The Sun Belt Conference has released its 2026‑27 men’s basketball schedule, establishing an 18‑game conference slate for each of its members and setting the stage for a March championship tournament that will crown the league’s champion.
The first conference showdown is slated for December 5, when Georgia State travels to face ULM, launching a season that will culminate in the 2027 Visit Pensacola Sun Belt Men’s Basketball Championship at the Bay Center in Pensacola, Florida, from March 2 through March 8.
Championship venue
Pensacola’s Bay Center will host the final round of the tournament, providing a dedicated arena for the championship games and highlighting the city’s growing role in collegiate basketball events.
Troy has cemented its recent dominance, capturing back‑to‑back regular‑season and tournament titles for the second straight year, becoming the sixth program in the conference’s half‑century history to repeat as champion, and securing a fourth NCAA Tournament appearance as a No. 13 seed in the South Region.
South Alabama posted its second consecutive 20‑win season and earned a berth in the National Invitation Tournament, extending a streak of five straight Sun Belt programs to receive postseason invitations.
The MAC‑SBC Challenge, a four‑year alliance between a dozen Sun Belt and a dozen Mid‑American Conference schools, has seen the Sun Belt claim three straight victories, including a tie in the 2024‑25 season, underscoring the conference’s growing competitiveness against its Midwestern counterpart.