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 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 UT Arlington Mavericks are the athletic teams that represent the University of Texas at Arlington in Arlington, Texas. The Mavericks currently compete in the NCAA Division I Western Athletic Conference in 15 varsity sports. The number rose to 15 in the fall of 2017 women's golf began their first season of competition that athletic season.
The South Florida Bulls men's basketball team represents the University of South Florida in NCAA Division I basketball competition, where they are currently a member of the American Athletic Conference. Ben Fletcher is the interim head coach after Amir Abdur-Rahim died unexpectedly. The Bulls play their home games at the 10,500 seat Yuengling Center on USF's campus in Tampa, Florida. USF has won two conference championships and has reached the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament 3 times in their history, with their best finish coming in 2012 when they made the round of 32.
The 1980–81 NCAA Division I men's basketball season began on November 28, 1980, progressed through the regular season and conference tournaments, and concluded with the 1981 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament championship game on March 30, 1981, at The Spectrum in Philadelphia. The Indiana Hoosiers won their fourth NCAA national championship with a 63–50 victory over the North Carolina Tar Heels.
The Arkansas State Red Wolves men's basketball team represents Arkansas State University in Jonesboro, Arkansas, United States. The school's team currently competes in the Sun Belt Conference. They play their home games at the First National Bank Arena. They are led by head coach Bryan Hodgson, who took over on March 22, 2023. The Red Wolves made their first and to date only appearance in the NCAA tournament in 1999 after winning the 1999 Sun Belt Conference Championship. Their most notable alum is ‘Hoop Dreams’ star, Arthur Agee.
The 2011 Sun Belt Conference men's basketball tournament was held in Hot Springs, Arkansas from March 5 to March 8 at the Summit Arena and the Convention Center Court. All 12 Sun Belt teams participated in the tournament and their seedings are based on their conference record.
The 2010–11 Arkansas–Little Rock Trojans men's basketball team represented the University of Arkansas at Little Rock during the 2010–11 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Trojans, led by 8th year head coach Steve Shields, played their home games at the Jack Stephens Center and are members of the Sun Belt Conference. They finished the season with a record of 19–17, 7–9 in Sun Belt play. They won the 2011 Sun Belt Conference men's basketball tournament to earn an automatic bid in the 2011 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament. They lost in the new First Four round to UNC Asheville in overtime.
Chico Fletcher is an American former basketball player who is best known for his collegiate career at Arkansas State University. Between 1996–97 and 1999–2000, Fletcher recorded 893 assists, which at the time of his graduation was the 11th highest total in NCAA Division I history. He was twice named the Sun Belt Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Year, and as a junior he led the Red Wolves to their first ever, and so far only NCAA tournament appearance.
The 2012 Sun Belt Conference men's basketball tournament was held in Hot Springs, Arkansas from March 3 to March 6 at the Summit Arena and the Convention Center Court. Eleven Sun Belt teams participated in the tournament with seedings based on their conference record. Louisiana-Monroe did not compete in the 2012 Sun Belt Tournament due to failing to meet the NCAA's Academic Progress Rate requirements. This was Denver's final year in the Sun Belt due to the move to the Western Athletic Conference for the 2012–13 basketball season. The tournament winner received an automatic bid into the 2012 NCAA tournament.
The 2011–12 Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders men's basketball team represented Middle Tennessee State University during the 2011–12 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Blue Raiders, led by tenth year head coach Kermit Davis, played their home games at the Murphy Center and are members of the East Division of the Sun Belt Conference. They finished the season 27–7, 14–2 in Sun Belt play to be Sun Belt East Division champions and overall regular season conference champions. They lost in the quarterfinals of the Sun Belt Basketball tournament to Arkansas State. As regular season conference champions, they received an automatic bid into the 2012 National Invitation Tournament where they defeated Marshall in the first round and Tennessee in the second round before falling in the quarterfinals to Minnesota.
The 2012–13 Arkansas–Little Rock Trojans men's basketball team represented the University of Arkansas at Little Rock during the 2012–13 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Trojans, led by tenth year head coach Steve Shields, played their home games at the Jack Stephens Center, and were members of the West Division of the Sun Belt Conference. They finished the season 17–15, 11–9 in Sun Belt play to finish in second place in the West Division. They lost in the quarterfinals of the Sun Belt tournament to FIU. Despite the 17 wins and winning record, they did not participate in a post season tournament.
The 2013 Sun Belt Conference men's basketball tournament was held in Hot Springs, Arkansas from March 8 to March 11 at the Summit Arena and the Convention Center Court. The Tournament winner received an automatic bid into the 2013 NCAA tournament. The Semifinals games was televised on the Sun Belt Network, with the championship game on ESPN, on Monday March 11.
The 2012–13 Arkansas State Red Wolves men's basketball team represented Arkansas State University during the 2012–13 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Red Wolves, led by fifth year head coach John Brady, played their home games at the Convocation Center, and were members of the West Division of the Sun Belt Conference. They finished the season 19–12, 12–8 in Sun Belt play to be West Division champions. They advanced to the semifinals of the Sun Belt tournament where they lost to WKU. Despite the 19 wins, they did not participate in a postseason tournament.
The 2012–13 Troy Trojans men's basketball team represented Troy University during the 2012–13 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Trojans, led by 31st year head coach Don Maestri, played their home games at Trojan Arena and were members of the East Division of the Sun Belt Conference. They finished the season 12–21, 6–14 in Sun Belt play to finish in last place in the East Division. They lost in the quarterfinals of the Sun Belt tournament to Arkansas State.
The 2014–15 Georgia State Panthers men's basketball team represented Georgia State University during 2014–15 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The team's head coach was Ron Hunter serving his fourth season at GSU. The Panthers played their home games at the GSU Sports Arena competing as members of the Sun Belt Conference. They finished the season 25–10, 15–5 in Sun Belt play to win the Sun Belt regular season championship. They defeated Louisiana–Lafayette and Georgia Southern to become champions of the Sun Belt tournament. They received an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament where they defeated Baylor in the second round before losing in the third round to Xavier.
The 2015–16 Little Rock Trojans men's basketball team represented the University of Arkansas at Little Rock during the 2015–16 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Trojans, led by first-year head coach Chris Beard, played their home games at the Jack Stephens Center in Little Rock, Arkansas and were members of the Sun Belt Conference. They finished the season 30–5, 17–3 in Sun Belt play to win the Sun Belt regular season championship. They defeated Louisiana–Lafayette and Louisiana–Monroe to win the Sun Belt tournament and earn the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. In the Tournament as a No. 12 seed, they defeated Purdue in the first round before losing in the second round to Iowa State.
The 2021–22 Georgia State Panthers men's basketball team represented Georgia State University during the 2021–22 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Panthers, led by third-year head coach Rob Lanier, played their home games at the GSU Sports Arena in Atlanta, Georgia as members of the Sun Belt Conference. They finished the season 18–11, 9–5 in Sun Belt play to finish in third place. They defeated Arkansas State, Appalachian State, and Louisiana to win the Sun Belt tournament championship. As a result, they received the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament as the No. 16 seed in the West region. They lost in the first round to overall No. 1 seed Gonzaga.
The 2022–23 Georgia State Panthers men's basketball team represented Georgia State University during the 2022–23 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Panthers, led by first-year head coach Jonas Hayes, played their home games at new the GSU Convocation Center in Atlanta, Georgia as members of the Sun Belt Conference.
