PENSACOLA, Fla. – The quarterfinal match-ups are set at the 2023 Hercules Tires Sun Belt Conference Men’s Basketball Championship. 

Georgia Southern, South Alabama, Texas State and Troy all earned second-round victories on Thursday at the Pensacola Bay Center to advance in the tournament. 

The tournament’s top-four seeds Southern Miss, Louisiana, Marshall and James Madison will play for the first time on Saturday against today’s winners. 

The quarterfinal round will take place on Saturday, March 4 with four games beginning at 11:30 a.m. CT at the Pensacola Bay Center. All four games will be broadcast on ESPN+. 

Fans are encouraged to arrive early and participate in the free Kia Autosport of Pensacola Fan Fest from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. CT before the quarterfinal games. In addition, the night session features Kia Autosport of Pensacola Military Night with $5 lower-bowl tickets for active duty military and veterans. 

(8) South Alabama 68, (9) App State 61 (Box Score)
Sun Belt Conference Defensive Player of the Year Kevin Samuel stole the show totaling 12 points, a game-high 15 rebounds, a game-high six blocks and a game-high three steals to lead the eighth-seeded Jaguars past ninth-seeded App State, 68-61. 

Samuel was one of four South Alabama (17-15) players to score in double-figures. Isaiah Moore led the way, playing a full 40-minute game, scoring a game-high 20 points and dishing out a game-best seven assists. Judah Brown, who also played 40 minutes, scored 11 points, while Tyrell Jones added 10. 

Samuel, the NCAA Division I active career leader in both rebounds and blocks, tied his season high with six rejections. He made 6-of-8 shots from the field.

South Alabama shot 48.2 percent (27-of-56) from the field in the game, while App State shot 37.9 percent (25-of-66). The Jaguars claimed the rebound battle, 37-35. 

App State (16-16) was led by Terence Harcum’s team-high 17 points. He was one of four Mountaineers in double-figure scoring joined by CJ Huntley (13), Donovan Gregory (12) and Xavion Brown (10). Justin Abson totaled a team-high 13 rebounds. 

South Alabama advances to the quarterfinal round where it will face top-seeded Southern Miss. Tip-off is slated for 11:30 a.m. CT on Saturday. 

(5) Troy 63, (13) Arkansas State 59 (Box Score)
Fifth-seeded Troy trailed for the first 17 minutes and 18 seconds of the second half and was down by as many as 12 points with 8:55 remaining. The Trojans out-scored 13th-seeded Arkansas State 24-8 over the final nine minutes of the game to claim a 63-59 comeback win. 

Nelson Phillips’ three-pointer from the left wing with 2:42 left gave Troy a lead it would not relinquish. Phillips finished as his team’s leading rebounder with 14, while also scoring 13 points. Eleven of his 13 points came in the second half.

Zay Williams also charted a double-double in the win with a team-high 15 points to complement 11 rebounds. Aamer Muhammad totaled seven points, going a perfect 4-for-4 from the free-throw line in the game’s final minute to capture the victory. 

Troy (20-12) became the fifth Sun Belt team this season to reach the 20-win plateau. The Trojans shot just 35 percent (21-of-60) in the victory, while Arkansas State made 44.2 percent (23-of-52) of its shots from the floor. Troy won the rebound battle 39-30.  

Arkansas State (13-20) was led by a game-high 21 points from Markise Davis, who averaged 20.5 points over his two-game span at the 2023 Hercules Tires Sun Belt Men’s Basketball Championship. Caleb Fields and Terrance Ford, Jr., contributed 13 points apiece. Izaiyah Nelson brought down a team-high nine rebounds. 

Troy advances to face fourth-seeded James Madison on Saturday at 2 p.m. CT. 

(11) Texas State 65, (6) Old Dominion 36 (Box Score)
Eleventh-seeded Texas State jumped out to a 16-1 lead and never looked back in a 65-36 victory against sixth-seeded Old Dominion. 

Texas State (15-18), which led by as many as 33 points, became the first No. 11 seed to ever reach the quarterfinals of the Sun Belt Conference Tournament. Three 12 seeds, however, have advanced to the quarterfinal round in the event’s history. 

Mason Harrell led the way for the Bobcats, scoring a game high 20 points. He was 7-of-13 from the field, made a pair of three-pointers, and went 4-for-4 from the free-throw line. Nighael Ceaser added 10 points and six rebounds. Tyrel Morgan brought down a game-high 11 rebounds. 

Texas State shot 46.3 percent (25-of-54) from the field and made 8-of-10 free throws. Old Dominion was limited to 23.1 percent (12-of-52) shooting from the floor. The Bobcats out-rebounded the Monarchs 43-32. 

Old Dominion (19-12) was led by eight points apiece from Tyreek Scott-Grayson and Dericko Williams. Mekhi Long brought down a team-high eight rebounds to complement seven points and three steals. 

Texas State advances to face third-seeded Marshall on Saturday at 5 p.m. CT. 

(7) Georgia Southern 66, (10) ULM 57 (Box Score)
Jalen Finch scored 12 of his 14 points in the second half and knocked down several critical shots as seventh-seeded Georgia Southern held off 10th-seeded ULM, 66-57. 

Georgia Southern (17-15) was playing without leading scorer Andrei Savrasov (14.3 ppg), who sustained an ankle injury earlier in the week. The game featured six ties and seven lead changes. The Eagles led for 20:41, while the Warhawks led for 14:35. Georgia Southern held a 30-29 edge at intermission. 

Four Georgia Southern players scored in double figures, led by Tyren Moore’s 16. Moore charted four three-pointers, while also contributing three assists and a pair of steals. Kamari Brown totaled 15 points and a team-high nine rebounds, while Tai Strickland added 10 points to join Finch’s 14 points. 

Georgia Southern shot 42.6 percent (23-of-54) from the field, while ULM shot 32.8 percent (20-of-61). The Warhawks won the battle of the boards, 39-34. 

ULM (11-21) placed three players in double-figure scoring, headlined by Jamari Blackmon’s 15. Tyreke Locure and Langston Powell each contributed 11 points, while Thomas Howell just missed a double-double with nine points and a game-high 11 rebounds. 

Georgia Southern advances to face second-seeded Louisiana on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. CT. 

2023 Hercules Tires Sun Belt Men’s Basketball Championship

Tuesday, February 28
Game 1 – (13) Arkansas State 86, (12) Coastal Carolina 69
Game 2 – (11) Texas State 81, (14) Georgia State 76

Thursday, March 2
Game 3 – (8) South Alabama 68, (9) App State 61
Game 4 – (5) Troy 63, (13) Arkansas State 59
Game 5 – (11) Texas State 65, (6) Old Dominion 36
Game 6 – (7) Georgia Southern 66, (10) ULM 57

Saturday, March 4
Game 7 – (1) Southern Miss vs. (8) South Alabama – 11:30 a.m. CT 
Game 8 – (4) James Madison vs. (5) Troy – 2 p.m. CT
Game 9 – (3) Marshall vs. (11) Texas State – 5 p.m. CT 
Game 10 – (2) Louisiana vs. (7) Georgia Southern – 7:30 p.m. CT

Sunday, March 5
Game 11 – Winner Game 7 vs. Winner Game 8 – 5 p.m. CT
Game 12 – Winner Game 9 vs. Winner Game 10 – 7:30 p.m. CT 

Monday, March 6
Game 13 – Winner Game 11 vs. Winner Game 12 – 6 p.m. CT

All Times Central
All Games on ESPN+; Championship Game on ESPN2