Related Research Articles
The Sun Belt Conference (SBC) is a collegiate athletic conference that has been affiliated with the NCAA's Division I since 1976. Originally a non-football conference, the Sun Belt began sponsoring football in 2001. Its football teams participate in the Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS). The 14 member institutions of the Sun Belt are distributed across the Southern United States.
The Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns are the athletic teams of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. The college has been competing athletically since 1901. The Ragin' Cajuns compete in NCAA Division I, fielding 16 varsity teams.
The South Alabama Jaguars men's basketball program has competed in the Sun Belt Conference since 1978 when the league was formed. Since 1968, the Jaguars have compiled an overall record of 694–507 (.580). South Alabama has won the Sun Belt Conference championship five times and reached the NCAA tournament eight times. The Jaguars last NCAA tournament appearance was in 2008.
The Western Kentucky Hilltoppers and Lady Toppers are the athletic teams that represent Western Kentucky University (WKU), located in Bowling Green, Kentucky, in intercollegiate sports as a member of the NCAA Division I ranks, competing in the Conference USA (C-USA) since the 2014–15 academic year. The Hilltoppers and Lady Toppers previously competed in the Sun Belt Conference from 1982–83 to 2013–14; and in the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) from 1948–49 to 1981–82.
The Sun Belt Conference men's basketball tournament has been played every year since the formation of the Sun Belt Conference prior to the 1976–77 American collegiate academic year. The winner of the tournament is guaranteed an automatic berth into the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament.
The Louisiana–Monroe Warhawks are the intercollegiate athletics teams representing the University of Louisiana at Monroe (ULM). ULM currently fields 15 varsity teams in 11 sports and competes at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level as a member of the Sun Belt Conference.
The Coastal Carolina Chanticleers are the athletic teams that represent Coastal Carolina University. They participate in Division I of the NCAA as a member of the Sun Belt Conference (SBC) in most sports, having joined that conference as a full but non-football member on July 1, 2016. At that time, the football team began a transition from the second-level Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) to the top-level Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS). The team played the 2016 season as an FCS independent, joined SBC football for the 2017 season, and became full FBS members for 2018 and beyond. A Chanticleer is a proud and fierce rooster. Before joining the SBC, the Chanticleers had been members of the Big South Conference since that league's formation in 1983. Coastal fields varsity teams in 19 sports, 8 for men and 11 for women. The university regularly competed for the Sasser Cup, the Big South's trophy for the university with the best sports program among the member institutions, winning the trophy nine times, tied with rival Liberty University.
The Jacksonville Dolphins are the intercollegiate athletics teams that represent Jacksonville University, located in Jacksonville, Florida. The Dolphins participate in NCAA Division I athletics, and are primarily members of the ASUN Conference. Some teams in sports that are not sponsored by the ASUN play in other conferences; specifically, the men's and women's rowing teams are in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. The men's lacrosse team had played in the Southern Conference (SoCon) from 2015 to 2022, but that sport will return to the ASUN for the 2023 season.
The North Florida Ospreys are the athletic teams of the University of North Florida in Jacksonville, Florida. The Ospreys compete in the ASUN Conference in NCAA Division I. UNF became a full-fledged member of Division I in 2009; previously, the Ospreys were members of the Sunshine State Conference and Peach Belt Conference in NCAA Division II. UNF fields teams in seven men's sports and ten women's sports.
The Coastal Carolina Chanticleers men's basketball team is the men's basketball team that represents Coastal Carolina University in Conway, South Carolina, United States. The school's team currently competes in the Sun Belt Conference. Tony Dunkin, a former Chanticleer, is the only men's basketball player in NCAA Division I history to be named the conference player of the year all four seasons he played.
The Georgia State Panthers men's basketball team represents Georgia State University and competes in the Sun Belt Conference of NCAA Division I. The Panthers play at the Georgia State Convocation Center in Atlanta, Georgia, United States.
The North Florida Ospreys represent the University of North Florida (UNF) in men's college basketball. The Ospreys compete in the ASUN Conference (A-Sun) in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). They play home games at UNF Arena on the school's campus in Jacksonville.
The 2014 Sun Belt Conference men's basketball tournament was held in New Orleans, LA from March 13 to March 16 at the Lakefront Arena. The tournament winner received an automatic bid into the 2014 NCAA tournament. The semifinal games were televised on the Sun Belt Network, with the championship game on ESPN, on Sunday March 16.
The 2015 Sun Belt Conference men's basketball tournament was held in New Orleans, Louisiana from March 12 to March 15 at Lakefront Arena. The tournament winner received an automatic bid into the 2015 NCAA tournament. Opening round games were televised on ESPN3, with the championship game on ESPN2, on Sunday March 15.
The 2016 Big South men's basketball tournament was held from March 3–6, 2016, at the Pope Convocation Center in Buies Creek, North Carolina on the campus of Campbell University. UNC Asheville won the tournament and received the Big South's automatic bid to the 2016 NCAA tournament.
The 1996 Sun Belt Conference men's basketball tournament was held March 1–5 at Barton Coliseum in Little Rock, Arkansas.
The 2017 Sun Belt Conference men's basketball tournament is the postseason conference tournament for the Sun Belt Conference. The tournament will be held at the Lakefront Arena in New Orleans, Louisiana from March 8 to March 12, 2017. The tournament winner will receive the conference's automatic bid into the NCAA tournament.
The 2019 Sun Belt Conference men's basketball tournament was the postseason men's basketball tournament for Sun Belt Conference during the 2018–19 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. Tournament first-round games were played at the campus of the higher seeded team on March 12. The remainder of the tournament was held from March 14–17, 2019, in New Orleans, Louisiana, at Lakefront Arena. Georgia State defeated UT Arlington 73–64 in the championship game to win the tournament, and received the conference's automatic bid to the 2019 NCAA tournament. It was the third tournament championship for Georgia State, and their second consecutive.
The 2020 Sun Belt Conference men's basketball tournament was the postseason men's basketball tournament for Sun Belt Conference during the 2019–20 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. Tournament first round, second round, and quarterfinal games were played at the campus sites of the higher seeded team between March 7–11. The semifinals and championship game would have been held from March 14–15, 2020, in New Orleans, Louisiana, at the Smoothie King Center. The regular season champion would have received the Sun Belt's automatic bid to the 2020 NCAA tournament.
References
- ↑ "Sun Belt Mens Basketball Tournament Tie-Breaking Procedures". Sun Belt Conference. SideArm Sports. Retrieved December 5, 2015.
- ↑ "2016 Sun Belt Men's Basketball Tournament Bracket" (PDF). Sun Belt Conference. Sun Belt Conference. Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 December 2015. Retrieved 5 December 2015.