1980 SWAC men's basketball tournament

The 1980 SWAC men's basketball tournament was held February 28–March 2, 1980. The quarterfinal round was held at the home arena of the higher-seeded team, while the semifinal and championship rounds were held at the Mississippi Coliseum in Jackson, Mississippi. Alcorn State defeated Jackson State, 83–61 in the championship game. The Braves received the conference's automatic bid to the 1980 NCAA tournament as No. 8 seed in the Midwest Region.

1980 SWAC men's basketball tournament
Classification	Division I
Season	1979–80
Teams	6
First round site	Campus Sites
Semifinals site	Mississippi Coliseum Jackson, Mississippi
Finals site	Mississippi Coliseum Jackson, Mississippi
Champions	Alcorn State (1st title)
Winning coach	Davey Whitney (1st title)
SWAC men's basketball tournaments

1979–80 SWAC men's basketball standings

	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		PCT			W		L		PCT
Alcorn State †	8	–	0		1.000			28	–	2		.933
Grambling	6	–	4		.600			22	–	8		.733
Jackson State	3	–	5		.375			15	–	14		.517
Southern	3	–	6		.333			14	–	15		.483
Texas Southern	2	–	7		.222			9	–	17		.346
Prairie View		–			–			10	–	18		.357
Mississippi Valley State		–			–			3	–	24		.111
† 1980 SWAC tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll

Bracket and results

	Quarterfinals Feb 28					Semifinals March 1					Final March 2
						1	Alcorn State	116
						4	Southern	92
	4	Southern	97
	5	Texas Southern	95
											1	Alcorn State	83
											2	Grambling State	61
	3	Jackson State	98
	6	Mississippi Valley State	82
						3	Jackson State	77			Third place
						2	Grambling State	84
											4	Southern	101
											3	Jackson State	106