I caught up with Visit Pensacola CEO Darien Schaefer as the Sun Belt Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championships enter their third day at the Pensacola Bay Center.
February’s Tourism Success
February proved to be another banner month for Pensacola tourism. Escambia County continues to attract visitors year-round, from Mardi Gras celebrations to Foiling Week and now the Sunbelt Conference basketball championships.
- “Some of our most popular and traditional events have happened in February,” Schaefer noted. The mayor recently highlighted increased air traffic at his press con– our traditional “shoulder season” has practically disappeared.
Sunbelt Impact
The Sunbelt Conference tournament represents a significant economic driver. This year’s expanded format brings 14 men’s teams and 14 women’s teams, complete with bands, cheerleaders, and spirit squads. Visit Pensacola’s marketing efforts have focused on attracting not just the teams but also college students, families, alumni, and boosters to make a vacation out of the championship week.
- Last year’s tournament generated 7,250 room nights and $4.8 million in economic impact. Beyond immediate dollars, the exposure across all 14 Sunbelt schools creates valuable awareness for Pensacola. Schaefer explained, “We’re in Pensacola on TV as a result and also has attracted the attention of other conferences and other sports for future hosting.”
Looking Ahead
This year’s new bracket system gives top-seeded teams advantages, recognizing their season-long performance. Teams like Georgia Southern have already found success advancing in the tournament.
Looking ahead, March brings SpringBreak visitors, with April already showing strong hotel bookings. The summer tourism season is taking shape with “great festivals and events” running continuously until November. Upcoming sailing regattas in late March and April will further boost visitor numbers.
Why This Matters: Tourism remains vital to our local economy, with visitors contributing significantly through taxes while consuming relatively few services. The tourism development tax funds marketing efforts, Bay Center improvements, beach renourishment, and other community needs. The local option sales tax generated by visitors helps support essential services that would otherwise require higher resident taxes or service reductions.
The Sun Belt championship games are part of the continuing success story of Pensacola tourism—a win-win for visitors and locals alike.
MEN’S UPDATE
Georgia Southern and Old Dominion earned victories in second-round action at the 2025 Sun Belt Conference Men’s Basketball Championship on Wednesday evening at the Pensacola Bay Center.
The ninth seed, Georgia Southern, defeated 12th-seeded Southern Miss, 78-64, and advanced to face eighth-seeded and rival Georgia State in the tournament’s third round on Thursday, March 6 at 5 p.m. CT. The teams split the regular season series, 1-1, as the Eagles defeated the Panthers, 76-75, in the regular season finale in Statesboro on Feb. 28.
Seeded 10th, Old Dominion rolled past 11th-seeded Louisiana, 67-49, for the right to face seventh-seeded Texas State in Thursday’s third round at 7:30 p.m. The Monarchs defeated the Bobcats, 75-64, at home on Feb. 5 during the only regular season meeting between the teams.
Thursday, March 6
Game 5 – (8) Georgia State vs. (9) Georgia Southern – 5 p.m. CT [ESPN+]
Game 6 – (7) Texas State vs. (10) Old Dominion – 7:30 p.m. CT [ESPN+]
Friday, March 7
Game 7 – (5) Marshall vs. Winner Game 5 – 5 p.m. CT [ESPN+]
Game 8 – (6) App State vs. Winner Game 6 – 7:30 p.m. CT [ESPN+]
Saturday, March 8
Game 9 – (4) Arkansas State vs. Winner Game 7 – 5:30 p.m. CT [ESPN+]
Game 10 – (3) Troy vs. Winner Game 8 – 8 p.m. CT [ESPN+]
Sunday, March 9
Game 11 – (1) South Alabama vs. Winner Game 9 – 5 p.m. CT [ESPN+]
Game 12 – (2) James Madison vs. Winner Game 10 – 7:30 p.m. CT [ESPN+]
Monday, March 10 (Championship)
Game 13 – Winner Game 11 vs. Winner Game 12 – 6 p.m. CT [ESPN/ESPN2]
WOMEN’S
For the second consecutive day, Georgia Southern and Marshall came out on top and advanced into the third round of the Sun Belt Women’s Basketball Championship.
Both programs were the lower seeds heading into their matchups, with 12-seeded Georgia Southern taking down 9-seeded ULM, 75-69 and 11-seeded Marshall defeating 10-seeded Texas State, 68-62.
Thursday, March 6
Game 5 – (8) Georgia State vs. (12) Georgia Southern – 11:30 a.m. CT [ESPN+]
Game 6 – (7) Louisiana vs. (11) Marshall – 2 p.m. CT [ESPN+]
Friday, March 7
Game 7 – (5) Old Dominion vs. Winner Game 5 – 11:30 a.m. CT [ESPN+]
Game 8 – (6) App State vs. Winner Game 6 – 2 p.m. CT [ESPN+]
Saturday, March 8
Game 9 – (4) Coastal Carolina vs. Winner Game 7 – 12:00 p.m. CT [ESPN+]
Game 10 – (3) Troy vs. Winner Game 8 – 2:30 p.m. CT [ESPN+]
Sunday, March 9
Game 11 – (1) James Madison vs. Winner Game 9 – 11:30 a.m. CT [ESPN+]
Game 12 – (2) Arkansas State vs. Winner Game 10 – 2 p.m. CT [ESPN+]
Monday, March 10 (Championship)
Game 13 – Winner Game 11 vs. Winner Game 12 – 1 p.m. CT [ESPN/ESPN2]
