The Texas Southern Tigers are currently playing in the SWAC Tournament championship game, and even if they lose, they will still get an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. And it’s not because of an at-large bid.
The Tigers will going to be the Big Dance thanks to Alcorn State — Texas Southern’s SWAC title game opponent — putting self-imposed postseason bans on the team.
TEXAS SOUTHERN IS DANCING!
Tigers clinch #MarchMadness bid by advancing to @theswac finals vs Alcorn State, which is ineligible for NCAAs. pic.twitter.com/jAz4Sef4ik
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 11, 2017
Alcorn State’s list of wrongdoings is long and seemingly systematic. It spans multiple years, and across several sports at the Mississippi State-based university:
“During the 2011-12 through 2014-15 academic years, 26 athletes on the football, men’s basketball, baseball, men’s and women’s cross country, soccer, softball, men’s and women’s tennis, men’s track and field or volleyball teams competed despite not meeting percentage-toward-degree requirements.
During the 2012-13 through 2014-15 academic years, an athlete from each of the men’s basketball, women’s cross country and women’s tennis programs competed despite not having completed at least 18 credit hours toward their degrees starting from the previous fall term.
During the 2012-13 through 2014-15 academic years, an athlete from each of the men’s basketball and women’s tennis teams competed without completing at least six credit hours toward their majors the previous semester.”
Texas Southern is 16-2 in conference play, and there’s a great chance they would’ve just won the title game to get into the NCAA Tournament anyway. Either way, it has to be a weight off of their shoulders that they don’t need to worry about this game like they once did.
The Tigers last appeared in the NCAA Tournament back in 2015.
[SB Nation; Photo Credit: Houston Chronicle]
