Awesome
by Tim on 3/7/25Pensacola Bay Center - PensacolaRating: 5 out of 5Was easily accessible to find what I was looking for.
Basketball
Venue
Venue
Venue
About the Sun Belt Conference Basketball Tournament
The Sun Belt Conference Basketball Tournament is an annual event held in Southern U.S. cities by the men's and women's college teams to decide the winner of the 12-team league, with the champ landing an automatic spot in the national NCAA Division I Basketball Tournament. Each season, 10 teams from the conference are paired up in single-elimination brackets, in a format just like the NCAA Tournament, and they play multiple rounds until a winner is crowned. The Sun Belt Conference's current configuration includes Georgia State University, Appalachian State University, Coastal Carolina University, University of Texas at Arlington and others.
In 2021, the Sun Belt Conference's Men's and Women's Basketball Championships are set to be decided in Pensacola, Florida. The tournament's first-round and second-round games are played at Hartsell Arena, on the campus of Pensacola State College, and the 10,000-seat Pensacola Bay Center. As the tournament progresses, semifinal and championship games are also played at the Bay Center.
Sun Belt Conference Basketball Tournament History
On the men's side, the Sun Belt Conference Basketball Tournament first took place in the 1976-77 season, the Sun Belt Conference's inaugural season. The winner of that year's tournament, UNC Charlotte, ended up reaching the Final Four in the NCAA Tournament. Starting with the 1982-83 season, the women's basketball teams also held their own tournament. Over the years, The Sun Belt Conference Basketball Tournament has been held in various cities and arenas, mainly concentrated in places where Sun Belt Conference teams play, although starting in 2021 and through 2025, the conference takes place in Pensacola, Florida.
On both the men's and women's sides, former Sun Belt Conference member Western Kentucky won the tournament nine times. More recently, current member the South Alabama Jaguars won the men's title in 1989, 1991, 1997, 1998 and 2006, while the women's basketball teams from former Sun Belt members Louisiana Tech and Middle Tennessee won the tournament seven times each.
Was easily accessible to find what I was looking for.
Took a friend for her birthday to Sunbelt Conference games in Pensacola, and we had a Great Time. We will definitely be going back.
If South Alabama Jaguars had won the tournament i would have had a better experience
I think the Bay Center really underestimated how many people would show up for these games. They did not have enough concession stands open, and during the Monday night game, the wait was approaching 30 min. The games were great though!
Really long lines for concessions and parking was bad for Men’s championship game.
Didn't understand why the total came out to be so much but we enjoyed ourselves none the less
We sat on the baseline. Constantly bombarded with either the band on our end playing, or the cheering squad constantly yelling chants. It was very loud and got annoying as the game went on. I am sure this isbonly a prblem when sitting directly between them and the court.... First world problems......
Overall the venue is good and the tournament done fairly well. The biggest issue was terribly long lines at the one concession stand that was open on each side. In fact, we waited for the entire half time, still were only half way to the register, so just went back to the game. With another game it was almost as bad. Clearly some of the problem was too few people at registers, as well as being slow and inefficient. A second issue was long lines waiting to get through screening before games, sometimes with the screening not even open yet even thought it was close to the scheduled start. Management at the Pensacola Bay Center needs to be improved to have a good fan experience.
Bay center and staff are awesome, conference staff not so much, they cheaper out this year for sure
Awesome experience, The bands on each side were exceptional, very fast paced games! Plenty of excitement for the entire family