2026 Conference USA men's basketball tournament
| 2026 Conference USA men's basketball tournament | |
|---|---|
| Classification | Division I |
| Season | 2025–26 |
| Teams | 10 |
| Site | Von Braun Center (Propst Arena) Huntsville, Alabama |
| Champions | Kennesaw State (1st title) |
| Winning coach | Antoine Pettway (1st title) |
| MVP | R J Johnson (Kennesaw State) |
| Television | CBSSN, ESPN+ |
| Conf. | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | W | L | PCT | W | L | PCT | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Liberty | 17 | – | 3 | .850 | 26 | – | 7 | .788 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sam Houston | 13 | – | 7 | .650 | 22 | – | 12 | .647 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Western Kentucky | 11 | – | 9 | .550 | 18 | – | 14 | .563 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Louisiana Tech | 11 | – | 9 | .550 | 20 | – | 14 | .588 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Middle Tennessee | 11 | – | 9 | .550 | 17 | – | 15 | .531 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Kennesaw State † | 10 | – | 10 | .500 | 21 | – | 14 | .600 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Jacksonville State | 10 | – | 10 | .500 | 15 | – | 17 | .469 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| FIU | 8 | – | 12 | .400 | 15 | – | 17 | .469 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Missouri State | 8 | – | 12 | .400 | 16 | – | 18 | .471 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| New Mexico State | 8 | – | 12 | .400 | 16 | – | 16 | .500 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| UTEP | 7 | – | 13 | .350 | 11 | – | 20 | .355 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Delaware | 6 | – | 14 | .300 | 10 | – | 21 | .323 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| † 2026 CUSA tournament winner | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The 2026 Conference USA men's basketball tournament was the postseason men's basketball tournament for the 2025–26 season of the Conference USA. The tournament was held from March 10–14, 2026, at Von Braun Center (Propst Arena) in Huntsville, Alabama.[1][2] The winner, Kennesaw State, received the conference's automatic bid to the 2026 NCAA Tournament.
Seeds
Only ten of the conference's twelve teams will compete in the tournament. The top six teams will receive byes into the quarterfinal round. Teams will be seeded by record within the conference, with a tiebreaker system to seed teams with identical conference records.
| Seed | School | Conference Record |
Tiebreaker 1 |
Tiebreaker 2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Liberty | 17–3 | ||
| 2 | Sam Houston | 13–7 | ||
| 3 | Western Kentucky | 11–9 | 3–0 vs. Louisiana Tech/Middle Tennessee | |
| 4 | Louisiana Tech | 11–9 | 1–2 vs. Western Kentucky/Middle Tennessee | |
| 5 | Middle Tennessee | 11–9 | 1–3 vs. Western Kentucky/Louisiana Tech | |
| 6 | Kennesaw State | 10–10 | 1–1 vs. Liberty | |
