NEWSLETTER
The 2023 Sun Belt Conference Tourney gets underway this evening with the largest bracket so far. The entire league will descend upon the gulf shore to determine who will represent the Fun Belt in the NCAAs.
When is the Sun Belt Tournament?
The 2023 Sun Belt Conference Tournament begins Tuesday, February 28th and concludes Monday, March 6th.
Where is the Sun Belt Tournament played?
The entire tournament is played on a neutral court at Pensacola Bay Center in Pensacola, FL. This is indeed the same Pensacola Bay Center where Janet Jackson opened her Rhythm Nation World Tour in 1990.
How to watch
Most of it needs to be streamed on ESPN+ with only the final televised on ESPN2 Monday night.
Who won the regular season title?
Southern Miss ended the season with the best conference record at 14-4 edging out Louisiana and Marshall.
Who will participate
All 14 member teams will play in the Sun Belt Conference Tournament.
Defending Champs
Last year’s upset-laden affair saw third seed Georgia State outlast Louisiana in the final.
How Many Teams will the Sun Belt send to the the Big Dance?
No at-large bids here, just the tourney winner.
Sun Belt Tournament Bracket
Double byes for the top four seeds, byes to the second round for the next six. The bottom four will play 1st round games Tuesday evening to start things off.
Sun Belt Tournament Odds
Marshall is your favorite at FanDuel despite squandering their chance at the top seed. Louisiana, James Madison and Southern Miss round out the upper class in this one.
Sun Belt Tournament Preview
Marshall has been one of the best teams all season, but this league tournament is finally one with some decent parity. Not being able to secure a higher seed by way of a loss in the season finale isn’t helping as the path is suddenly tougher for the Herd. Not only will they need to beat Lousiana to reach the final, but their likely first opponent is also the very Old Dominion team that just beat them to knock them into this side of the bracket.
Louisiana has a strong front court that has driven them to finish the season with an adjusted offensive efficiency that currently sits higher than Arkansas and Michigan State. While they scuffled down the stretch, going 3-3 in their final six, they do have wins over Marshall and Southern Miss, their presumptive opponents in the semis and final. All five conference losses came on the road, so there is some concern about the fact that this is a neutral site, but they have played well in Pensacola, reaching the final as an eight seed last year.
Sun Belt Tournament Prediction
I’ll roll with the Ragin’ Cajuns in this one as they are far and away the best offense in the tournament and have secured the double-bye as a the two-seed.
My Bet: Louisiana +330
