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2023–24 Sun Belt Conference men's basketball season

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2023–24 Sun Belt Conference men's basketball season
LeagueNCAA Division I
SportBasketball
DurationNovember 6, 2023 – March 1, 2024
Number of teams14
TV partner(s)ESPN
2023–24 NCAA Division I men's basketball season
Regular season championsAppalachian State
Season MVPTerrence Edwards Jr., James Madison
Tournament
ChampionsJames Madison
  Runners-upArkansas State
Basketball seasons
2023–24 Sun Belt Conference men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
Appalachian State 16 – 2   .889 27 – 7   .794
James Madison † 15 – 3   .833 32 – 4   .889
Troy 13 – 5   .722 20 – 12   .625
Arkansas State 11 – 7   .611 20 – 17   .541
Louisiana 10 – 8   .556 19 – 14   .576
Southern Miss 9 – 9   .500 16 – 16   .500
Georgia State 8 – 10   .444 14 – 17   .452
South Alabama 8 – 10   .444 16 – 16   .500
Georgia Southern 8 – 10   .444 9 – 24   .273
Marshall 7 – 11   .389 13 – 20   .394
Texas State 7 – 11   .389 17 – 18   .486
Louisiana–Monroe 6 – 12   .333 11 – 19   .367
Coastal Carolina 5 – 13   .278 9 – 22   .290
Old Dominion 3 – 15   .167 7 – 25   .219
† 2024 Sun Belt tournament winner

The 2023–24 Sun Belt Conference men's basketball season was the season for Sun Belt Conference men's basketball teams that began with practices in October 2023, followed by the start of the 2023–24 NCAA Division I men's basketball season in November. Conference play began in December 2023, and concluded on March 2, 2024. The 2024 Sun Belt Conference men's basketball tournament took place from March 5–11, 2024, at the Pensacola Bay Center in Pensacola, Florida.

Head coaches

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Coaching changes

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Arkansas State

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On March 22, 2023, former Alabama assistant coach Bryan Hodgson was named the new head coach of the Red Wolves.[1]

Coastal Carolina

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Head coach Cliff Ellis retired on December 6, 2023, after 17 seasons with the Chanticleers. Assistant coach Benny Moss was named interim head coach for the rest of the season.[2]

Georgia Southern

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After head coach Brian Burg left to coach Ole Miss, on March 14, 2023, former Alabama assistant coach Charlie Henry was named head coach.[3]

Old Dominion

[edit]

Jeff Jones resigned after the ninth game of the season following a heart attack he had on December 20, 2023. Special assistant coach Kieran Donohue was named interim head coach for the rest of the season. Jones retired from coaching on February 26, 2024.[4]

Coaches

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Team Head coach Previous job Years at school Overall record Sun Belt record Sun Belt titles Sun Belt Tournament titles NCAA Tournaments
Appalachian State Dustin Kerns Presbyterian 5 97–65 (.599) 55–35 (.611) 1 1 1
Arkansas State Bryan Hodgson Alabama (Asst.) 1 20–16 (.556) 11–7 (.611) 0 0 0
Coastal Carolina Cliff Ellis Auburn 15 297–227 (.567) 57–65 (.467) 0 0 2
Benny Moss (interim) Coastal Carolina (Asst.) 13 5–13 (.278) 5–16 (.238) 0 0 0
Georgia Southern Charlie Henry Alabama (Asst.) 1 8–23 (.258) 8–10 (.444) 0 0 0
Georgia State Jonas Hayes Xavier (Assoc.) 2 24–38 (.387) 11–25 (.306) 0 0 0
James Madison Mark Byington Georgia Southern 4 82–36 (.695) 41–23 (.641) 0 1 1
Louisiana Bob Marlin Sam Houston 14 265–188 (.585) 150–103 (.593) 1 1 1
Louisiana–Monroe Keith Richard LSU (Asst.) 14 163–271 (.376) 91–165 (.355) 0 0 0
Marshall Dan D'Antoni Los Angeles Lakers (Asst.) 10 177–148 (.545) 95–81 (.540) 0 0 1
Old Dominion Jeff Jones American 11 203–131 (.608) 11–7 (.611) 0 0 1
Kieran Donohue (interim) Old Dominion (Special asst. coach) 11 4–18 (.182) 3–15 (.167) 0 0 0
South Alabama Richie Riley Nicholls State 6 110–83 (.570) 57–50 (.533) 0 0 0
Southern Miss Jay Ladner Southeastern Louisiana 5 65–88 (.425) 33–57 (.367) 0 0 0
Texas State Terrence Johnson Texas State (Asst.) 4 69–51 (.575) 37–29 (.561) 2 0 0
Troy Scott Cross TCU (Asst.) 5 80–76 (.513) 43–45 (.489) 0 0 0