| 7 | Jacksonville State | 10–10 | 0–2 vs. Liberty | |
| 8 | FIU | 8–12 | 3–1 vs. Missouri State/New Mexico State | 2–0 vs. Louisiana Tech |
| 9 | Missouri State | 8–12 | 3–1 vs. FIU/New Mexico State | 0–2 vs. Louisiana Tech |
| 10 | New Mexico State | 8–12 | 0–4 vs. FIU/Missouri State | |
| DNQ | UTEP | 7–13 | ||
| DNQ | Delaware | 6–14 |
Schedule
| Game | Time * | Matchup | Score | Attendance | Television |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First Round – Tuesday March 10 | |||||
| 1 | 5:30 p.m. | No. 8 FIU vs. No. 9 Missouri State | 72–75 | 2,509 | ESPN+ |
| 2 | 8:00 p.m. | No. 7 Jacksonville State vs. No. 10 New Mexico State | 63–68 | 3,207 | |
| Quarterfinals – Wednesday, March 11 | |||||
| 3 | 5:30 p.m. | No. 1 Liberty vs. No. 9 Missouri State | 69–77 | 3,233 | ESPN+ |
| 4 | 8:00 p.m. | No. 2 Sam Houston vs. No. 10 New Mexico State | 69–61 | 2,220 | |
| Quarterfinals – Thursday, March 12 | |||||
| 5 | 5:30 p.m. | No. 4 Louisiana Tech vs. No. 5 Middle Tennessee | 80–69 | 3,029 | ESPN+ |
| 6 | 8:00 p.m. | No. 3 Western Kentucky vs. No. 6 Kennesaw State | 87–96 | ||
| Semifinals – Friday, March 13 | |||||
| 7 | 11:30 a.m. | No. 4 Louisiana Tech vs. No. 9 Missouri State | 69–66 | 2,187 | CBSSN |
| 8 | 2:00 p.m. | No. 2 Sam Houston vs. No. 6 Kennesaw State | 73–79 | 2,467 | |
| Final – Saturday, March 14 | |||||
| 9 | 7:30 p.m. | No. 4 Louisiana Tech vs. No. 6 Kennesaw State | 60–71 | 3,235 | CBSSN |
| * Game times in CDT; ()-ranking denotes tournament seeding. | |||||
Source:[3]
Bracket
| First Round March 10 ESPN+ | Quarterfinals March 11 & 12 ESPN+ | Semifinals March 13 CBSSN | Final March 14 CBSSN | ||||||||||||||||
| 1 | Liberty | 69 | |||||||||||||||||
| 9 | Missouri State | 77 | |||||||||||||||||
| 8 | FIU | 72 | |||||||||||||||||
| 9 | Missouri State | 75 | |||||||||||||||||
| 9 | Missouri State | 66 | |||||||||||||||||
| 4 | Louisiana Tech | 69 | |||||||||||||||||
| 4 | Louisiana Tech | 80 | |||||||||||||||||
| 5 | Middle Tennessee | 69 | |||||||||||||||||
| 4 | Louisiana Tech | 60 | |||||||||||||||||
| 6 | Kennesaw State | 71 | |||||||||||||||||
| 2 | Sam Houston | 69 | |||||||||||||||||
| 10 | New Mexico State | 61 | |||||||||||||||||
| 7 | Jacksonville State | 63 | |||||||||||||||||
| 10 | New Mexico State | 68 | |||||||||||||||||
| 2 | Sam Houston | 73 | |||||||||||||||||
| 6 | Kennesaw State | 79 | |||||||||||||||||
| 3 | Western Kentucky | 87 | |||||||||||||||||
| 6 | Kennesaw State | 96 | |||||||||||||||||
Source:[4]
Game Summaries
First Round
| No. 8 FIU 72, No. 9 Missouri State 75 | ||
| Scoring by half: 36–31, 36–44 | ||
| Pts: 24 – Stephenson Rebs: 13 – Dibami Asts: 2 – Tied (2) |
Pts: 15 – Williams Rebs: 6 – Cunningham Asts: 8 – Palek III | |
| Game 1 | ||
ESPN+
|
March 10
8:00 p.m. CDT |
| No. 7 Jacksonville State 63, No. 10 New Mexico State 68 | ||
| Scoring by half: 28–39, 35–29 | ||
| Pts: 23 – El Moutaouakkil Rebs: 11 – El Moutaouakkil Asts: 4 – Tied (2) |
Pts: 17 – Jones Rebs: 5 – Tied (3) Asts: 3 – Jones | |
| Game 2 | ||
Von Braun Center (Propst Arena)
