With the collegiate basketball season tipping off, the Sun Belt Conference commissioner and board have decided to change the end-of-season tournament, which features all 14 Sun Belt teams.

The new format is aimed at rewarding regular-season performance and adjusting the path to conference championships and national tournament seeding for the NCAA March Madness and NIT tournaments.

Under the new structure, the top two seeds at the end of the regular season will be rewarded with a direct bye to the semi-finals, while the third and fourth seeds will automatically advance to the quarterfinals. In years past, every team would be forced to play throughout the tournament. The new format acknowledges regular-season achievements by granting top teams a competitive advantage and much-needed rest.

These updates apply to both the men’s and women’s tournaments, which will take place on the same dates. Women’s games are scheduled to be held in the morning and early afternoon, while the men’s matchups will fill the afternoon and primetime slots.

The 2025 Sun Belt Conference Championships will be held from March 4-10, from Pensacola Bay Center in Pensacola, Florida, with coverage available to stream on ESPN+.