PENSACOLA, Fla. – Southern Miss and Georgia Southern notched third round victories at the 2026 Visit Pensacola Sun Belt Men’s Basketball Championship presented by Air Force Reserve on Thursday evening at the Pensacola Bay Center. 

No. 8 seed Southern Miss defeated No. 9 seed James Madison, 86-80, before No. 10 seed Georgia Southern defeated No. 7 seed Arkansas State in a thrilling, 80-77 decision.

The fourth round of the Visit Pensacola Sun Belt Men’s Basketball Championship is slated for Friday, March 6 with two games beginning at 5 and 7:30 p.m., respectively.

Game 5: (8) Southern Miss 86, (9) James Madison 80 (Box Score)
Junior forward Tylik Weeks scored 31 points as junior guard Isaac Taveras chipped in 17 more with a game-high eight rebounds to lead Southern Miss to Friday’s fourth round.
 
In a first half that featured 10 lead changes and seven ties, both sides attacked inside early and often and scored 24 points apiece in the paint in the period. James Madison led 29-24 on a 3-pointer with under 3:48 remaining, but Southern Miss scored seven straight points over the next two minutes to reclaim a two-point edge. The Golden Eagles would maintain that margin, 35-33, at halftime.
 
Tied at 43 early in the second half, Southern Miss erupted with a 9-0 scoring run capped by a Weeks three-point play with 14:33 to go. The Golden Eagles expanded their lead to as many as 13 points, and despite the Dukes pulling as close as six, they ran out of time as Southern Miss held on for the win.
 
Fifth-year guard Cliff Davis led James Madison with 19 points, as fellow fifth-year guard Bradley Douglas added 18 more. The Dukes shot 30-for-58 (.517) overall, but were outscored, 12-5, off turnovers and 16-6 on the fast break.

Southern Miss advances to face fifth-seeded Texas State at 5 p.m. on Thursday.

Game 6: (10) Georgia Southern 80, (7) Arkansas State 77 (Box Score)
Senior guard Tyren Moore scored a game high 25 points and made seven 3-pointers to complement four assists and four steals, as Georgia Southern shot 24-for-53 (.453) from the floor and 18-for-20 (.900) at the free throw line to secure the upset victory.
 
Both teams pushed the tempo early in the first half and played even until Georgia Southern connected on consecutive 3-pointers on back-to-back possessions by redshirt sophomore forward Tsvet Sotirov and a basket by Moore to build a 27-18 lead with 7:52 remaining.
 
Arkansas State trimmed the margin to four, but the Eagles remained efficient by making eight treys and going 10-for-10 at the free throw line in the opening 20 minutes to take a 42-34 lead into halftime.
 
The Red Wolves exploded to start the second half with execution at both ends of the court, scoring the first 11 points beginning with back-to-back triples by graduate guard Matt Hayman and capping the run with a three-point play by senior guard Jalen Hampton to take a one-point lead.
 
Trailing 48-44, Georgia Southern punched right back with nine-consecutive points on three-consecutive 3-pointers by Moore to flip the scoreboard back in the Eagles’ favor by five with 15:17 left in the game.
 
Tied at 65, Moore made his sixth trey of the night during an Arkansas State dry spell that featured 11-consecutive missed shots over a span of five minutes as the Eagles built a 73-66 lead with 4:32 to go. The Red Wolves responded once more to tie the game at 75 with 1:39 remaining, but Moore delivered one more clutch triple on the next possession to give Georgia Southern the lead for good.
 
Hayman led Arkansas State with 21 points and senior forward Jaxon Ellingsworth added 18 points, as senior guard Chandler Jackson posted a double-double with 12 points and 10 assists.
 
Georgia Southern advances to face sixth-seeded South Alabama at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday.
 
2026 Visit Pensacola Sun Belt Conference Men’s Basketball Championship Presented By Air Force Reserve

Tuesday, March 3
Game 1 – (12) Louisiana def. (13) Georgia State, 84-75
Game 2 – (11) Old Dominion def. (14) ULM, 87-80
 
Wednesday, March 4
Game 3 – (9) James Madison def. (12) Louisiana, 87-72
Game 4 – (10) Georgia Southern def. (11) Old Dominion, 88-84
 
Thursday, March 5
Game 5 – (8) Southern Miss def. (9) James Madison, 86-80
Game 6 – (10) Georgia Southern def. (7) Arkansas State, 80-77

Friday, March 6
Game 7 – (5) Texas State vs. (8) Southern Miss – 5 p.m. CT [ESPN+]
Game 8 – (6) South Alabama vs. (10) Georgia Southern – 7:30 p.m. CT [ESPN+]

Saturday, March 7
Game 9 – (4) App State vs. Winner Game 7 – 5:30 p.m. CT [ESPN+]
Game 10 – (3) Coastal Carolina vs. Winner Game 8 – 8 p.m. CT [ESPN+]

Sunday, March 8
Game 11 – (1) Troy vs. Winner Game 9 – 5 p.m. CT [ESPN+]
Game 12 – (2) Marshall vs. Winner Game 10 – 7:30 p.m. CT [ESPN+]

Monday, March 9 (Championship)
Game 13 – Winner Game 11 vs. Winner Game 12 – 6 p.m. CT [ESPN2]