New Orleans, LA (BuzzReport) – The bracket is set for the 2026 Visit Pensacola Sun Belt Conference Men’s Basketball Championship Presented By Air Force Reserve, as tournament seedings and matchups were announced Friday night following the conclusion of the regular season.
The single-elimination tournament will be held March 3–9 at the Pensacola Bay Center, with all 14 Sun Belt programs competing for the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
Troy Trojans men’s basketball (20-11, 12-6 SBC) secured the regular season championship outright on the final night of play, earning the No. 1 overall seed. The Trojans captured back-to-back regular season titles after sharing last year’s crown in a four-way tie. Troy also enters the tournament as the defending champion, having won the 2025 conference tournament for the first time since 2017.
A tightly contested regular season saw six teams finish tied for second place at 11-7 in conference play: Marshall Thundering Herd men’s basketball, Coastal Carolina Chanticleers men’s basketball, App State Mountaineers men’s basketball, Texas State Bobcats men’s basketball, South Alabama Jaguars men’s basketball and Arkansas State Red Wolves men’s basketball.
Under the tournament format changes implemented prior to the 2024-25 season, the top two seeds receive double byes into the semifinals. No. 1 Troy and No. 2 Marshall will not take the court until Sunday, March 8. No. 3 Coastal Carolina and No. 4 App State receive byes into the quarterfinal round on Saturday, March 7.
Tournament Schedule Highlights
First-round action tips off Tuesday, March 3:
- (12) Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns men’s basketball vs. (13) Georgia State Panthers men’s basketball – 5 p.m. CT
- (11) Old Dominion Monarchs men’s basketball vs. (14) ULM Warhawks men’s basketball – 7:30 p.m. CT
Second-round and quarterfinal matchups continue through March 6, leading into the weekend showdowns.
Semifinal games are scheduled for Sunday, March 8:
- (1) Troy vs. Winner of Game 9 – 5 p.m. CT
- (2) Marshall vs. Winner of Game 10 – 7:30 p.m. CT
The championship game will be played Monday, March 9 at 6 p.m. CT, with national television coverage on ESPN2. All other games throughout the tournament will stream live on ESPN+.
Tickets for the 2026 championship remain available and can be purchased through Ticketmaster.
With a competitive field and postseason momentum on the line, the road to the Sun Belt crown runs through Pensacola, where one team will emerge with a conference championship and a ticket to March Madness.