SWAC tournament full of intriguing matchups

• By PERRYN KEYS
• Advocate sportswriter
• Published: Mar 10, 2009 - UPDATED: 7 a.m.

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Of the many beautiful things about college basketball in March, one is that teams seem to channel their inner Forrest Gump at the right time.

Sure, each conference has its share of dominant teams and standout players, and usually, those favorites prevail in their postseason tournaments.

Still, from league to league and game to game, there’s that element of surprise a budding star or an upset no one saw coming. As Gump himself would put it, you never know what you’re gonna get.

Its only fitting, then, that the champion of the Southwestern Athletic Conference tournaments must win three games in Gump’s home state.

Both tournaments begin Wednesday at Fair Park Arena in Birmingham, Ala.

Here’s a quick look at people, games and teams to watch for when the madness gets under way.

Women

Most intriguing first-round matchup: It’s a little bit of an upset to call a No. 2-No. 7 matchup the best. It might not be the best. But it could be the most intriguing. Second-seeded Southern and seventh-seeded Texas Southern have plenty in common. They split their regular-season series, with each team winning at home. And they both believe in playing defense first.

Most dangerous player: The kneejerk reaction is to go with the highest-ranking scorer left in the tournament which, in this case, is Alabama A&M’s Katrich Williams, who averages 13.8 points per game, but it’s worth noting that Gaati Werema, the 6-foot junior forward from Prairie View, ranks seventh in the SWAC in scoring (11.7 points per game), first in rebounds (7.5 per game) and second in field-goal percentage (47.7).

Hottest team: Though it might pain every other SWAC coach to admit it, there’s only one answer. When Prairie View wins 16 consecutive conference games by an average margin of 21 points, it’s hard to argue for anyone else. Of course, in their last game of the regular season, Southern trailed the Lady Panthers by just one point with two minutes to play.

Men

Most intriguing first-round matchup: At first glance, the Prairie View-Mississippi Valley State game seems like a snoozer; after all, sixth-seeded Valley has lost three of it’s last five. But the Delta Devils rank third in the league in free-throw shooting, and they’re one of only four SWAC teams who own a positive turnover margin. On a neutral court, winning teams win make free throws and take care of the ball.

Most dangerous player: Almost every team in the league knows Jackson State’s Grant Maxey by name. In the SWAC, he’s as complete as they come. Maxey ranks second in scoring, third in free-throw percentage, fifth in rebounds, sixth in field-goal percentage, 13th in assists, seventh in steals, ninth in 3-point percentage and fifth in blocked shots. How’s that for filling up the stat book?