After a wild ending to the regular season, the Sun Belt Conference men’s and women’s basketball teams arrived this week in Pensacola for a championship tournament that could extend the surprises.
The seeding, brackets and regular-season winners heading into the Visit Pensacola Sun Belt Conference Tournament, presented by Air Force Reserve, were not decided until the 11th hour Friday on the final day of the season schedule.
It shapes up as a potential free-for-all this week at the Pensacola Bay Center. Fans traveling from across the Sun Belt footprint will again fill Pensacola throughout the week, enjoying the beaches, Downtown Pensacola, local restaurants and sightseeing between games.
This is the sixth year Pensacola has hosted the Sun Belt Conference’s defining stage for basketball, making it the first city in league history to host the men’s and women’s brackets at the same venue for this long. The men’s and women’s tournament winners on March 9 earn the league’s automatic bids to the NCAA Tournament.
So many storylines have emerged as March Madness begins.
On the men’s side, six teams finished 11-7 in regular-season play. Four were tied for first place on the final day.
But the Troy Trojans were the lone team to win Friday night at home and gain the top seed with a 20-11 overall record, 12-6 in conference play.
It is the first outright, regular-season Sun Belt crown for the Trojans in program history. They shared the crown last year, then went on to win the SBC Tournament in Pensacola to reach the NCAA Tournament for the first time in eight years.
Under coach Scott Cross, Troy has won at least 20 games in each of the past five seasons.
“All wins are very, very difficult. Winning a championship is tough, and I don’t ever want to take that for granted,” said Cross, speaking courtside to Barry McKnight, the “Voice of the Trojans” on the Troy Sports Network, following his team’s win Friday Feb. 27 against Louisiana-Monroe.
The top two seeds in both brackets receive byes into the semifinals on Sunday, March 8 — a significant advantage in the 14-team tournament.
Marshall earned the No. 2 seed in the men’s bracket after tiebreakers determined seeds Nos. 2 through 7. Marshall joins Troy with a semifinal bye.
Troy forward Thomas Dowd, a 6-foot-8 junior from Dothan, Alabama, scored 22 points and grabbed 11 rebounds in Friday’s win.
“Going back to back in the regular season is super exciting, but we’re not done yet,” Dowd said as he spoke courtside on the Troy network Friday. “We’ve got two more games in Pensacola. We’re still hungry.”
Players to watch include South Alabama’s Chaze Harris, who captured the league scoring title on the final day, edging Southern Mississippi’s Tylik Weeks. Troy’s Dowd led the conference in rebounding at 10.1 per game, and Old Dominion’s Jordan Battle is the league’s top 3-point shooter.
The men’s semifinals take place 5 and 8 p.m. Sunday, March 8. The championship game follows at 6 p.m. on Monday, March 9.
On the women’s side, Georgia Southern clinched its first regular-season basketball title in 25 years. The Eagles (23-6, 16-2) set a school record for wins in a season and earned the No. 1 seed after Troy fell 76-69 at home to South Alabama.
Troy (24-6, 15-3) is the No. 2 seed and also receives a semifinal bye on March 8.
“We’re crushed and heartbroken for losing this game,” said Troy coach Chanda Rigby, in a post-game interview at Troy. “We knew what was at stake. South Alabama came out and played a lot harder than us.”
Rigby, a fan favorite because of her Pensacola ties, is in her 14th season at Troy and previously led Pensacola State College to back-to-back NJCAA national tournament appearances, finishing third both times.
Players to watch include Georgia Southern point guard Destiny Garrett, who averages 15.1 points per game and has 112 assists.
Troy’s Zay Dyer has recorded 21 double-doubles this season and ranks second nationally in total rebounds. Marshall’s Timaya Lewis-Eutsey ranks fourth nationally in steals and averages 19.3 points per game.
The women’s semifinals are scheduled for 11:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. Sunday, March 8. The championship game is set for 1 p.m., Monday, March 9.
The weeklong event includes promotional activities and features a newly designed tournament court at the Pensacola Bay Center.
For schedules, tickets and complete tournament details, visit VisitPensacola.com/SunBelt. Fans will find plenty to enjoy beyond the court, with Visit Pensacola highlighting special offers and things to do throughout the tournament week.
