Sun Belt Men’s Basketball Conference Tournament Day Five Preview

A wild day four in the Sun Belt Conference Tournament saw two lower-seeded teams win and look to continue their Cinderella runs in the quarterfinals.

(4) App State vs. (8) Southern Miss

The first game sees App State enter the tournament, taking on a surprise opponent in Southern Miss, which took down Texas State 81-77.

App State is headlined by its all-conference backcourt of Kasen Jennings and Alonzo Dodd. Jennings put up over 15 points and four rebounds a game, while Dodd averaged just under 14 points with over five rebounds and four assists per game. Defensive Player of the Year Luke Wilson has also been a force down low, averaging 8.1 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game. The Mountaineers pride themselves on defense this season, ranking No. 135 in KenPom, tops in the conference.

Southern Miss took down Texas State behind Tylik Weeks’ 32-point outing. Weeks has put up over 30 points in both of its games this tournament. He was joined by Issac Tavares, Djahi Binet and Dylan Brumfield, who all scored 10. Despite only hitting three three-point shots, they held Texas State to only two and got to the line 37 times, making 28.

Southern Miss continues to climb the #StairwayToSeven, knocking out Texas State, 81-77.

The SBC says so long to the Bobcats, who are off to the Pac-12.

Golden Eagles have a date with App State tomorrow, and have been much better (6-2) w/Isaac Tavares back.

Tylik Weeks had 32.

— Rocco Miller (@RoccoMiller8) March 7, 2026

In their only matchup this season, App State took down Southern Miss 70-63 on the road. The Mountaineers shot 47% from three and had four starters reach double-digit scoring, led by Jalen Tot, who scored 19 points and went 5-for-7 from behind the arc. The Golden Eagles didn’t have Tavares, who was out with the wrist injury, but Weeks did have 21 points and eight rebounds. Southern Miss only hit three three-point shots in that game, but that has become the norm for them this season.

Tipoff: 6:30 p.m. ET (5:30 p.m. CT)

TV: ESPN+

Radio: App Vision (App State), Southern Miss Radio Network (Southern Miss)

(3) Coastal Carolina vs. (10) Georgia Southern

Georgia Southern is the Cinderella run of this year’s tournament after defeating South Alabama 94-85. It plays its fourth game in four days, this time against the No. 3-seeded Coastal Carolina Chanticleers.

Coastal Carolina enters the tournament led by one of the best guard trios in all of college basketball. Senior Josh Beadle won conference Newcomer of the Year and was named first-team all-conference after averaging 17.5 points, 3.9 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game this season. AJ Dancler put up 15.8 points per game on 39% shooting from deep and also hauled in just under six rebounds per game. RaSheed Jones was the only key returner from Justin Gray’s first season in Conway and put up just under 15 points per game this season.

The Chanticleers are ranked as the second-most efficient defense in the conference per KenPom, just how Gray likes his programs to be. Despite having such a strong defense, they do it without forcing turnovers or blocking many shots. The Chants are near the bottom in steals and forced turnovers, and while they don’t block a ton of shots, they do have one of the best shot blockers in mid-major basketball with Najdrick Peat.

In their win over South Alabama, Georgia Southern had one of the best offensive performances in conference tournament history. The Eagles shot a tournament-record 44 threes, shots South Alabama likes teams to take, and tied the tournament record by making 23 of them. Alden Applewhite led all scorers with 34 points and has been massive for the Eagles this tournament, scoring at least 27 points in all three of their games. Tyren Moore added 23 points on six made threes, and Nakavieon White added 17 points, nine rebounds and five assists.

The 23 three-pointers with just over a minute to play sets a new school record for makes in a single game!#HailSouthern pic.twitter.com/xvkphvtPMg

— Georgia Southern Men’s Basketball (@GSAthletics_MBB) March 7, 2026

The two teams have played each other twice this season, with both games resulting in close overtime finishes. In the first matchup, Georgia Southern got an 82-81 victory over the Chants in Conway. The Eagles struggled from behind the arc and on the boards, but the Chants’ poor shooting from the field really hurt them, as they shot only 37%. In the second game, Coastal got the 79-75 victory in Statesboro. The Chants had 10 more turnovers and still shot the ball poorly, but their effort on the glass and Jones’ 28 points was enough to get the victory.

Tipoff: 9 p.m. ET (8 p.m. CT)

TV: ESPN+

Radio: WRXZ 107.1 (Coastal Carolina), The Varsity Network (Georgia Southern)