Kristian Ferrell
The Sun Belt Basketball Tournament is a single-elimination tournament where 14 teams from the Sun Belt Conference compete for their chance to win big and make it to the NCAA Division I Men and Women's Basketball Tournament. The tournament has been hosted at a neutral arena site each year since 2009, with Pensacola, Florida hosting the men's and women's tournaments from 2021 to 2025. The format of the tournament has changed over the years, with only 10 out of the 12 teams qualifying for the tournament in 2019.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Year | 2025 |
| Dates | March 4-10 |
| Venue | Pensacola Bay Center |
| Teams | 14 |
| Format | Single-elimination tournament |
| Seeding | Based on records within the conference with a tiebreaker system |
| Byes | Top 2 seeds received byes to semifinals; No. 3 and No. 4 seeds received byes to quarterfinals |
| Host | Pensacola, Florida |
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What You'll Learn
The tournament format: single-elimination, stepladder-style brackets
The Sun Belt Basketball Tournament is a single-elimination tournament. This means that teams are eliminated after one loss, and only the winning teams advance to the next round.
The tournament format can be described as a stepladder-style bracket. In 2019, the format consisted of two brackets, with the bottom four seeds playing in the first round. The winners of those games would then join the top six teams in the second round. The 5th and 6th seeds received byes into the second round, while the 3rd and 4th seeds started play in the quarterfinals. The top two seeds received a triple bye into the semifinals, meaning they didn't play until that round.
Starting in 2020, all games prior to the semifinals were played at campus sites, hosted by the higher seeds. This format ensures that the teams with the best regular-season records receive byes to advance further in the tournament. The top 10 teams receive at least one bye.
The Sun Belt Tournament has historically been played at the home gym of one of the conference members or at a major arena nearby. From 2021 to 2025, the tournament will be hosted in Pensacola, Florida, at the Pensacola Bay Center, with first- and second-round games played simultaneously at Hartsell Arena on the campus of Pensacola State College.
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Qualification: 10 or 14 teams qualify
The Sun Belt Basketball Tournament has seen some changes in its format over the years. In 2019, only 10 of the conference's 12 teams qualified for the tournament. The format consisted of two stepladder-style brackets. The bottom four seeds played in the first round, while the 5th and 6th seeds received byes into the second round. The 3rd and 4th seeds began play in the quarterfinals, and the top two seeds received a triple bye into the semifinals.
However, in 2025, all 14 conference teams qualified for the tournament, and it was held at a neutral site, the Pensacola Bay Center. The teams were seeded by their record within the conference, with a procedural tiebreaker system in place for teams with identical records. This time, the top two teams received byes into the semifinals, while the 3rd and 4th seeds got byes to the quarterfinals. This change in format rewarded teams with a strong regular season performance.
The tournament has historically been played at the home gym of one of the conference members or at a major arena close by. From 2021 to 2025, Pensacola, Florida, hosted the tournament, marking a return to a format featuring all conference members. The first and second-round games were played at Hartsell Arena and the Pensacola Bay Center, with the semifinals and finals at the Bay Center.
In 2026, all 14 Sun Belt teams will again compete in the single-elimination Sun Belt Basketball Championship Tournament, with both the men's and women's tournaments taking place at the Pensacola Bay Center.
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Seeding: based on records, with tiebreakers
Seeding for the Sun Belt Basketball Tournament is based on team records within the conference. In the 2025 tournament, all 14 teams from the conference competed. Four teams—South Alabama, James Madison, Troy, and Arkansas State—finished with identical 13-5 records. This resulted in the use of tiebreakers to determine seeding. South Alabama emerged as the No. 1 seed, having won all of their matchups against the other top contenders. Their undefeated record against Arkansas State, along with key victories over Marshall and James Madison, secured their position at the top of the seeding.
The Sun Belt Conference adopted a unique stepladder system, rewarding teams with better regular-season performance. The top two seeds received byes directly into the tournament semifinals, while the No. 3 and No. 4 seeds advanced to the tournament quarterfinals. The remaining seeds (5-6) also received byes, but to varying degrees, with the bottom four seeds (11-14) playing in the first round.
