1979 Southwest Conference men's basketball tournament

The 1979 Southwest Conference men's basketball tournament was held March 1–3, 1979 at The Summit in Houston, Texas. The first round took place February 24 at the higher seeded campus sites.

Number 1 seed Arkansas defeated 2 seed Texas 39–38 to win their 2nd championship and receive the conference's automatic bid to the 1979 NCAA tournament.

Format and seeding
The tournament consisted of 9 teams in a single-elimination tournament. The 3 seed received a bye to the Quarterfinals and the 1 and 2 seed received a bye to the Semifinals.