After an insane regular season, in which six teams tied with 11-7 conference records for seeds 2 through 7, Troy emerged as the top seed in the quirkiest conference tournament of them all. This conference tournament features two games per day from March 3-8 and then the title game on March 9. The No. 9 and No. 10 seeds get a bye to the second round, the No. 8 and No. 7 seeds get a bye to the third round, and so on, with the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds idle all the way until the semifinals.

All 14 teams qualify for the conference tournament and the tiebreakers could play an enormous role in who ends up winning the lone NCAA Tournament berth with so many teams having identical records, as the No. 7 seed Arkansas State has to start in the third round, while the No. 2 seed Marshall won’t play until the semis.

How to Watch the Sun Belt Conference Tournament

When: March 3-9

Where: Pensacola Bay Center in Pensacola, FL (same venue since 2022)

Format: Seeds 10 through 14 play in the first round, groups of two play their first game in the next round; No. 4 and No. 3 get byes to the quarterfinals, No. 2 and No. 1 get byes to semifinals

Watch: ESPN+; Championship Game on ESPN/ESPN2 on Mar. 9 at 7 p.m. ET

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Sun Belt Conference Tournament Bracket

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Sun Belt Conference Tournament Seeds, Teams and Odds

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1. Troy (+170)

2. Marshall (+270)

3. Coastal Carolina (+1400)

4. Appalachian State (+500)

5. Texas State (+3000)

6. South Alabama (+1100)

7. Arkansas State (+1000)

8. Southern Miss (+9000)

9. James Madison (+3000)

10. Georgia Southern (+30000)

11. Old Dominion (+10000)

12. Louisiana (+50000)

13. Georgia State (+50000)

14. Louisiana-Monroe (+100000)

Current Odds

(odds from DraftKings Sportsbook accurate at time of publish)

Favorite To Win Sun Belt Conference Tournament

The Sun Belt began this conference tournament format last season and No. 3 seed Troy took down No. 4 seed Arkansas State in the title game. The Trojans are looking to run it back, this time as the favorite and with a bye all the way to the semis. Last year, Troy played No. 10 Old Dominion in the quarters, as the Monarchs reeled off three wins in three days before running out of gas.

The fatigue factor is a real thing here for seeds that have to play several games in several days, so there are clear benefits for Troy and Marshall, as well as Coastal Carolina and Appalachian State. And, as you can see, App State is the third favorite, despite a potential date with the favorite in the semis. The conference tournament does not re-seed at any point and obviously these teams weren’t separated by much. But, Troy has the highest Rim & 3 Rate in the conference and the most balanced team, sitting third in adjusted offensive efficiency and fifth in adjusted defensive efficiency per Bart Torvik. Marshall and Arkansas State were the two higher teams on offense.

Sun Belt Conference Tournament Darkhorse

A lot of teams take a lot of 3s in this conference, as 10 of the 14 have a 3P Rate over 40%, something to keep in mind here in a neutral setting. There are also some very fast-paced teams and some very slow-paced teams, including Troy and App State. This is a conference that features a wide variety of teams, philosophies, and talent levels.

Given that Troy’s losses included Southern Miss and Texas State, Marshall lost twice to enormous long shot Georgia Southern, and App State had some suspect losses, including a home defeat at the hands of Georgia State, anybody can be a darkhorse. It’s just a matter of how they handle playing multiple games over multiple days. 

Of the double-digit shots, South Alabama (+1100) is the one I’d look at. They would avoid both Troy and App State until the finals, drawing probably Arkansas State and then Coastal Carolina, whom they were 3-0 against in the regular season, beating the Red Wolves in overtime twice. The Jaguars are one of the wildest teams in college basketball, as they force opponents to shoot a ton of 3s. As in 64.4% of shots against them in conference play were 3s. In a neutral setting, as the best team in TO% differential in the field, they’re very intriguing.

Betting Pick to Win The Sun Belt Conference Tournament

This one is tough. Troy started 8-1 in conference play and finished just 4-5 the rest of the way. App State dropped three of their last four. Arkansas State ended on a heater with wins in six of their last seven conference games, but they had four games against the Louisiana schools plus Southern Miss in there, so the weaker part of the conference schedule. With a good offense and a bad defense, Marshall is a suspect No. 2 seed.

The bye to the semifinals wasn’t helpful last year, as both of the top two seeds lost and I think it could happen again. I like App State (+500) here, as the Mountaineers crushed Troy by 22 in the regular season and are the best defensive team in the conference. App State will be an underdog to Troy if they get there, but should be favored in the title game if they get past the Trojans.

Pick: Appalachian State (+500)

Makinen Power Ratings for Sun Belt Conference

Coming soon.

Coming soon.

Check out the other previews in our 2026 College Basketball Conference Tournament Betting Guide.

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