Part One: A Storybook Beginning
Part Two: An Unlikely Ascendancy 

The Sun Belt Conference is celebrating its 40-year history as a men's basketball league with the 2015-16 season. Through 40 years, and numerous membership changes, the Sun Belt Conference (affectionately known as the "#FunBelt") has given underdogs and powerhouses alike a regional and national platform for success. Its tradition-rich past and forward-thinking leadership spawned such integral innovations as the regional television network, widespread usage of the shot clock and adoption of the 3-point line.
Part two of this three-part series examines the tumultuous times of widespread membership changes that were book-ended by unprecedented national success that was just as magical, as it was unexpected.