The Sun Belt Conference was founded on Aug. 4, 1976, primarily as a basketball league. Like many other conferences, it has experienced numerous membership changes over the years. It later added football to its list of sponsored sports. This article highlights each school’s best and worst seasons at the Division I level, whether those seasons occurred as Sun Belt members or in other conferences.
Editor’s Note: The NCAA began sponsoring women’s basketball prior to the 1981–82 season, so for the purposes of this article, all seasons before that will be considered non-NCAA.
Arkansas State
Arkansas State had its best season in 2015–16. The Red Wolves went 6–3 in non-conference play. They then won 18 consecutive games, capturing the Sun Belt Conference title by three games over Little Rock. An upset loss to No. 4 seed Troy in the conference tournament denied the program its first NCAA Tournament appearance. Arkansas State received a berth to the Women’s National Invitation Tournament. However, they were eliminated in the second round by UTEP.
1️⃣5️⃣ years ago today…
A 𝙍𝙀𝘾𝙊𝙍𝘿 crowd of 🔟,8️⃣9️⃣2️⃣ packed the Convocation Center for the second round of the 2005 WNIT, where we defeated Arkansas 98-84! @aliasu40_ali scored 25 points in the win!
📰: https://t.co/TKwAQ9zNlC#WolvesUp🐺 pic.twitter.com/xBFpqncVrp
— Arkansas State Women's Basketball (@AStateWB) March 21, 2020
The following season saw a sharp downturn. The Red Wolves posted their worst winning percentage since 1982–83, finishing 7–25. Arkansas State opened the season with six straight losses before defeating Tulsa on Dec. 6. They entered conference play with a 2–10 record after finishing fifth in the Puerto Rico Classic. Each of their four Sun Belt wins was followed by a losing streak of at least three games. The Red Wolves were eliminated by Troy in the quarterfinals of the Sun Belt Tournament.
Louisiana
Louisiana made its only NCAA Tournament appearance in 2006–07. However, the 1983–84 season saw the program win more than 75% of its games. In their second season in the Southland Conference, the Ragin’ Cajuns opened with a six-game winning streak. They entered conference play with a 7–3 record. The team won 14 of its next 16 games. However, they closed the season with two losses in their final three contests, finishing 22–6. The Southland Conference did not receive an automatic NCAA Tournament bid until the following season.
In Louisiana’s first season in the Sun Belt Conference—following the merger with the American South Conference—the program continued its downturn. Over a 13-season span, Louisiana won fewer than 10 games in 12 of them. The low point came in 1991–92, when the Ragin’ Cajuns finished 0–27. Only five of those losses were decided by 10 points or fewer. In 13 games, they gave up 80 or more points. The program did not post another winning season until 2004–05.
Louisiana-Monroe
Louisiana-Monroe made a strong entrance into the Southland Conference. The program won the league’s first two women’s basketball titles and recorded one NCAA Tournament victory each year. The program’s third season was its most successful in terms of total wins. The Warhawks opened the 1984–85 season with 15 straight victories, including three against power conference opponents. Independent Louisiana Tech ended the streak with an overtime win on Jan. 22. ULM entered the NCAA Tournament on a 12-game winning streak and advanced to the Final Four as the Midwest Regional champion. They fell to eventual national champion Old Dominion.
Between 2017 and 2022, ULM endured a difficult stretch, posting winning percentages under 15% in four separate seasons. The Warhawks began the 2019–20 season 1–3 before suffering a six-game losing streak. After upsetting Texas State on Jan. 16, they ended the season with 13 consecutive losses, finishing 3–26. ULM’s season ended before the NCAA Tournament was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The team had failed to qualify for the Sun Belt Tournament.
South Alabama
South Alabama posted identical 24–6 records in the 1983–84 and 1986–87 seasons. However, it was the latter campaign that marked the Jaguars’ first—and only—appearance in the NCAA Tournament. Notable wins that season included a sweep of Florida State, a season-opening victory over Texas A&M, and a regular-season finale win against Clemson. After falling to Old Dominion in the conference championship game, South Alabama received a No. 8 seed in the East Regional but lost to Saint Joseph’s 67–56.
