The Sun Belt Conference just might be the balanced league in the country when it comes to men’s basketball. There is no runaway favorite to win this season’s conference title.
Instead, there are eight teams that at least look capable of challenging for the top spot. Even Sun Belt Conference coaches had a hard time separating the pack in their annual preseason poll. James Madison ended up in the No. 1 spot, despite receiving only one first-place vote. South Alabama got the most first-place votes, but finished second in the coaches poll.
Arkansas State picked up three first-place votes and landed in the third spot. Old Dominion received two first-place votes and Troy, Marshall, App State and Louisiana each received one first-place vote.
The Sun Belt players with the most NIL earning potential include James Madison’s Bradley Douglas, Arkansas State’s Chandler Jackson, Old Dominion’s Robert Davis Jr., Marshall’s Jalen Speer and Louisiana’s Jamyron Keller.
Here is RallyFuel’s review and rankings for the 2025-26 Sun Belt Conference men’s basketball season.
1. JAMES MADISON
Coach Preston Spradlin came in last season and led the Dukes to a 20-12 overall record (13-5 conference play). Spradlin has 13 newcomers on this season’s roster. That group is highlighted by guard Bradley Douglas, a transfer from Georgia Southern where he averaged 12.6 points per game last season, and guard Cliff Davis, who transferred in from UT Rio Grande Valley where he averaged 12.1 points last season. Freshman forward Preston Fowler is expected to be an immediate force on the front line where he’ll be joined by returner Eddie Ricks III.
2. SOUTH ALABMA
The Jaguars will have a very balanced offensive attack led by returning guards Jayden Cooper and John Broom. Up front, South Alabama will be led by senior forward Randy Brady and Coastal Alabama Community College transfer Stephen Williams. Rockhurst transfer Brian Hawthorne, a sharp shooting guard, is expected to provide scoring off the bench.
3. ARKANSAS STATE
Senior guard Chandler Jackson was nothing more than a role player at Florida State the last three seasons. But Jackson suddenly is a star for Arkansas State. In an early-season win against Missouri State, Jackson exploded for a career-high 33 points. Junior guard TJ Caldwell transferred in from Ole Miss and has thrived in early-season play. The Red Wolves also have high hopes for junior college transfer Christian Harmon, who was the Panhandle Conference Player of the Year at Gulf Coast State College last season.
4. OLD DOMINION
The Monarchs just might have the Sun Belt Conference’s best all-around player in junior guard/forward Robert Davis Jr., who averaged 15.6 points per game last season and led all of Division I with 348 three-point attempts. The top transfer arrivals are guard LJ Thomas (Austin Peay) and KC Shaw, who was named to the HBCU All-American Team while at Maryland Eastern Shore last season.
5. TROY
The Trojans made it to the NCAA Tournament last season for the first time since 2017 and a repeat performance is not out of the question. Troy will have a bruising front line led by returning forwards Thomas Dowd (9.5 points and 6.9 rebounds per game last season) and Theo Seng. and 6-foot-9 center Jerrell Bellamy. Cooper Campbell is the top returner in the backcourt where he’ll be joined by freshman Emmanuel Clarton, who is expected to contribute right away.
6. MARSHALL
Graduate student Jalen Speer (10.8 points per game last season) returns and should be one of the top guards in the Sun Belt Conference. The most intriguing player on the roster (and perhaps in the entire Sun Belt) is 7-foot-4 center Matt Van Komen, who transferred in from Elon after beginning his career at Hawaii Pacific. At Elon last season, Van Komen averaged 7.9 rebounds and set a school record by blocking 75 shots.
7. APP STATE
The Mountaineers went 17-14 last season and were 10-8 in conference play. App State has seven returners, led by Alonzo Dodd, Luke Wilson and Michael Marcus Jr. Andrin Nijock, who redshirted last season is expected to get lots of playing time. The top transfers are Eren Banks (Georgia Southn), Kasen Jennings (South Florida) and Chad Moodie (Alabama A&M).
8. LOUISIANA
New head coach Quannas White has a assembled a roster that’s heavy on newcomers. Transfer guard Jamyron Keller should be an immediate star after spending the previous two seasons at Oklahoma State. Guard Jaxon Olvera was a part-time starter at Pepperdine last season and guard Dorian Fisher, who averaged eight points per game for Sam Houston state last season.
9. TEXAS STATE
This will be Texas State’s last season in the Sun Belt Conference as the Bobcats get ready to leave for the Pac 12 in 2026-27. The top returners are Mark Drone, who averaged 11.5 points per game last season, and Kadeen Gumbs (11 points and four assists per game last season). Texas State also picked up two transfers from ULM — guard Jalen Bolden and center Makai Willis. Bolden averaged 13.2 points per game last season and Willis averaged 10.4 points and 7.3 rebounds.
10. GEORGIIA SOUTHERN
Dwayne Williams Jr. and Nakavieon White are the only two players back from last season. But graduate guard Tyren Moore also has experience in a Georgia Southern uniform. Moore spent last season at UAB, but played for the Eagles in the 2023-24 season. Georgia Southern also is hoping for big things out of freshman Pavel Ridesic, a 6-foot-8 forward from Bosnia.
11. GEORGIA STATE
The Panthers return two top-notch starters in Jelani Hamilton and Malachi Brown. Hamilton, a 6-foot-5 guard/forward, averaged 10.8 points and 3.5 rebounds per game last season and Brown, also a guard, averaged 7.9 points per game. Georgia State also added a pair of transfers from big-time programs with Jakai Newton (Indiana) and James Cooper (Oregon).
12. COASTAL CAROLINA
The Chanticleers return only one scholarship player(junior guard Rasheed Jones) from last season, but transfers Joshuan Beadle and AJ Dancler are expected to make immediate impacts. Beadle, a guard, spent last season at Boston College and Dancler, also a guard, played at Lemoyne last season. The frontcourt should get a big boost with the arrival of 6-10 center Jerry Ngopot, who played for ULM last season.
13. SOUTHERN MISS
Brewer Carruth, Tegra Isay, Jett Montgomery and Dalyn Brandon are the only players back from last season. But the big story in the first few games of the season has been the outstanding play of junior college transfer guard Isaac Taveres, who spent last season at South Plains Community College after starting his college career at Fresno State. Taveres has averaged 22 points per game through this season’s first four contests. Another junior college transfer, forward Tylik Weeks (Southwest Mississippi Community College, also has produced big in early-season games.
14. ULM
Former Troy coach Phil Cunningham takes over a ULM team that went 7-25 last season. Renars Sondors, Micah Caster and Ajay Tew are the top returners. ULM suffered heavy losses to graduation and transfers, but reloaded after hitting the portal hard. The top transfer arrivals are guard MJ Russell (Mississippi State) and forward Brentay Noel (Southern).
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