Game Eight	ESPN+
March 14	7:30 pm	Championship Game	ESPNU

All times listed Eastern Standard Time (EST)

About the SWAC
The Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) is considered one of the premier HBCU conferences in the country and currently ranks among the elite in the nation in terms of HBCU alumni playing with professional sports teams.
 
Current championship competition offered by the league includes competition for men in Baseball, Basketball, Cross Country, Football, Golf, Indoor Track and Field, Outdoor Track and Field and Tennis.
 
Women's competition is offered in the sports of Basketball, Bowling, Cross Country, Golf, Indoor Track and Field, Outdoor Track and Field, Soccer, Softball, Tennis and Volleyball.

Follow the SWAC
For complete coverage of the Southwestern Athletic Conference, please follow the SWAC on social media at @TheSWAC (Twitter), @TheSWAC (Facebook), and @TheSWAC (Instagram) or visit the official home of the Southwestern Athletic Conference at www.swac.org.

Follow MVSU Sports
For complete coverage of Mississippi Valley State Athletics, follow MVSU on Facebook (Valley State Athletics), Twitter / X (@MVSUDevilSports), and Instagram (@ValleyStateAthletics).