JMU Men’s Basketball Checks in As No. 9 Seed for Sun Belt Championship

NEW ORLEANS – James Madison men's basketball will be the No. 9 seed for the 2026 Visit Pensacola Sun Belt Conference Championship, set for March 3-9 at the Pensacola Bay Center in Pensacola Beach, Fla.

JMU completed the 2025-26 regular season with a record of 17-14 and 9-9 in league play, winning five of its final six league games.

JMU will play on Wednesday, March 4 at 6 p.m. ET (5 p.m. CT) against the winner of No. 12 seed Louisiana and No. 13 seed Georgia State. The winner of that game will play No. 8 seed Southern Miss on Thursday, March 5 at 6 p.m. ET (5 p.m. CT).

The Dukes fell, 64-61, to Louisiana on Feb. 4, but took both matchups against Georgia State. JMU also fell to Southern Miss, 73-65, on Jan. 31 in Hattiesburg, Miss.

Action in Pensacola will commence on Tuesday, March 3 with the second, third, and fourth rounds to follow on consecutive days. The quarterfinals will take place on Saturday, March 7, and the semifinals on Sunday, March 8.

Troy took home the 2025-26 regular-season championship, finishing 12-6 to secure the No. 1 seed. Six teams finished tied for second, but due to tiebreakers, Marshall secured the No. 2 seed. Coastal Carolina checked in with the No. 3 seed and App State earned the No. 4.

The championship game will take place at 7 p.m. ET on Monday, March 9 and broadcast nationally on ESPN2, while the rest of the action will be on ESPN+.

In three seasons in the Sun Belt Conference, JMU Men's Basketball has appeared in at least the quarterfinals in every season.

For more information, click to visit the 2026 Visit Pensacola Sun Belt Men's Basketball Championship page. Tickets remain available through Ticketmaster.

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