The 2014–15 season was one of the program’s low points, despite having three seasons with only five total wins. The Jaguars finished 8–20 in their first year under head coach Terry Fowler. They began the following season 3–2 before dropping 13 straight games. Two of those early victories came against non-Division I opponents. Although South Alabama ended the losing streak with an upset win over Louisiana, it wasn’t enough to qualify for the Sun Belt Tournament.
Southern Mississippi
Southern Miss enjoyed a strong run in the Metro Conference, capturing one regular-season title and one conference tournament championship before the 1989–90 season. After finishing 26–5 in 1988–89, the Golden Eagles added one more win the following year. The team opened the 1989–90 campaign with a seven-game winning streak, which included victories over two SEC opponents and Southwest Conference member SMU. Losses to LSU and conference rival Louisville dropped the team to 9–2. They responded with a 13-game winning streak that helped them climb to No. 17 in the AP poll. Southern Miss defeated South Carolina to win the Metro Conference Tournament, then earned its first NCAA Tournament win before falling to No. 1 seed Louisiana Tech in the second round of the Midwest Regional.
🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐
Welcome back 93-94!
⭐️ 26-5
⭐️ 10-2 Metro
⭐️ Metro Conference Champs
⭐️ No. 4 seed in NCAA Tournament
⭐️ NCAA First Round
⭐️ NCAA Second Round
⭐️ NCAA Sweet Sixteen
⭐️ Three All-Metro players
⭐️ THE Metro MVP
⭐️ THE ALL-AMERICAN#McNelisStrong | #SMTTT pic.twitter.com/8LqMTyGSHo— Southern Miss Women's Basketball (@SouthernMissWBB) February 3, 2024
Southern Miss made its most recent NCAA Tournament appearance in 1995–96, the program’s first season in Conference USA following the merger of the Metro and Great Midwest conferences. The 2009–10 season featured a difficult stretch, as the Golden Eagles lost 13 straight games following a 4–4 start. Despite going 5–2 after snapping the skid, the team’s late push fell short, ending with a first-round loss to No. 5 seed East Carolina in the Conference USA Tournament.
Texas State
Texas State has made two NCAA Tournament appearances. However, its most successful season in terms of wins came in 1993-94. After splitting their first two games, the Bobcats went on a five-game winning streak, highlighted by a home victory over NC State. A subsequent seven-game winning streak kept Texas State in contention for the regular-season title. However, the team fell short of reaching the NCAA Tournament after a loss to Stephen F. Austin in the conference tournament. It took three more seasons before the Bobcats returned to the Big Dance.
The early years of head coach Suzanne Fox’s tenure were challenging, with Texas State posting back-to-back 5-21 records. While the second season included wins in both conference and non-conference play, the 1997-98 campaign began with a 13-game losing streak, a frustrating stretch for Bobcat fans. In only four of those losses did Texas State stay within 10 points. The team rebounded by winning five of its next seven games. However, the season ended with six straight defeats.
Troy
Troy moved to Division I before the 1993-94 season. It reached its first NCAA Tournament in its fourth year. While the 1996-97 campaign set an early standard for the program, the 2019-20 season proved historic. After dropping back-to-back games to power-conference opponents early in the season, the Trojans responded with a nine-game winning streak. This included winning the South Pointe Holiday Hoops Classic. Troy went on to win its first conference title since claiming the Mid-Continent crown in 1996-97. However, the postseason was canceled due to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Troy managed just five wins during the 2010-11 season, but the program hit rock bottom the following year. Entering a Dec. 15 matchup at Alabama State, the Trojans were riding a 17-game losing streak dating back to the previous season. hat stretch included a particularly painful loss — a three-point defeat to Division III opponent Belhaven. After snapping the skid with a win over the Hornets, Troy lost 18 of its final 19 games. The season marked the end of the Michael Murphy era, as he was relieved of his duties one week after a loss to North Texas in the Sun Belt Tournament.
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