This season, the Sun Belt Conference’s new tournament format will be in effect. The tournament is designed to efficiently crown two respective champions within a seven-day window.
“The new Sun Belt Basketball Championship brackets will reward our top seeds for their accomplishments during the regular season, ensuring they receive the advantage they’ve earned for their on-court performance,” said Sun Belt Conference Commissioner Keith Gill in a Sun Belt Conference press release.
The conference found this balance in part by adjusting who receives a bye. Seeds one and two will receive byes into the semifinal round of the tournament. Seeds three and four will receive passes to the quarterfinals – in past years the top four teams received said passes.
Another change that was made has been when the games are played. The women are scheduled to hold down the morning sessions. According to the conference press release, their games will be scheduled to tip off at either 11:30 a.m. or 2:30 p.m.
The men are scheduled to play their games at night. Their games are scheduled to tip off at 5 p.m. or 7:30 p.m.
The men of James Madison took home the conference title last year and are currently slated to earn the first seed in this year’s tournament. On the women’s side of the bracket, the JMU women’s team looks to complete a perfect in-conference slate and secure the first seed.
Both Troy teams are in line to earn byes into the quarterfinals. The men are in a three-team tie with South Alabama and Arkansas State to secure a top-three seed. The women seem to be firmly set in third place in the conference, but a crucial matchup with Arkansas State on Friday could change that.
Through 2030, the conference tournament will be held in Pensacola, Florida, with games slated from March 4-10, 2025. All games will be available through ESPN+. The women’s championship game will air on ESPNU while the men’s championship game is set to air on ESPN2.
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