2024–25 Sun Belt Conference men's basketball season
Sports season
| 2024–25 Sun Belt Conference men's basketball season | |
|---|---|
 | |
| League | NCAA Division I |
| Sport | Basketball |
| Duration | November 4, 2024 – March 2025 |
| Number of teams | 14 |
| TV partner(s) | ESPN |
| 2024–25 NCAA Division I men's basketball season | |
| Tournament | |
| Basketball seasons | |
2025–26 → | |
| Conf | Overall | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | W | L | PCT | W | L | PCT | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Appalachian State | 0 | – | 0 | – | 0 | – | 0 | – | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Arkansas State | 0 | – | 0 | – | 0 | – | 0 | – | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Coastal Carolina | 0 | – | 0 | – | 0 | – | 0 | – | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Georgia Southern | 0 | – | 0 | – | 0 | – | 0 | – | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Georgia State | 0 | – | 0 | – | 0 | – | 0 | – | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| James Madison | 0 | – | 0 | – | 0 | – | 0 | – | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Louisiana | 0 | – | 0 | – | 0 | – | 0 | – | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Louisiana–Monroe | 0 | – | 0 | – | 0 | – | 0 | – | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Marshall | 0 | – | 0 | – | 0 | – | 0 | – | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Old Dominion | 0 | – | 0 | – | 0 | – | 0 | – | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| South Alabama | 0 | – | 0 | – | 0 | – | 0 | – | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Southern Miss | 0 | – | 0 | – | 0 | – | 0 | – | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Texas State | 0 | – | 0 | – | 0 | – | 0 | – | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Troy | 0 | – | 0 | – | 0 | – | 0 | – | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| † 2025 Sun Belt tournament winner | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The 2024–25 Sun Belt Conference men's basketball season is the season for Sun Belt Conference men's basketball teams that will begin with practices in October 2024, followed by the start of the 2024–25 NCAA Division I men's basketball season in November. Conference play will begin in December 2024, and conclude in March 2025. The 2025 Sun Belt Conference men's basketball tournament will take place at the Pensacola Bay Center in Pensacola, Florida.
Head coaches
Coaching changes
Coastal Carolina
On December 6, 2023, head coach Cliff Ellis retired with assistant coach Benny Moss named interim head coach for the rest of the season. On March 12, 2024, Western Carolina head coach Justin Gray was named new head coach.[1][2]
James Madison
On March 25, 2024, Mark Byington left to become head coach of Vanderbilt. On March 29, 2024, Morehead State head coach Preston Spradlin was named new head coach of the Dukes.[3] [4]
Marshall
On March 25, 2024, head coach Dan D'Antoni and Marshall parted ways. Later that day, associate head coach Cornelius Jackson was named his successor.[5]
Old Dominion
Jeff Jones resigned following a heart attack he had on December 20, 2023, and special assistant coach Kieran Donahue was named interim head coach for the rest of the season. Jones retired on February 26, 2024. Former Old Dominion player and Maryland assistant coach Mike Jones was named new head coach on March 1, 2024.