In the 2019 tournament, the bottom four seeds played first-round games at campus sites, hosted by the higher seed. The winners then joined the top six seeds at a neutral arena. From 2020 onwards, all games prior to the semifinals were scheduled to be held at campus sites, hosted by the higher seeds. This format aimed to provide an advantage to teams with stronger regular-season records while also giving lower-ranked teams a chance to compete.
The Sun Belt Basketball Tournament is known for its dynamic and competitive nature, with seeding playing a crucial role in determining the path each team will take. The use of tiebreakers ensures that even among teams with identical records, there is a method to establish a hierarchy and assign seeds accordingly. This process adds excitement and intrigue to the tournament, as teams strive for the best possible seeding to enhance their chances of advancing.
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Venues: neutral arenas, campus sites, or conference member's home gym
The Sun Belt Conference men's basketball tournament has been played every year since the 1976-77 academic year. The tournament has been hosted at a variety of venues, including neutral arena sites, campus sites, and conference members' home gyms.
Neutral arena sites have been used for the tournament each year since 2009, with locations such as Hot Springs, Arkansas; New Orleans, Louisiana; and Pensacola, Florida. Prior to that, the tournament was often hosted at venues such as the Charlotte Coliseum in North Carolina, the Legacy Arena in Birmingham, Alabama, and the Barton Coliseum in Little Rock, Arkansas.
In recent years, the tournament has returned to campus sites, with the higher-seeded teams hosting the games. For example, in 2019, the bottom four seeds played first-round games at campus sites, and in 2020 and beyond, all games prior to the semifinals were held at campus sites.
The Sun Belt Conference tournament has also been held at conference members' home gyms. For example, the 2025 tournament was played at the Pensacola Bay Center, the home of the South Alabama Jaguars.
The choice of venue for the Sun Belt Conference men's basketball tournament has varied over the years, depending on the format of the tournament and the number of teams involved. Neutral arena sites, campus sites, and conference members' home gyms have all been utilized to host this annual event.
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History: Sun Belt teams have a history of success in the NCAA Tournament
The Sun Belt Conference has a rich basketball history, with multiple teams advancing to the NCAA tournament in the 1980s and 1990s, and more recently in 2008, 2013, and 2025. Overall, Sun Belt schools have achieved 21 wins in the NCAA Tournament during their membership in the conference.
The 2025 Sun Belt Conference basketball tournament was a notable example of the conference's success. All 14 teams from the conference competed in a single-elimination format, with Troy emerging as the winner and receiving an automatic bid to the 2025 NCAA tournament. This tournament showcased the depth and talent within the Sun Belt Conference, as four teams finished with identical 13-5 records, leading to an exciting battle for the top seed.
In the past, the Sun Belt tournament has been hosted at various neutral arena sites, including Hot Springs, Arkansas; New Orleans, Louisiana; Pensacola, Florida; Hampton, Virginia; and Biloxi, Mississippi. However, it has also historically been played at the home gyms of conference members or major arenas in nearby cities. The tournament format has undergone changes over the years, with the 2019 edition introducing a stepladder-style bracket system that rewarded regular-season performance.
The Sun Belt Conference continues to be a competitive and dynamic basketball conference, with its teams striving for success not only within the conference but also on the larger stage of the NCAA Tournament. The history of Sun Belt teams in the NCAA Tournament showcases the conference's impact on college basketball and its ability to produce successful and talented athletes.
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Frequently asked questions
All 14 Sun Belt teams participate in the tournament.
The tournament follows a single-elimination format. The bottom four seeds play in the first round, the 5th and 6th seeds enter in the second round, the 3rd and 4th seeds begin in the quarterfinals, and the top two seeds receive byes into the semifinals.
The tournament has been hosted at neutral arena sites each year since 2009, including Hot Springs, Arkansas, New Orleans, Louisiana, and Pensacola, Florida.
The Sun Belt Basketball Tournament usually takes place in March.
