Texas southern basketball is set for a SWAC tournament quarterfinal against the Alabama A& M Bulldogs at Gateway Center Arena, with tipoff scheduled for 2 p. m. ET. Alabama A& M enters as the No. 5 seed at 17-14 overall and 10-8 in SWAC play, while Texas Southern is the No. 4 seed at 12-17 overall and 10-8 in SWAC play. The winner moves one step closer to the SWAC’s automatic place in the NCAA Tournament, turning Thursday’s game into an immediate, single-elimination pressure test.
Seeding, stakes, and the set time at Gateway Center Arena
The matchup pairs two teams that finished with the same SWAC record, 10-8, but arrive with different overall marks and adjacent seeds. Alabama A& M’s 17-14 record positions the Bulldogs as the No. 5 seed, while the Texas Southern Tigers come in as the No. 4 seed at 12-17. The game is scheduled to start at 2 p. m. ET at Gateway Center Arena.
With the SWAC tournament’s automatic NCAA Tournament place looming in the background, Thursday’s result carries immediate consequences. One side advances and stays in the chase for the league’s ticket; the other goes home.
What the last meeting looked like — and why this rematch is tense
When these teams met in the regular season, Texas Southern produced a dramatic comeback, erasing a 16-point deficit and pulling away for an 89-74 win. That game carried visible edge: technical fouls were assessed, and the physical, emotional tone matched what both programs believe is at stake when they share the floor.
Still, the message inside the bracket is simple: the previous scoreboard does not travel forward. In this format, the SWAC tournament does not offer a reset button after a poor half or a rough stretch; it rewards the team that is ready to handle the moment from the opening minutes.
That’s the tension at the center of this quarterfinal. Alabama A& M gets a shot at turning the page, while Texas southern basketball tries to prove the first result was not a one-off and that it can deliver again when the season narrows to one game.
Immediate reactions: Coaches frame it as a fresh game
Texas Southern head coach Johnny Jones stressed that the postseason demands a different mindset, even against familiar opponents.
“Every game is separate, ” Jones said. “Especially when you get to the postseason. ”
Jones also addressed the emotional layer surrounding Otis Hughley Jr., Alabama A& M’s head coach, who previously served as a longtime assistant coach at Texas Southern. Jones said he respects what Hughley brings because of that experience.
“I know that was an emotional setting for him, ” Jones said following the regular-season win. “It’s not something that we talked about during the week, but we’re excited for him. ”
And, reflecting on the heated moments of the earlier meeting, Jones acknowledged the intensity that can come with two teams that view themselves as contenders in the same league.
“The game did get tense with some tough plays, ” Jones said. “You’ve got two good teams, and when they play like that, it happens. ”
Quick context and what’s next
The SWAC tournament is single-elimination, with teams playing for the league’s automatic place in the NCAA Tournament. Thursday’s quarterfinal sits at the front edge of that path, where a bad stretch can end a season.
Next comes the simplest question: who shows up ready to fight at 2 p. m. ET. If Texas southern basketball handles the moment, it stays alive for the SWAC’s automatic NCAA Tournament place; if Alabama A& M flips the result, the Bulldogs move forward and the Tigers’ run ends on the spot.
