South Alabama, Troy split Sun Belt men’s basketball regular season title

Four teams finished tied on top of the Sub Belt men’s basketball standings, including in-state rivals Troy and South Alabama, causing a split regular season championship.

The Trojans and Jaguars both finished with a 13-5 record, tying with James Madison and Arkansas State for the top spot in the league. After the tiebreaking procedures, South Alabama will be the No. 1 seed for the conference tournament while Troy earned the No. 3 seed.

Keep reading to find out more about both teams’ seasons + how you can watch the new format Sun Belt tournament.

Sun Belt men’s basketball tournament

While the Sun Belt may not be considered a major conference, this year’s tournament may be one of the most anticipated of the month because of a new format.

The seven-round conference tournament is supposed to further reward regular season success, which is good news for both Troy and South Alabama. While the lower seeds have to play more games, the Trojans and the Jaguars are further down the bracket.

Troy, who got the short end of the four-way tie, slots into the quarterfinals, needing three wins to earn its first NCAA Tournament bid since 2017.

The Jaguars have a slightly easier path, needing just two wins to earn a spot in the big dance. South Alabama last made the tournament in 2008.

The two teams split the regular season series back in January with the home team winning both matchups

Here’s a look at the Sun Belt men’s basketball tournament schedule:

• Tuesday, March 4
• Game 1 – (12) Southern Miss vs. (13) Coastal Carolina – 5PM [ESPN+]
• Game 2 – (11) Louisiana vs. (14) ULM – 7:30PM [ESPN+]
• Wednesday, March 5
• Game 3 – (9) Georgia Southern vs. Winner Game 1 – 5PM [ESPN+]
• Game 4 – (10) Old Dominion vs. Winner Game 2 – 7:30PM [ESPN+]
• Thursday, March 6
• Game 5 – (8) Georgia State vs. Winner Game 3 – 5PM [ESPN+]
• Game 6 – (7) Texas State vs. Winner Game 4 – 7:30PM [ESPN+]
• Friday, March 7
• Game 7 – (5) Marshall vs. Winner Game 5 – 5PM [ESPN+]
• Game 8 – (6) App State vs. Winner Game 6 – 7:30PM [ESPN+]
• Saturday, March 8
• Game 9 – (4) Arkansas State vs. Winner Game 7 – 5:30PM[ESPN+]
• Game 10 – (3) Troy vs. Winner Game 8 – 8PM [ESPN+]
• Sunday, March 9
• Game 11 – (1) South Alabama vs. Winner Game 9 – 5PM [ESPN+]
• Game 12 – (2) James Madison vs. Winner Game 10 – 7:30PM [ESPN+]
• Monday, March 10 (Championship)
• Game 13 – Winner Game 11 vs. Winner Game 12 – 6PM [ESPN/ESPN2]

All games are being played in Pensacola. Find more information about tickets on the conference website.