Coming off back-to-back NCAA tournament appearances in men’s basketball, Coastal Carolina will move all sports, including men’s and women’s basketball, to the Sun Belt beginning with the 2016-17 academic year, according to a report from ESPN’s Brett McMurphy.
The football team, formed in 2003, will remain in the FCS level for the 2016 season before elevating to the Sun Belt in 2017.
With the addition of Coastal Carolina, the Sun Belt becomes a 12-team basketball league in 2016-17. There is talk of Sun Belt commissioner Karl Benson creating two separate divisions to split the conference, according to McMurphy’s report.