Championship Monday has arrived at the Pensacola Bay Center, and if you haven’t been paying attention to the Sun Belt Conference Basketball Tournament this weekend, you’ve been missing out. Pensacola Sports CEO Ray Palmer joined me on We Don’t Color on the Dog this morning to break down a tournament that has delivered drama, packed crowds, and some serious basketball — with the best still to come.
The Lady Jags: A Story Worth Telling
The tournament opened with one of the best storylines of the weekend—the South Alabama Lady Jaguars simply refusing to quit. Playing shorthanded after losing three key contributors, they battled their way through the bracket before finally running out of gas on Saturday.
- “They were a really great story: overcoming the loss of three top players and still winning,” Palmer said. “Ultimately, it’s tough to win seven games. They were a great story. They handled it well.”
Championship Monday: Two Games You Don’t Want to Miss
Today’s men’s and women’s championship games promise fireworks. On the women’s side, James Madison comes in with something to prove.
- “You can just look at a team, and they’re very focused,” Palmer said of JMU. “They thought they should have won it last year, and they didn’t.”
Troy, meanwhile, brings the coaching chops of Shanda Rigby on the women’s side — a coach with deep ties to Pensacola who led the program at what is now Pensacola State College. Her teams play with pace, intensity, and a smothering defensive style that makes every possession an event.
The men’s title game features Troy — always a crowd favorite here in Northwest Florida — squaring off against a Georgia Southern team that is red hot. Georgia Southern’s leading scorer dropped 40 points Saturday before getting blanketed by double teams Sunday. The response? His running mate went off for 30-plus.
- “They’ve got some weapons,” Palmer noted.
Sun Belt Officials: Happy — And Looking Ahead
Perhaps the biggest takeaway from Palmer’s appearance is what the Sun Belt Conference brass are saying about Pensacola as a host city.
“Sun Belt officials are very happy,” Palmer said. “They’re a little ahead of last year on ticket sales. The new lighting system in the Bay Center is absolutely fantastic. The new floor — it features the Visit Pensacola logo, and it looks great.”
Beyond the basketball, Palmer was effusive about how Pensacola embraced the tournament. Team buses rolling through downtown, players and fans filling local restaurants, and yes — a Waffle House near the Bay Center doing brisk business.
- “It is so much fun, and it’s so good for our community,” Palmer said. “The community really showed up well.”
Tickets are still available for today’s championship games. Head to the Bay Center box office and be part of Championship Monday. This is Pensacola’s moment — let’s make it count.
Women
No. 4 James Madison vs. No. 2 Troy – 1 p.m. CT
Men
(1) Troy vs. (10) Georgia Southern – 6 p.m. CT
