March basketball brought chaos—and opportunity—to the HBCU landscape.
Conference tournament play reshaped Dr. Cavil’s Inside the HBCU Sports Lab Men’s Major Division Top 5 in Week 11, as Prairie View A&M and Southern surged into the rankings behind deep SWAC Tournament runs. While new contenders emerged, the top of the mountain remained unchanged, with Tennessee State continuing its reign as the nation’s top HBCU program heading into the NCAA Tournament.
5. Southern Jaguars (17–17, 11–7)
The Jaguars re-enter the rankings after being unranked a week ago, thanks to a strong run in the SWAC Tournament. Southern advanced all the way to the championship game before falling 72–66 to Prairie View A&M, coming up short of its first SWAC Tournament title since 2016. Despite the loss, the Jaguars’ late surge was enough to earn a spot in this week’s Top 5.
4. Prairie View A&M Panthers (18–7, 9–9)
Like Southern, Prairie View A&M jumps into the rankings after previously being unranked. The Panthers captured the SWAC Tournament title with a 72–66 win over Southern, solidifying their place among the elite.
PVAMU carried that momentum into the NCAA Tournament, earning a No. 16 seed and defeating Lehigh 67–55 in the First Four. Their reward is a daunting matchup against No. 1 seed Florida.
3. Bethune-Cookman Wildcats (17–14, 14–4)
Bethune-Cookman holds steady at No. 3 despite an early exit from the SWAC Tournament. The Wildcats entered as the conference’s top seed but were upset 71–67 in the quarterfinals by eventual champion Prairie View A&M.
While the loss was surprising, their dominant regular season keeps them firmly in the top tier.
2. Howard Bison (23–10, 11–3)
Howard remains at No. 2 after capturing the MEAC Tournament title and advancing to the NCAA Tournament. The Bison secured a First Four victory over UMBC, holding off a late rally to win 86–83.
The win sends Howard into a matchup with Michigan, giving the program another opportunity to make noise on the national stage.
1. Tennessee State Tigers (23–9, 15–5)
Tennessee State continues to hold the top spot in the rankings. The Tigers were the first team in the country to punch their ticket to the NCAA Tournament and earned a No. 15 seed.
They now face a tough first-round challenge against No. 2 seed Iowa State, with an opportunity to add to their already impressive season.
Dropped Out
- Morgan State Bears (14–16, 10–4)
- Florida A&M Rattlers (15–16, 11–7)
Receiving Votes
- Florida A&M Rattlers (15–16, 11–7) – 53
- Alabama A&M Bulldogs (18–15, 10–3) – 41
- Texas Southern Tigers (12–18, 10–8) – 38
- Morgan State Bears (14–16, 10–4) – 29
- UAPB Golden Lions (13–19, 10–8) – 25
