Sun Belt Men's Basketball Tournament

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The Sun Belt Men's Basketball Tournament has been played every year since the formation of the Sun Belt conference for the 1976-1977 academic year. The winner of the tournament is guaranteed an automatic berth into the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship.

The Sun Belt has a storied basketball history, sending multiple teams into the NCAA tournament in the 1980's and 1990's (most recently 1994), and then again in 2008 when both regular season champion South Alabama, and tournament winner Western Kentucky received bids.

Charlotte reached the Final Four in 1977, and future Sun Belt member Western Kentucky reached the Final Four in 1971. Overall, past and present Sun Belt schools have posted 21 wins in the NCAA Tournament, during the time they called the Sun Belt home.

[edit] Basketball Champions By Year

Season Tournament Champion Score Runner-Up Game Site
1977 UNC Charlotte 71-70 New Orleans first round games at campus sites; rest at Charlotte Coliseum, Charlotte, North Carolina
1978 New Orleans 22-20 South Alabama same
1979 Jacksonville 68-54 South Florida same
1980 VCU 105-88 UAB same
1981 VCU 62-61 (ot) UAB Jacksonville Memorial Coliseum; Jacksonville, FL
1982 UAB 94-83 VCU Birmingham Jefferson Convention Complex (BJCC); Birmingham, AL
1983 UAB 64-47 South Florida same
1984 UAB 62-60 Old Dominion same
1985 VCU 87-82 Old Dominion Hampton Coliseum; Hampton, VA
1986 Jacksonville 70-69 UAB BJCC; Birmingham, AL
1987 UAB 72-60 Western Kentucky E. A. Diddle Arena; Bowling Green, KY
1988 UNC Charlotte 81-79 VCU Richmond Coliseum; Richmond, VA
1989 South Alabama 105-59 Jacksonville Charlotte Coliseum
1990 South Florida 81-74 Charlotte BJCC; Birmingham, AL
1991 South Alabama 86-81 Old Dominion Mobile Civic Center; Mobile, AL
1992 Southwestern Louisiana 75-71 Louisiana Tech Mississippi Coast Coliseum; Biloxi, MS
1993 Western Kentucky 72-63 New Orleans same
1994 Southwestern Louisiana 78-72 Western Kentucky E. A. Diddle Arena; Bowling Green, KY
1995 Western Kentucky 82-79 UALR Barton Coliseum; Little Rock, AR
1996 New Orleans 57-56 UALR same
1997 South Alabama 44-43 Louisiana Tech same
1998 South Alabama 62-59 Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns Cajundome; Lafayette, LA
1999 Arkansas State 65-48 Western Kentucky same
2000 Louisiana-Lafayette 51-50 South Alabama Alltel Arena; Little Rock
2001 Western Kentucky 64-54 South Alabama Mitchell Center; Mobile, AL
2002 Western Kentucky 76-70 University of Louisiana at Lafayette Lakefront Arena; New Orleans, LA
2003 Western Kentucky 64-52 Middle Tennessee E. A. Diddle Arena
2004 Louisiana-Lafayette 67-58 New Orleans same
2005 Louisiana-Lafayette 88-69 Denver UNT Coliseum; Denton, TX
2006 South Alabama 95-70 Western Kentucky Murphy Center, Murfreesboro, TN
2007 North Texas 83-75 Arkansas State first round at campus sites; rest at Cajundome
2008 Western Kentucky 67-57 Middle Tennessee first round games at higher seed; rest at Mitchell Center
2009 Summit Arena; Hot Springs, Arkansas
2010 same
2011 same

Note: 'Southwestern Louisiana' became the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, in 1999.

[edit] Performance By School

Member Winners Winning Years
Western Kentucky
6
 1993, 1995, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2008
South Alabama
5
 1989, 1991, 1997, 1998, 2006
UL-Lafayette
5
 1992, 1994, 2000, 2004, 2005
¹UAB
4
 1982, 1983, 1984, 1987
¹VCU
3
 1980, 1981, 1985
UNO
2
 1978, 1996
¹Charlotte
2
 1977, 1988
¹Jacksonville
2
 1979, 1986
North Texas
1
 2007
Arkansas State
1
 1999
¹South Florida
1
 1990
TOTAL
32

¹no longer a conference member

[edit] References

v • d • e
Sun Belt Men's Basketball Tournaments
1970's
1977, 1978, 1979
1980's
1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989
1990's
1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999
2000's
2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008
v • d • e
2008 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Conference Tournaments
No tournament: Ivy League