Southern’s Road-Heavy Schedule Sets Up a SWAC Title Rematch
The Jaguars will play 11 of their first 14 games away from Baton Rouge before opening conference play against Texas Southern and Prairie View A&M.
BATON ROUGE, La. — Southern will have little time to settle into the 2026-27 men’s basketball season. The Jaguars open with five consecutive road games, and 11 of their 14 nonconference contests are away from the F.G. Clark Activity Center.
The schedule, announced Monday, Sept. 28, takes Southern from Texas to Iowa and Minnesota in its first two weeks. The Jaguars visit SMU on Nov. 2, TCU on Nov. 6, Drake on Nov. 8, Iowa State on Nov. 10 and Minnesota on Nov. 12.
Southern’s home opener arrives Nov. 17 against Louisiana Christian at 11 a.m., the first of two school field trip games. The Jaguars then travel to Nebraska on Nov. 25 and Vanderbilt on Nov. 27 before hosting Champion Christian in the second 11 a.m. field trip game Dec. 1.
December brings another extended trip: Fresno State on Dec. 5, Oregon on Dec. 16, Pacific on Dec. 18 and California on Dec. 20. Southern closes nonconference play at home against Southern University at New Orleans on Dec. 28 at 2 p.m. Those three November and December dates are the Jaguars’ only nonconference home games.
Coach Kevin Johnson said the early challenges are intended to help Southern grow before Southwestern Athletic Conference play. That preparation will be tested immediately: The Jaguars begin the league schedule at Texas Southern on Jan. 2 and Prairie View A&M on Jan. 4. Prairie View beat Southern 72-66 in the 2026 SWAC tournament championship game, denying the Jaguars the conference’s automatic NCAA tournament berth. Southern entered that tournament as the No. 3 seed after an 11-7 league season.
The conference home opener is Jan. 9 against Florida A&M. Bethune-Cookman follows Jan. 11, and Grambling State visits Jan. 16. After trips to Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Jan. 23 and Mississippi Valley State on Jan. 25, Southern hosts Alcorn State on Jan. 30 and Jackson State on Feb. 1.
The Jaguars play at Alabama A&M on Feb. 6 and Alabama State on Feb. 8, then return home for Prairie View on Feb. 13 and Texas Southern on Feb. 15. Their final road stretch takes them to Grambling State on Feb. 20, Bethune-Cookman on Feb. 25 and Florida A&M on Feb. 27. Southern ends the regular season in Baton Rouge against Alabama State on March 2 and Alabama A&M on March 4.
The SWAC men’s and women’s basketball tournaments are set for March 9-13, 2027, at Gateway Center Arena in Atlanta. Schedule discrepancy: Southern’s announcement lists March 8-13, and its online schedule places a tournament entry on March 8; the conference’s tournament information and championship-site announcement both list March 9-13.
