Men's Basketball | 6/29/2017 11:05:00 AM

Men's Sun Belt Schedule | Women's Sun Belt Schedule
 
NEW ORLEANS – The Sun Belt Conference announced the 2017-18 men's and women's basketball schedules on Thursday, and the conference will utilize an 18-game conference schedule for each men's and women's basketball program again this season.
 
Men's and women's games will be played on a Thursday-Saturday schedule as doubleheaders during the 2017-18 season, and travel partners will be used as men's and women's teams will play identical opponents during doubleheaders. The opening weekend of conference play will follow a Friday-Sunday schedule as league games start on Friday, Dec. 29, and continue on Sunday, Dec. 31.
 
All 12 men's and women's basketball teams will travel to the 2018 Sun Belt Conference Men's and Women's Basketball Championships as the tournaments return to New Orleans and Lakefront Arena for a fifth consecutive season.
 
For the second straight year, each team will only travel four times for two-game road trips. Travel partners will be utilized for two-game road trips throughout the conference schedule to maximize rest, minimize travel times and limit missed class time for student-athletes. Men's and women's basketball programs will each take just one, single-game road trip all season, and those trips will be for rivalry games.
 
"I honestly feel the Sun Belt conference will be a top-10 league, and there are many teams with a chance to win the championship," said men's head coach Mark Byington. "Most teams are returning really good players, including a lot of all-conference players, so there will be high-level games. I'm also excited we returned back to Thursday/Saturday league games because it is great for our fans and is the best for our players' academic and athletic welfare."
 
"We're pleased that we're going back to the Thursday/Saturday schedule," said head women's coach Kip Drown. "I think every women's coach was in favor of this at our conference meetings in May and I appreciate both the men's coaches and the athletic directors approving this. I love playing doubleheaders with our men's team. I think it's good for our crowds so we're excited about it and the upcoming season."
 
Both Georgia Southern basketball teams will play Arkansas State, Georgia State, Little Rock, South Alabama, Texas State, Troy and UTA twice - both at home and on the road. The Eagles will play host to Louisiana and ULM and travel to Appalachian State and Coastal Carolina. Georgia Southern's travel partner will continue to be Georgia State.
 
Tip times for conference games, as well as both squad's non-conference slate, will also be announced at a later date.
 
The Georgia Southern men's basketball program continued its upward arc in 2016-17. The Eagles improved their overall record (18-15) and Sun Belt record (11-7), finished third in the conference and played in the postseason for the first time since 2006 and just the seventh time in the Division I era. GS returns all five starters and all nine student-athletes in the rotation to the 2017-18 roster.
 
The women's program is coming off their most successful season in the league after posting a 9-9 Sun Belt record. The Eagles return 11 letterwinners, including four of their top six scorers, and two starters to the 2017-18 squad.
 
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