The Sun Belt Conference tournament is back. And so is the format known as “The Gauntlet.” Four teams tied atop the Sun Belt standings this season with matching 13-5 records in conference play — South Alabama,

The stage is set for the 2025 Sun Belt Conference men's basketball tournament, which will take place March 4-10 at the Pensacola Bay Center. All 14 teams from the conference will compete in the single-elimination tournament.

South Alabama head coach Richie Riley instructs South Alabama forward Barry Dunning Jr. against Central Michigan in the first half of a NCAA basketball game Monday, Nov. 4, 2024, at the Mitchell Center in Mobile, Ala. (Mike Kittrell/AL.com) Mike Kittrell/AL.com

This weekend could be a glorious time for Troy basketball, with both the Trojans’ men’s and women’s teams among the top contenders in the Sun Belt Conference tournament. Both the Troy and Troy women are the No.

There are four top seeds are the clear favorites to win this tournament. Despite being the No. 4 seed due to a four-way tiebreaker atop the conference, Arkansas State is the betting favorite (+200 at FanDuel), followed by Southern Alabama (+270), James Madison (+350) and Troy (+400).

James Madison, which won all 18 of its conference regular-season games, provided the Player of the Year (Peyton McDaniel), Sixth Woman of the Year (Ro Scott) and Coach of the Year (Sean O’Regan). JMU’s Kseniia Kozlova joined McDaniel on the first team, and the Dukes’ Ashanti Barnes — formerly of Lake Taylor High and ODU — made the third team.

Tylan Pope scored 23 points, including six points in the second overtime period as Texas State beat James Madison 102-93 in double overtime in the regular season finale on Friday, preventing the Dukes from clinching the Sun Belt Conference title outright and leaving them in a four-way tie with Arkansas State,

Troy forward Zay Dyer has been named first-team All-Sun Belt Conference in voting among league coaches. Dyer, a 6-foot-2 junior from Atlanta, averages 13.5 points and a league-best 10.5 rebounds per game for the Trojans this season. She leads the Sun Belt in double-doubles with 14.

The 2025 championships mark the fifth consecutive year that Pensacola has welcomed the Sun Belt Conference and the championship games.

James Madison visits the Texas State Bobcats after Mark Freeman scored 27 points in the Dukes' 85-79 victory against the UL Monroe Warhawks.

Also, former Norfolk Collegiate star Jordan Battle poured in 29 points to help Coastal Carolina end a program-record 12-game losing streak.

Texas State hosts the James Madison Dukes after Tylan Pope scored 25 points in Texas State's 74-69 loss to the Troy Trojans.