Preseason

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Preseason Coaches Poll

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On October 16, 2023, the conference announced a preseason conference poll as voted on by the league's 14 head coaches.[5]

Rank Team
1. James Madison (7)
2. Appalachian State (2)
3. Old Dominion (1)
4. Southern Miss
5. Louisiana (2)
6. South Alabama (2)
7. Marshall
8. Troy
9. Arkansas State
10. Texas State
11. Georgia State
12. Coastal Carolina
13. Georgia Southern
14. Louisiana–Monore

Preseason Awards

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The conference also announced preseason All-SBC teams.[5]

Sun Belt preseason player of the year

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  • Austin Crowley – Southern Miss

Preseason All-Sun Belt teams

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2023-24 Sun Belt Men's Basketball Preseason All-Conference Teams
First Team Second Team Third Team

Austin Crowley – Southern Miss
Terrence Edwards Jr. – JMU
Donovan Gregory – Appalachian State
Chaunce Jenkins – Old Dominion
Christyon Eugene – Troy
Themus Fulks – Louisiana

Tyrell Jones – South Alabama
Kamdyn Curfman – Marshall
Tyreke Locure – Louisiana–Monroe
Dwan Odom – Georgia State
Obinna Anochili-Killen – Marshall

Terrance Ford Jr. – Arkansas State
Brenden Tucker – Georgia State
C. J. Huntley – Appalachian State
Freddy Hicks – Arkansas State
Aamer Muhammad – Troy

Regular season

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Early season tournaments

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Team Tournament Finish
Appalachian State Fort Myers Tip-Off 1st (Palms Division)
Arkansas State Acrisure Invitational 3rd
Coastal Carolina Myrtle Beach Invitational 8th
Georgia Southern TowneBank Holiday Classic 4th
Georgia State Capitol Challenge 3rd
James Madison Cancún Challenge 1st (Rivera Division)
Louisiana Gulf Coast Showcase 5th
Marshall Cayman Islands Classic 6th
Old Dominion Diamond Head Classic 6th
South Alabama Jaguar Classic 1st
Southern Miss Jacksonville Classic 4th
Texas State Louisiana Tech MTE –
Troy Trojan Classic 1st

Player of the week

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Week Player(s) of the Week School
Nov 13[6] Terrence Edwards Jr. James Madison
Nov 20[7] Freddy Hicks Arkansas State
Nov 27[8] Kobe Julien Louisiana
Dec 4[9] Kobe Julien (2) Louisiana
Dec 11[10] T. J. Bickerstaff James Madison
Dec 18[11] Jordan Mason Texas State
Dec 25[12] Terrence Edwards Jr. (2) James Madison
Jan 1[13] T. J. Bickerstaff (2) James Madison
Jan 8[14] André Curbelo Southern Miss
Jan 15[15] Caleb Fields Arkansas State
Jan 22[16] Tre'Von Spillers Appalachian State
Jan 29[17] Nate Martin Marshall
Feb 5[18] Caleb Fields (2) Arkansas State
Feb 12[19] Victor Iwuakor Southern Miss
Feb 19[20] Terrence Edwards Jr. (3) James Madison
Feb 26[21] Samuel Tabe South Alabama
March 4[22] Tyren Moore Georgia Southern

