Sun Belt send Marshall and James Madison to Big Dance

Men’s Basketball Championship

Sophomore guard Xavier Brown scored all of his career-high 21 points in the first half and grabbed a personal-best 10 rebounds to lead James Madison to a 91-71 victory over Arkansas State in the 2024 Hercules Tires Sun Belt Men’s Basketball Championship on Monday evening at the Pensacola Bay Center.

James Madison (31-3) earns the Sun Belt Conference’s automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament. For the Dukes, it marks their first Sun Belt Conference title, as they will make their sixth March Madness appearance in program history. Their 31 wins are the most in a season in league history, surpassing the 30 wins by Little Rock during the 2015-16 campaign.

Women’s Basketball Championship
Marshall captured the 2024 Hercules Tires Sun Belt Women’s Basketball Championship in a thrilling 95-92 overtime win over James Madison on Monday in the Pensacola Bay Center.

With the win, Marshall will make its first trip to the NCAA Tournament since 1997 after earning the Sun Belt Conference’s automatic bid.

It continues a record-setting year for Marshall, who is now 26-6 in the first season under head coach Kim Caldwell.

Photos courtesy Sun Belt Conference