Huntsville, AL Attendance: 3,207 Referees: Harris, Nieves, Wallace |
Quarterfinal Round
| No. 1 Liberty 69, No. 9 Missouri State 77 | ||
| Scoring by half: 37–33, 32–44 | ||
| Pts: 20 – Cleveland Rebs: 14 – Cleveland Asts: 5 – Porter |
Pts: 31 – Osei-Bonsu Rebs: 9 – Palek III Asts: 4 – Tied (2) | |
| Game 1 | ||
ESPN+
|
March 11
8:00 p.m. CDT |
| No. 2 Sam Houston 69, No. 10 New Mexico State 61 | ||
| Scoring by half: 37-26, 32-35 | ||
| Pts: 17 – Natt Rebs: 16 – Natt Asts: 3 – Ilic |
Pts: 19 – Jones Rebs: 9 – Mullen Asts: 2 – Tied (2) | |
| Game 2 | ||
Von Braun Center (Propst Arena)
Huntsville, AL Attendance: 2,220 Referees: Jarrett, Jordan, Shortt |
ESPN+
|
| No. 4 Louisiana Tech 80, No. 5 Middle Tennessee 69 | ||
| Scoring by half: 39-25, 41-44 | ||
| Pts: 29 – Bates Rebs: 9 – Thomas II Asts: 6 – Bates |
Pts: 20 – Green Rebs: 7 – Alston Asts: 4 – Smith | |
| Game 3 | ||
Von Braun Center (Propst Arena)
Huntsville, AL Attendance: 3,029 Referees: Anderson, Baker, Brandes |
ESPN+
|
March 12
8:00 p.m. CDT |
| No. 3 Western Kentucky 87, No. 6 Kennesaw State 96 | ||
| Scoring by half: 41-46, 46-50 | ||
| Pts: 27 – Moore Rebs: 7 – Tied (2) Asts: 2 – Tied (4) |
Pts: 26 – Simpson Rebs: 10 – Sherman Asts: 6 – Johnson | |
| Game 4 | ||
Von Braun Center (Propst Arena)
Huntsville, AL Attendance: 3,029 Referees: Green, Harris, Lenox |
Semifinal Round
| No. 4 Louisiana Tech 69, No. 9 Missouri State 66 | ||
| Scoring by half: 30–27, 39–39 | ||
| Pts: 27 – Bates Rebs: 12 – Thomas II Asts: 6 – Bates |
Pts: 19 – Osei-Bonsu Rebs: 8 – Osei-Bonsu Asts: 5 – Osei-Bonsu | |
| Game 1 | ||
CBSSN
|
March 13
2:00 p.m. CDT |
| No. 2 Sam Houston 73, No. 6 Kennesaw State 79 | ||
| Scoring by half: 37–31, 36–48 | ||
| Pts: 18 – Coleman Rebs: 13 – Natt Asts: 6 – Walker |
Pts: 23 – Taylor Rebs: 7 – Sherman Asts: 6 – Johnson | |
| Game 2 | ||
Von Braun Center (Propst Arena)
Huntsville, AL Attendance: 2,467 Referees: Baker, Jordan, Wallace |
Final Round
| No. 4 Louisiana Tech 60, No. 6 Kennesaw State 71 | ||
| Scoring by half: 32–35, 28–36 | ||
| Pts: 10 – Tied (2) Rebs: 10 – Tied (2) Asts: 8 – Bates |
Pts: 18 – Harris Rebs: 8 – Simpson Asts: 4 – Johnson | |
| Championship | ||
Awards and Honors
All-Tournament Team
| Player | Team |
|---|---|
| A J Bates | Louisiana Tech |
| R J Johnson (MVP) | Kennesaw State |
| Michael Osei-Bonsu | Missouri State |
| Amir Taylor | Kennesaw State |
| Avery Thomas II | Louisiana Tech |
MVP denotes Most Valuable Player
Source:
See also
References
- ^ "2026 Basketball Championships Preview". conferenceusa.com. Retrieved February 17, 2026.
- ^ Stephenson, Creg (October 23, 2025). "Conference USA basketball tournaments returning to Huntsville for 3rd straight year". al. Retrieved February 17, 2026.
- ^ "2026 Basketball Championships TV Schedule" (PDF). ConferenceUSA.com. March 8, 2026. Retrieved March 9, 2026.
- ^ "2026 Air National Guard Conference USA Men's Basketball Championship Schedule Of Events" (PDF). ConferenceUSA.com. March 7, 2026. Retrieved March 8, 2026.