Championship Central

PENSACOLA, Fla. – App State, Arkansas State, Texas State and James Madison punched tickets to the semifinals on Saturday at the 2024 Hercules Tires Sun Belt Men’s Basketball Championship at the Pensacola Bay Center. 

Top-seeded App State defeated ninth-seeded Georgia Southern in an overtime thriller, and fourth-seeded Arkansas State avenged two regular-season defeats to Louisiana to oust the reigning champions. In the evening contests, 11th-seeded Texas State upset third-seeded Troy, and second-seeded James Madison outlasted 10th-seeded Marshall.

Semifinal games in the Hercules Tires Sun Belt Men’s Basketball Championship will tipoff Sunday, March 10 with the first game beginning at 5 p.m., at the Pensacola Bay Center.

(1) App State 85, (9) Georgia Southern 80 (OT) (Box Score)
Graduate forward Donovan Gregory led four App State scorers in double figures with 22 points while going 10-for-10 at the free throw line. Sophomore forward Justin Abson compiled a complete performance with a double-double comprising 13 points and 12 rebounds to complement seven blocks and four assists. Junior forward Tre’Von Spillers also added a double-double with 12 points and 10 boards, while junior guard Terence Harcum chipped in 13 points.

Senior guard Tyren Moore led Georgia Southern with 13 field goals made, including five treys, for a career-high 36 points while adding five assists and four steals with no turnovers. The Eagles forced 17 turnovers in the game and committed just four of their own.

The Mountaineers led by as many as 14 in the first half and shot 54 percent from the field while recording seven blocks at the defensive end to take a 41-31 lead into halftime despite 17 points from Moore in the period.


Harcum made a pair of free throws with 16 seconds to go in regulation to draw the Mountaineers even with the Eagles at 76. Moore missed a potential game-winning shot as time expired.

App State never trailed in overtime and scored three baskets in the first two-plus minutes as Georgia Southern struggled to find offense before the Mountaineers closed out their eighth consecutive win.

App State moves on to battle fourth-seeded Arkansas State in Sunday’s first semifinal matchup at 5 p.m.

(4) Arkansas State 89, (5) Louisiana 62 (Box Score)
Arkansas State avenged two regular-season losses to Louisiana to defeat the Sun Belt’s 2023 champions by their largest margin of victory in a conference tournament game in program history. Junior guard Freddy Hicks led all scorers with 23 points on 8-for-14 shooting to go with seven rebounds, while sophomore guard Derrian Ford and junior guard Taryn Todd contributed 18 points apiece.

The Red Wolves shot 34-for-68 (.500) overall and 9-for-22 (.409) beyond the 3-point line while owning a 43-26 rebounding advantage and recording 14 steals to earn their first trip to the semifinals since 2014.

Arkansas State closed the first half on a 12-1 scoring run to take a 48-33 advantage into halftime, before the Red Wolves built their first 20-point margin, 61-41, on a fast break layup by Hicks with 13:40 left in the game. The Ragin’ Cajuns would draw no closer than 17 points for the remainder of the contest.

Junior forwards Kobe Julien and Hosana Kitenge led Louisiana with 15 points each, and classmate Kentrell Garnett added 13 points off the bench.

Arkansas State advances to challenge top-seeded App State on Sunday at 5 p.m.

(11) Texas State 74, (3) Troy 68 (Box Score)
Texas State won its sixth straight game and became the first Sun Belt team to reach the semifinals as the No. 11 seed in consecutive seasons. Sophomore guard Jordan Mason led the Bobcats with a career-high 25 points while shooting 9-for-11 overall while converting all three 3-point attempts and make all four free throws.

Sophomore forward Davion Sykes also reached double-digit points with 13 and a team-high four assists, while junior guard Joshua O’Garro added 11 more on 4-for-5 shooting off the bench.

The Bobcats led by three, 33-30, at halftime on a buzzer-beater by Mason and stretched their lead to as many as a dozen late in the second half. They shot 25-for-45 (.556) overall, 7-for-14 (.500) from deep and 17-for-20 (.850) at the foul line.

Troy was led by junior guard Tayton Conerway’s 16 points, five assists and three made 3-pointers off the bench, while senior guards Aamer Muhammad and Christyon Eugene scored in double figures with 14 and 10 points, respectively. The Trojans recorded 13 steals and forced 20 turnovers while shooting 23-for-49 (.469) from the field, 9-for-19 (.474) from 3-point range and 13-for-22 (.591) at the free throw stripe.

Texas State will take on James Madison in Sunday’s second semifinal contest at 7:30 p.m.

(2) James Madison 81, (10) Marshall 64 (Box Score)
Terrence Edwards Jr. led five James Madison scorers in double figures with 18 points, seven rebounds and six assists to help the Dukes win their 11th-consecutive game and reach the semifinals in back-to-back years.

Graduate forward T.J. Bickerstaff compiled a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds, as redshirt senior guard Noah Freidel and graduate guard Michael posted 12 points apiece, and senior forward Julien Wooden contributed 11 points.

The Dukes led by as many as 22 points just over midway through the first half, and finished the night shooting 29-for-65 (.446) overall, 8-for-21 (.381) beyond the arc and 15-for-24 (.625) at the foul line.

Marshall was led by senior forward Obinna Anochili-Killen’s 15 points, while junior forward Nate Martin registered a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds. The Thundering Herd shot 25-for-63 (.397) overall and 7-for-22 (.318) from 3-point range.

James Madison advances to meet Texas State on Sunday at 7:30 p.m.

2024 Hercules Tires Sun Belt Men’s Basketball Championship

Tuesday, March 5
Game 1 – (13) Coastal Carolina 75, (12) ULM 71
Game 2 – (11) Texas State 92, (14) Old Dominion 83 (OT)

Thursday, March 7
Game 3 – (9) Georgia Southern 76, (8) South Alabama 71
Game 4 – (5) Louisiana 80, (13) Coastal Carolina 66
Game 5 – (11) Texas State 75, (6) Southern Miss 59
Game 6 – (10) Marshall 86, (7) Georgia State 74

Saturday, March 9
Game 7 – (1) App State 85, (9) Georgia Southern 80 (OT)
Game 8 – (4) Arkansas State 89, (5) Louisiana 62
Game 9 – (11) Texas State 74, (3) Troy 68
Game 10 – (2) James Madison 81, (10) Marshall 64

Sunday, March 10
Game 11 – (1) App State vs. (4) Arkansas State – 5 p.m. CT [ESPN+]
Game 12 – (2) James Madison vs. (11) Texas State – 7:30 p.m. CT [ESPN+]

Monday, March 11 (Championship)
Game 13 – Winner Game 11 vs. Winner Game 12 – 6 p.m. CT [ESPN2]

All Times Central