image via the Southwestern Athletic Conference
The 2026-27 SWAC men’s basketball season is approaching, and the conference’s preseason poll has officially set the expectations.
The votes are in.
Bethune-Cookman has been selected as the 2026-27 Southwestern Athletic Conference Men’s Basketball preseason favorite, but the Wildcats aren’t the only team generating plenty of attention.
The conference’s annual predicted order of finish features several familiar programs near the top, while a few of last season’s results make some of the preseason placements particularly interesting.
🏀 2026 SWACMBB Preseason Poll
| Rank | Team | Points | First-Place Votes |
| 1 | Bethune-Cookman | 181 | 10 |
| 2 | Southern | 148 | 3 |
| 3 | Alabama A&M | 143 | — |
| 4 | Florida A&M | 125 | — |
| 5 | Prairie View A&M | 124 | — |
| 6 | Jackson State | 105 | 1 |
| 7 | Alabama State | 102 | 1 |
| 8 | Grambling State | 95 | — |
| 9 | Texas Southern | 75 | 1 |
| 10 | Alcorn State | 61 | — |
| 11 | Arkansas-Pine Bluff | 57 | — |
| 12 | Mississippi Valley State | 32 | — |
Bethune-Cookman received 10 of the 16 available first-place votes and finished comfortably ahead of Southern in the overall voting. Southern received three first-place votes, while Jackson State, Alabama State and Texas Southern each received one.
Bethune-Cookman Gets the Respect
There is a clear reason the Wildcats are sitting at No. 1.
Bethune-Cookman enters the season with the confidence of being one of the conference’s top programs after finishing the 2025-26 regular season at the top of the SWAC standings.
The Wildcats are now being asked to carry the preseason-favorite label into a new season.
That’s a different kind of pressure.
Being picked first means opponents will have the Wildcats circled on their schedules, and every conference game becomes an opportunity for a challenger to knock off the team expected to lead the league.
For Bethune-Cookman, the objective is simple:
Turn the preseason prediction into postseason hardware.
Southern and Alabama A&M Close Behind
Southern enters the season at No. 2, receiving 148 points and three first-place votes.
The Jaguars are followed closely by Alabama A&M, which collected 143 points.
That’s only a five-point difference between the second- and third-place teams.
That small margin suggests the conference expects another competitive race near the top.
Florida A&M comes in at No. 4 with 125 points, followed by Prairie View A&M at No. 5 with 124.
In other words, the teams ranked Nos. 2 through 5 are separated by just 24 points.
That could make the battle for the upper half of the SWAC standings particularly interesting once conference play begins.
🔥 Jackson State Has One of the Biggest Storylines
If there is one preseason ranking that immediately catches the eye, it’s Jackson State at No. 6.
Why?
Because the Tigers have the player who was selected as the conference’s Preseason Player of the Year.
Daeshun Ruffin is expected to be one of the most dangerous offensive players in the SWAC after leading the conference in scoring last season.
That creates an intriguing situation for Jackson State.
The Tigers aren’t being projected as one of the conference’s top five teams, but they have the preseason Player of the Year leading the way.
Could that combination make Jackson State one of the teams most likely to outperform its preseason projection?
That’s one of the biggest questions heading into the season.
👀 Texas Southern at No. 9 Could Be a Sleeper
Texas Southern is another team worth watching.
The Tigers were picked ninth, but they received a first-place vote.
That tells us there is at least one voter who believes Texas Southern has legitimate championship potential.
It also makes the No. 9 ranking a little more interesting.
Texas Southern has a history of competing near the top of the SWAC, and a strong start could quickly make that preseason placement look too low.
Don’t be surprised if TSU becomes one of the teams fans point to when discussing preseason predictions that didn’t age well.
🤔 The UAPB Question
Arkansas-Pine Bluff is another ranking that deserves attention.
The Golden Lions are projected to finish 11th, ahead of only Mississippi Valley State.
But that placement creates an obvious question for anyone looking back at last season.
UAPB finished 10-8 in SWAC play during the 2025-26 regular season.
So why are the Golden Lions being projected so low?
That’s where preseason polls become fascinating.
They aren’t simply a measurement of what happened last season. They’re a projection of what voters believe will happen next.
UAPB now has an opportunity to prove the voters wrong.
📈 Who’s Too High? Who’s Too Low?
That’s ultimately what makes a preseason poll fun.
It’s not supposed to settle the debate.
It’s supposed to start it.
Bethune-Cookman has earned the No. 1 spot based on the respect it has built, but there are plenty of teams capable of challenging that prediction.
Jackson State has the preseason Player of the Year.
Texas Southern received a first-place vote despite being ranked ninth.
UAPB is projected 11th despite posting a .500 conference record last season.
And Alabama State received a first-place vote while being picked seventh.
Those are the types of details that will have SWAC fans debating all the way to opening tip.
🏆 The Preseason Poll Doesn’t Decide the Championship
At the end of the day, none of these rankings count toward the SWAC Tournament.
The only thing that matters once the season begins is what happens between the lines.
Bethune-Cookman has been given the target.
Southern and Alabama A&M are right behind them.
Florida A&M and Prairie View A&M are looking to climb even higher.
Jackson State has a preseason Player of the Year leading its attack.
And several teams outside the top five have an opportunity to make the voters regret leaving them out of the championship conversation.
The preseason poll gives us the expectations.
Now the SWAC has to play the games.
🗣️ Sneaker Shop Talk Question
Who got the biggest disrespect in the 2026-27 SWACMBB preseason poll?
Is Jackson State too low at No. 6?
Is Texas Southern too low at No. 9?
Is UAPB too low at No. 11?
Or did the voters get it exactly right?
Drop your team in the comments and tell us where they should have been ranked.
And most importantly:
WHO’S WINNING THE SWAC?
#SWACMBB #HBCUHoops #HBCUBasketball #SneakerShopTalk #BuildingChampionsForLife
What We Know
- Bethune-Cookman is the 2026-27 SWAC preseason favorite.
- The Wildcats received 10 first-place votes.
- Southern received three first-place votes.
- Jackson State, Alabama State and Texas Southern each received one first-place vote.
- Daeshun Ruffin of Jackson State was selected as the SWAC Preseason Player of the Year.
- Jackson State is projected sixth despite having the conference’s preseason Player of the Year.
- Texas Southern is projected ninth but received a first-place vote.
- Arkansas-Pine Bluff is projected 11th after finishing 10-8 in SWAC play last season.
- Mississippi Valley State is projected 12th.
