Yet another year brings with it four invitations to the NCAA Tournament for the “Fun” Belt, solidifying the conference’s reputation as one of the top leagues outside of the ACC, SEC, and Big 12. Southern Miss, in their inaugural season, made an impressive run in the conference tournament and went on to challenge Tennessee in the super regionals. Joining them in the postseason were Coastal Carolina, who clinched the regular-season championship, Louisiana-Lafayette, and Troy. Although Coastal Carolina hosted a regional as the No. 10 seed, they were ultimately eliminated by Duke in the final. Louisiana secured a victory before succumbing to host Miami, while Troy won their opening game but suffered back-to-back losses in their respective regionals.
Following a year of changes that saw four additions and two departures leading up to 2023, the Sun Belt Conference has settled into its current 14-team structure. However, this does not mean that the league is devoid of transformations.
Of particular note is Southern Miss bidding farewell to coach Scott Berry, who retired after the 2023 season and handed over the reins to long-serving assistant Christian Ostrander. Additionally, Gary Gilmore, the reigning Sun Belt Coach of the Year and 2016 National Champion from Coastal Carolina, announced that the upcoming 2024 season will be his last. The conference also celebrated the selection of 20 players in the 2023 draft.
With the quartet of tournament teams boasting strong rosters and several promising teams nipping at their heels, the Sun Belt Conference promises to deliver yet another captivating season from start to finish. Anticipate an intense battle for supremacy beyond the top tier of teams, as numerous up-and-coming squads vie for recognition.
Now, let’s delve deeper into the Sun Belt Conference, examining the following rankings:
1. Coastal Carolina (42-21, 23-7)
2. Troy (40-22, 18-12)
3. Southern Miss (46-20, 22-8)
4. Louisiana (41-24, 18-12)
5. Texas State (36-23, 17-13)
6. Old Dominion (32-23, 15-15)
7. South Alabama (23-31, 11-19)
8. Georgia State (30-29, 16-14)
9. Georgia Southern (27-29, 16-14)
10. James Madison (31-25, 15-13)
11. Appalachian State (30-25, 16-13)
12. Arkansas State (20-31, 9-19)
13. Marshall (16-36, 5-24)
14. Louisiana-Monroe (17-37, 6-23)