The men’s and women’s championship games will take place on Saturday at 5:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m., respectively. The men’s game will be broadcast on ESPNU, while the women’s game will be on ESPN+. Photo courtesy of SWAC

The Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) men’s and women’s basketball conference tournaments will be held in metro Atlanta for the first time in 2025. Starting on Tuesday, Mar. 11, two tickets for the NCAA tournament will be punched at Gateway Center Arena in College Park on Saturday, March 15.

SWAC Commissioner Dr. Charles F. McClelland spoke to The Atlanta Voice about why the conference, which calls Birmingham home, chose to move its premier basketball event to metro Atlanta.

“Atlanta for us is the Mecca of Black colleges,” said McClelland, who has been commissioner since 2018. ‘The city of Atlanta and the fans have embraced our sporting events.”

The SWAC women’s championship game will take place on Saturday, March 15 at 5:30 p.m. Photo courtesy of SWAC

The Cricket MEAC-SWAC Challenge is one of the HBCU-specific sports events that brings alumni from all over the country to Atlanta to watch college football, so why not college basketball during the sport’s most important month?

“We felt Atlanta is the best market to do it,” McClelland said of moving the conference basketball tournaments.

McClelland mentioned the number of SWAC alumni who call metro Atlanta home and will be able to make it to College Park to watch their respective schools. The expectations are high for the tournament, according to McClelland, who said he expects “robust crowds” for the pair of five-day tournaments.

The SWAC has also partnered with Atlanta Public Schools to get free tickets in the hands of students so they can attend the college fair that all SWAC schools, including popular schools such as Florida A&M University, Jackson State University, Texas Southern University, and Grambling State University, last year’s winner of the men’s tournament.

The belief is that being in the Atlanta area will boost the brand of the basketball tournament. Asked if he believes the tournament has found a forever home in metro Atlanta, McClelland said he is positive about the move.

The proximity of Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport and dozens of hotels to Gateway Center Arena is a bonus.

“Our fans are excited,” McClelland said. “We are anticipating being in Atlanta.”

Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, Donnell began his career covering sports and news in Atlanta nearly two decades ago. Since then he has written for Atlanta Business Chronicle, The Southern Cross...