Records against other conferences

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Power 6 Conferences
Conference Record
ACC 1–1
Big East 0–0
Big Ten 1–4
Big 12 0–6
Pac–12 0–2
SEC 1–7
Combined 3–20
Other NCAA Division I Conferences Record
America East 0–0
American 4–5
ASUN 5–7
Atlantic 10 0–3
Big Sky 0–0
Big South 5–2
Big West 1–1
CAA 3–7
Conference USA 2–6
Horizon 2–2
Independents/Non-Division I 0–0
Ivy 0–1
MAAC 0–0
MAC 16–12
MEAC 3–1
Missouri Valley 2–2
Mountain West 1–1
Northeast 0–0
OVC 4–2
Patriot 0–0
Southern 3–4
Southland 2–5
SWAC 5–0
Summit 1–1
West Coast 0–2
WAC 2–0
Combined 61–64

Postseason

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Sun Belt tournament

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Main article: 2024 Sun Belt Conference men's basketball tournament

[23]

First round
Tuesday, March 5
ESPN+		Second round
Thursday, March 7
ESPN+		Quarterfinals
Saturday, March 9
ESPN+		Semifinals
Sunday, March 10
ESPN+		Championship
Monday, March 11
ESPN2
1Appalachian State85*
8South Alabama719Georgia Southern80
9Georgia Southern761Appalachian State65
4Arkansas State67
4Arkansas State89
5Louisiana805Louisiana62
12Louisiana–Monroe7113Coastal Carolina664Arkansas State71
13Coastal Carolina752James Madison91
2James Madison81
7Georgia State7410Marshall64
10Marshall862James Madison73
11Texas State68
3Troy68
6Southern Miss5911Texas State74
11Texas State92*11Texas State75
14Old Dominion83

* – Denotes overtime period

NCAA tournament

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Main article: 2024 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament
Seed Region School First Four 1st round 2nd round
12 South James Madison Bye W 72–61 #5 Wisconsin – (Brooklyn, NY) L 55–93 #4 Duke – Brooklyn, NY)
W–L (%): 0–0 (–) 1–0 (1.000) 0–1 (.000) Total: 1–1 (.500)

National Invitation Tournament

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Main article: 2024 National Invitation Tournament
Seed Bracket School 1st round
— Wake Forest Appalachian State L 76–87 #1 Wake Forest – (Winston-Salem, NC)
W–L (%): 0–1 (.000) 0–1 (.000) Total: 0–1 (.000)

College Basketball Invitational

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Main article: 2024 College Basketball Invitational
Seed School 1st round Quarterfinals Semifinals
4 Arkansas State W 86–85 #13 Bethune–Cookman – (Daytona Beach, FL) W 74–61 #4 Montana – (Daytona Beach, FL) L 80–81 #1 High Point – (Daytona Beach, FL)
W–L (%): 1–0 (1.000) 1–0 (1.000) 0–1 (.000) Total: 2–1 (.667)

Honors and awards

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Sun Belt Awards

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[24]

2023-24 Sun Belt Men's Basketball Individual Awards
Award Recipient(s)
Player of the Year Terrence Edwards Jr. – James Madison
Coach of the Year Dustin Kerns – Appalachian State
Defensive Player of the Year Justin Abson - Appalachian State
Newcomer of the Year T. J. Bickerstaff – James Madison
Freshman of the Year Myles Rigsby – Troy
Sixth Man Award Tayton Conerway – Troy
2023-24 Sun Belt Men's Basketball All-Conference Teams
First Team Second Team Third Team

Terrence Edwards Jr. - James Madison
Christyon Eugene – Troy
Caleb Fields – Arkansas State
Donovan Gregory – Appalachian State
Tre'Von Spillers – Appalachian State

T. J. Bickerstaff – James Madison
Austin Crowley – Southern Miss
Chaunce Jenkins – Old Dominion
Kobe Julien – Louisiana
Tyren Moore — Georgia Southern

Joe Charles – Louisiana
Noah Freidel – James Madison
Terence Harcum – Appalachian State
Hosana Kitenge – Louisiana
Nika Metskhvarishvili – Louisiana–Monroe
John Ojiako – Coastal Carolina
Taryn Todd – Arkansas State

