Feb. 3, 2010

This Week in SWAC Women's Basketball

SWAC Women's Basketball Weekly notes

SWAC Men's Basketball Weekly notes

•What's On Tap: As the second half of the SWAC women's basketball season gets underway, week #6 of conference play will start the schedule of rematches as teams look to make their final surge for the 2010 Farmers Insurance SWAC Basketball Tournament in March. Highlighting this week's action is a Texas State showdown between #1 Prairie View A&M and #3 Texas Southern. Just two games out of first place, the Lady Tigers will aim to take down the top ranked Lady Panthers while inching up in the standings. PVAM will seek to go 2-0 against TXSO this season while staying ahead of pack in the SWAC rankings.

•Last Week: The top eight teams held steady in the standings through last week while Mississippi Valley State posted its first back-to-back victories of the season to propel itself out of last place and into a three-way tie at seventh place. Despite snapping a 23-game SWAC win streak and suffering a loss against Alabama A&M, PVAM rebounded with a win over Alabama State on Monday and still holds on to the #1 spot in the rankings. Southern posted a win over Alcorn State in its only game of the week and remains just one game out of first place. Texas Southern, Alabama A&M, Alcorn State, Alabama State, Grambling State and Arkansas-Pine Bluff each went 1-1 last week to maintain its positions in the standings through week five.

•PVAM's Darrett Named HSRN Player of the Week Nominee: Prairie View A&M guard Latara Darrett is currently a Heritage Sport Radio Network (HSRN) Player of the Week Fan Poll Nominee for her performances during the week of January 25 - January 31. During that time Darrett scored at total of 55 points in two games, while helping the Lady Panthers to a 1-1 record. She recorded 29 points in a win over MVSU and 26 points in a loss to AAMU. Voting takes place on the www.hsrn.com website and polls will close at 6 p.m. (CT) on Wednesday, February 3rd.

This Week in SWAC Men's Basketball

• JACKSON STATE LEADS RACE AS SECOND HALF BEGINS: The Jackson State Tigers have emerged in sole possession of first place at the halfway point in the Conference schedule. JSU has won four games in a row, three of them in a six-day span on the road. The Tigers won a Wednesday night game at Alcorn State Jan. 27 in a game originally scheduled for Jan. 9 that was postponed due to weather. J-State won at Mississippi Valley State Saturday night and at Univ. Arkansas-Pine Bluff Monday night in a battle for first place. Overall, Jackson State has won 10 of its past 11 games after a slow start to begin the season.

• TSU IN SECOND; TRIO OF TEAMS TIED FOR THIRD: Picked to finish seventh, Texas Southern is in sole possession of second place in the Conference race, one game out of first place. Additionally, TSU is the only SWAC team to defeat Jackson State this season, with Texas Southern posting a 51-44 win at JSU on Jan. 18. Sitting just one game behind Texas Southern and two games out of first place are three teams that are all 1-1 against each other. Prairie View won at Alabama State but lost at home to Univ. Arkansas-Pine Bluff. And while winning at the Panthers' gym, UAPB lost at Alabama State earlier this year.

• MONDAY NIGHT LIVE:BRAVES-GMEN ON ESPNU: A pair of teams battling for a berth in the Farmers Insurance SWAC Tournament will play live Monday at 8 p.m. as Alcorn State plays at Grambling. The Braves could not hold a 22-point lead in losing in overtime 82-74 to Grambling on Jan. 11.