JOURNAL SPORTS

Louisiana Tech’s entry in the Sun Belt Conference can’t come fast enough for most Bulldogs fans.

It may take two years for Tech to depart Conference USA and shift to the Sun Belt, but when that happens, SBC commissioner Keith Gill gives the Bulldogs basketball program much better insight into what it takes to reach the NCAA Tournament – something that hasn’t happened in Ruston since 1991.

Gill was on campus last Wednesday for the celebration of Louisiana Tech’s pending SBC membership, just a few days after the commissioner became the point man for March Madness.

Gill’s term as Chair of the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Committee for the 2025-26 season is underway following the group’s annual summer meeting in Savannah, Ga., wrapping up July 11.

Gill’s term at the helm will mark the fifth and final year of his five-year tenure on the committee which began during the 2021-22 season. He served as Vice Chair of the committee during the 2024-25 campaign.

Most notably, the committee is responsible for selecting, seeding and bracketing the field for March Madness. The 87th Division I Men’s Basketball Championship will culminate with the Men’s Final Four on April 4 and 6 in Indianapolis, which will host the event for the ninth time.

While Gill’s chairmanship doesn’t necessarily carry any additional sway in the selection process, it’s certainly a boon to current Sun Belt members like ULM and UL Lafayette – each also eager for a return to the NCAA bracket. ULM hasn’t made it since 1996 out of the Southland Conference. The Ragin’ Cajuns played in the Big Dance two years ago, in 2023, their fifth trip this century. Both programs have new head coaches.

This year’s Final Four weekend will include more basketball than ever, with the National Invitation Tournament semifinals taking place Thursday, April 2, at Butler’s Hinkle Fieldhouse. The NIT championship game and NCAA Divisions II and III national championships will be played Sunday, April 5, at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

In addition to Gill, the 2025-26 committee also includes newly-elected Vice Chair Martin Newton of Samford, Mark Coyle of Minnesota, Irma Garcia of Manhattan, Stu Jackson of the West Coast Conference, Arthur Johnson of Temple, Zack Lassiter of Abilene Christian, Lee Reed of Georgetown, Chad Weiberg of Oklahoma State, John Wildhack of Syracuse, and Tom Wistrcill of the Big Sky Conference.