References

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  1. ^ Kelly, Nick (March 22, 2023). "Alabama basketball assistant Bryan Hodgson hired as Arkansas State head coach". The Tuscaloosa News. Retrieved March 2, 2024.
  2. ^ "Cliff Ellis Announces Retirement, Ending 49-Year Coaching Career". Coastal Carolina University Athletics. December 6, 2023. Retrieved May 22, 2024.
  3. ^ "Charlie Henry Formally Introduced as Georgia Southern Men's Basketball Coach". Georgia Southern University Athletics. March 29, 2023. Retrieved May 22, 2024.
  4. ^ "Old Dominion coach Jeff Jones retiring after decades-long career including stops at Virginia, American". CBSSports.com. February 26, 2024. Retrieved March 2, 2024.
  5. ^ a b "James Madison Tops Sun Belt Men's Basketball Preseason Poll". Sun Belt Conference. October 16, 2023. Retrieved March 2, 2024.
  6. ^ "James Madison's Edwards Earns Sun Belt Men's Basketball Player of the Week Honor". sunbeltsports.org. November 14, 2023. Retrieved March 2, 2024.
  7. ^ "Arkansas State's Hicks Named Sun Belt Men's Basketball Player of the Week". sunbeltsports.org. November 21, 2023. Retrieved March 2, 2024.
  8. ^ "Louisiana's Kobe Julien Tabbed Sun Belt Men's Basketball Player of the Week". November 28, 2023. Retrieved March 2, 2024.
  9. ^ "Louisiana's Kobe Julien Claims Sun Belt Men's Basketball Player of the Week". December 5, 2023. Retrieved March 2, 2024.
  10. ^ "JMU's T.J. Bickerstaff Earns Sun Belt Men's Basketball Player of the Week". Sun Belt Sports. December 12, 2023. Retrieved March 2, 2024.
  11. ^ "Texas States Jordan Mason Claims Sun Belt Men's Basketball Player of the Week". Sun Belt Sports. December 18, 2023. Retrieved March 2, 2024.
  12. ^ "James Madison's Terrence Edwards Secures Second Sun Belt Men's Basketball Weekly Honor". Sun Belt Sports. December 27, 2023. Retrieved March 2, 2024.
  13. ^ "James Madison's T.J. Bickerstaff Collects Second Sun Belt Men's Basketball Player of the Week Honor". Sun Belt Sports. January 2, 2024. Retrieved March 2, 2024.
  14. ^ "Southern Miss Guard Andre Curbelo Earns Sun Belt Men's Basketball Player of the Week". Sun Belt Sports. January 9, 2024. Retrieved March 2, 2024.
  15. ^ "Arkansas State's Caleb Fields Claims Sun Belt Men's Basketball Player of the Week". Sun Belt Sports. January 16, 2024. Retrieved March 2, 2024.
  16. ^ "App State's Tre'Von Spillers Collects Sun Belt Men's Basketball Player of the Week Accolade". Sun Belt Sports. January 23, 2024. Retrieved March 2, 2024.
  17. ^ "Marshall's Nate Martin Tabbed Sun Belt Men's Basketball Player of the Week". Sun Belt Sports. January 30, 2024. Retrieved March 2, 2024.
  18. ^ "Arkansas State's Caleb Fields Earns Second Sun Belt Men's Basketball Player of the Week Nod". Sun Belt Sports. February 5, 2024. Retrieved March 2, 2024.
  19. ^ "Southern Miss Forward Victor Iwuakor Garners Sun Belt Men's Basketball Player of the Week Honor". Sun Belt Sports. February 13, 2024. Retrieved March 2, 2024.
  20. ^ "James Madison's Terrence Edwards Earns Third Sun Belt Men's Basketball Player of the Week Accolade". Sun Belt Sports. February 20, 2024. Retrieved March 2, 2024.
  21. ^ "South Alabama's Samuel Tabe Collects Sun Belt Men's Basketball Player of the Week Honor". Sun Belt Sports. February 27, 2024. Retrieved March 2, 2024.
  22. ^ "Georgia Southern's Tyren Moore Earns Season's Final Sun Belt Men' sBasketball Player of the Week Accolade". Sun Belt Sports. March 4, 2024. Retrieved March 4, 2024.
  23. ^ "2024 SBC MBB Tournament Bracket (PDF) - Sun Belt Conference" (PDF). sunbeltsports.org. Retrieved February 2, 2024.
  24. ^ "Sun Belt Announces 2023-24 Men's Basketball Postseason Awards & All-Conference Teams". Sun Belt Sports. Sun Belt Conference. March 4, 2024. Retrieved March 4, 2023.
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