[1] The 1977–78 season was the SWAC's first as an NCAA Division I basketball conference, but it was not until 1980 that the champion went to the Division I tournament; most notably, the 1979 champion was Alcorn State, who went 27–0 but only received an NIT bid (where they lost in the second round) as they had "not yet completed the three years of adherence to a 2.00 average entrance requirement.
"[2][3] The semifinal and championship SWAC basketball tournament games are held at the Bill Harris Arena in Birmingham, Alabama.
[4] As of the 2017 tournaments,[5] they feature an eight-team, three-day layout with the quarterfinal rounds hosted on campus sites.
The higher seeded teams will host a combined eight games leaving two days for travel and practice rounds.
The tournament concludes with the semifinals and championship rounds inside Birmingham's Bill Harris Arena.