Coaches
| Team | Head coach | Previous job | Years at school | Overall record | Sun Belt record | Sun Belt titles | Sun Belt Tournament titles | NCAA Tournaments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Appalachian State | Dustin Kerns | Presbyterian | 6 | 97–65 (.599) | 55–35 (.611) | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Arkansas State | Bryan Hodgson | Alabama (Asst.) | 2 | 20–16 (.556) | 11–7 (.611) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Coastal Carolina | Justin Gray | Western Carolina | 1 | 0–0 (–) | 0–0 (–) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Georgia Southern | Charlie Henry | Alabama (Asst.) | 2 | 8–23 (.258) | 8–10 (.444) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Georgia State | Jonas Hayes | Xavier (Assoc.) | 3 | 24–38 (.387) | 11–25 (.306) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| James Madison | Preston Spradlin | Morehead State | 1 | 0–0 (–) | 0–0 (–) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Louisiana | Bob Marlin | Sam Houston | 15 | 265–188 (.585) | 150–103 (.593) | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Louisiana–Monroe | Keith Richard | LSU (Asst.) | 15 | 163–271 (.376) | 91–165 (.355) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Marshall | Cornelius Jackson | Marshall (Assoc.) | 1 | 0–0 (–) | 0–0 (–) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Old Dominion | Mike Jones | Maryland (Asst.) | 1 | 0–0 (–) | 0–0 (–) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| South Alabama | Richie Riley | Nicholls State | 7 | 110–83 (.570) | 57–50 (.533) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Southern Miss | Jay Ladner | Southeastern Louisiana | 6 | 65–88 (.425) | 33–57 (.367) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Texas State | Terrence Johnson | Texas State (Asst.) | 5 | 69–51 (.575) | 37–29 (.561) | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Troy | Scott Cross | TCU (Asst.) | 6 | 80–76 (.513) | 43–45 (.489) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Preseason
Preseason Coaches Poll
Preseason awards
Sun Belt preseason player of the year
Preseason All-Sun Belt team
Regular season
Early season tournaments
| Team | Tournament | Finish |
|---|---|---|
| Appalachian State | Live Oak Bank Holiday Classic | |
| South Alabama | Jaguar Classic |
Player of the week
| Week | Player(s) of the Week | School |
|---|---|---|
Records against other conferences
| Power 6 Conferences | |
|---|---|
| Conference | Record |
| ACC | 0–0 |
| Big East | 0–0 |
| Big Ten | 0–0 |
| Big 12 | 0–0 |
| Pac–12 | 0–0 |
| SEC | 0–0 |
| Combined | 0–0 |
| Other NCAA Division I Conferences | Record |
| America East | 0–0 |
| American | 0–0 |
| ASUN | 0–0 |
| Atlantic 10 | 0–0 |
| Big Sky | 0–0 |
| Big South | 0–0 |
| Big West | 0–0 |
| CAA | 0–0 |
| Conference USA | 0–0 |
| Horizon | 0–0 |
| Independents/Non-Division I | 0–0 |
| Ivy | 0–0 |
| MAAC | 0–0 |
| MAC | 0–0 |
| MEAC | 0–0 |
| Missouri Valley | 0–0 |
| Mountain West | 0–0 |
| Northeast | 0–0 |
| OVC | 0–0 |
| Patriot | 0–0 |
| Southern | 0–0 |
| Southland | 0–0 |
| SWAC | 0–0 |
| Summit | 0–0 |
| West Coast | 0–0 |
| WAC | 0–0 |
| Combined | |
Post season
Sun Belt tournament
- The tournament will be held at the Pensacola Bay Center in Pensacola, Florida, in March 2025.
NCAA tournament
| Seed | Region | School | First Four | 1st round | 2nd round | Sweet 16 | Elite Eight | Final Four | Championship |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W–L (%): | 0–0 (–) | 0–0 (–) | 0–0 (–) | 0–0 (–) | 0–0 (–) | 0–0 (–) | 0–0 (–) Total: 0–0 (–) |
References
- ^ "Cliff Ellis Announces Retirement, Ending 49-Year Coaching Career". Coastal Carolina University Athletics. December 6, 2023. Retrieved September 12, 2024.
- ^ "Coastal to Introduce Men's Basketball Coach Justin Gray at Press Conference Thursday". goccusports.com. March 12, 2024. Retrieved September 12, 2024.
- ^ "James Madison Welcomes Preston Spradlin as Men's Basketball Head Coach". James Madison University Athletics. March 29, 2024. Retrieved 2024-03-31.
- ^ "Vanderbilt Names Mark Byington Head Basketball Coach". VUCommodores.com. March 25, 2024. Retrieved September 12, 2024.
- ^ Morehouse, Keith (March 25, 2024). "MU parting ways with Coach Dan D'Antoni". WSAZ-TV. Retrieved September 12, 2024.
