NEW ORLEANS – Three Sun Belt Conference men’s basketball teams - Troy, Coastal Carolina and Georgia State - take winning streaks of at least four games into the final week of January which includes a full slate of midweek games Jan. 28-29 before seven more games on Saturday, Jan. 31. All 14 contests will be available on ESPN+.

WHAT TO WATCH FOR
GAME OF THE WEEK: The Sun Belt Men’s Basketball Game of the Week features the lone regular season meeting between Marshall (13-7, 5-3 SBC) and Arkansas State (13-8, 5-4 SBC) at 2 p.m. (CT) Saturday afternoon in Jonesboro, Ark. The contest marks the first matchup between the teams since a thrilling Sun Belt tournament quarterfinal game last March in Pensacola, Fla., when the Red Wolves escaped with a 77-74 win. This season, the game pits the second third-highest ranked Sun Belt teams in the latest NCAA NET rankings with the Thundering Herd at No. 136 followed by the Red Wolves at No. 146. In conference play this season, Arkansas State leads the conference in scoring and rebounding, while Marshall is first in 3-point field goal percentage, blocks, and assists.
 
TROJANS ON TOP: Troy (15-6, 9-1 SBC) stands alone atop the Sun Belt standings with a two-game lead over second place riding a five-game winning streak as part of victories in 10 of its last 11 outings. During their five-game winning streak, the Trojans are shooting 49.5 percent from the floor and 40.1 percent from 3-point range while committing just over 10 turnovers per game. Junior forward Victor Valdes is averaging 18.2 points per game during the winning streak while junior forward Thomas Dowd is averaging 15.6 points and 11.0 rebounds during that span.
 
GEORGIA STATE JUMP: Winners in four straight and eight of its last 11 games, Georgia State (9-12, 6-3 SBC) has vaulted into sole possession of second place in the Sun Belt standings at the halfway mark of its conference slate. During the winning streak, the Panthers are committing just 11 turnovers per game and making 10.5 3-pointers per contest. Georgia State has been sparked by contributions from a plethora of players, but perhaps none greater than reigning Sun Belt Player of the Week and redshirt sophomore guard Jelani Hamilton who scored a career-high 38 points with six 3-pointers made and four steals in an 82-81 home win over Arkansas State last time out. During Georgia State’s winning streak, Hamilton is averaging 25.3 points, 5.8 rebounds and 3.5 steals per game while getting to the free throw line and executing consistently by shooting 34-for-39 (.872) at the stripe. The Panthers head back on the road to play at Louisiana (Jan. 29) and South Alabama (Jan. 31) this week.
 
COASTAL’S CHARGE: Tied for the league lead at five-consecutive wins, Coastal Carolina (13-9, 6-4 SBC) is also tied for the second most road victories (6) this season heading into back-to-back away games at South Alabama (Jan. 29) and ULM (Jan. 31) this week. Four of the Chanticleers’ last five victories have come by five points or less, while nine of their 13 wins this season have been by seven points or less. During Coastal’s five-game winning streak, graduate guard Joshua Beadle has four games with at least 22 points - including a 32-point outburst against Texas State on Jan. 22 - and is averaging 24.6 points while shooting 33-for-63 (.524) from the field.
 
TRIPLE THREAT: Marshall set Sun Belt records with 26 3-pointers made and 52 3-point attempts in its 115-60 home win over ULM on Jan. 22. The 26 treys are the most made by an NCAA Division I team in a single game this season and represent the most made against a Division I opponent since Davidson made 26 triples against Charleston Southern on Nov. 10, 2017. The NCAA record for 3-pointers made in a game is 28 by Troy against George Mason in 1994.
 
DOUBLE-DOUBLE DOWD: Troy junior forward and preseason All-Sun Belt First Team choice Thomas Dowd leads the conference and ranks No. 5 nationally with 12 double-doubles this season. Dowd has a double-double in six of the Trojans’ last seven games, and he is also the only player in the league averaging a double-double this season with 15.7 points and 10.5 rebounds per game, as his 220 total rebounds rank No. 6 in the country. Additionally, Dowd is shooting 50 percent from the field which ranks fifth in the Sun Belt.
 
PARTY IN PENSACOLA: The 2026 Visit Pensacola Sun Belt Men’s Basketball Championship presented by Air Force Reserve will be held March 3-9, 2026 at the Pensacola Bay Center in Pensacola, Fla., The championship game will be televised nationally on ESPN or ESPN2 on Monday, March 9 at 6 p.m. (CT). The 2026 tournament will mark the sixth consecutive season the Sun Belt hosts the event in Pensacola, which will remain at the venue through the 2029-30 campaign. A different program has been crowned champion in each of the first five years in Pensacola: Troy (2025), James Madison (2024), Louisiana (2023), Georgia State (2022) and App State (2021).

IMPACT PLAYERS – Sun Belt Statistical Leaders
Points Per Game: Jelani Hamilton, Georgia State (19.4)
Rebounds Per Game: Thomas Dowd, Troy (10.5)
Assists Per Game: Jalen Speer, Marshall (5.7)
Blocks Per Game: Matt Van Komen, Marshall (2.5)
Steals Per Game: Kaden Gumbs, Texas State (2.2)
Field Goal Percentage: D.J. Hall, Texas State (.543)
3-Point Field Goal Percentage: Cobi Campbell, Troy (.455)

 WHERE TO WATCH

Date	Time	Matchup	ESPN+
Weds., Jan. 28	7:00 p.m.	Marshall at Texas State	ESPN+
Weds., Jan. 28	7:00 p.m.	Old Dominion at Arkansas State	ESPN+
Thursday, Jan. 29	6:00 p.m.	James Madison at Troy	ESPN+
Thursday, Jan. 29	6:30 p.m.	Georgia Southern at ULM	ESPN+
Thursday, Jan. 29	7:00 p.m.	Coastal Carolina at South Alabama	ESPN+
Thursday, Jan. 29	7:00 p.m.	App State at Southern Miss	ESPN+
Thursday, Jan. 29	7:00 p.m.	Georgia State at Louisiana	ESPN+
Saturday, Jan. 31	1:00 p.m.	Old Dominion at Texas State	ESPN+
Saturday, Jan. 31	2:00 p.m.	Marshall at Arkansas State	ESPN+
Saturday, Jan. 31	2:00 p.m.	Coastal Carolina at ULM	ESPN+
Saturday, Jan. 31	2:00 p.m.	James Madison at Southern Miss	ESPN+
Saturday, Jan. 31	3:00 p.m.	Georgia Southern at Louisiana	ESPN+
Saturday, Jan. 31	3:30 p.m.	App State ta Troy	ESPN+
Saturday, Jan. 31	7:00 p.m.	Georgia State at South Alabama	ESPN+

All Times CT