The University of Southern Mississippi men’s basketball team will conclude its regular season Friday night at South Alabama. The game is scheduled to tip off at 7:30 p.m. Central Time inside the Mitchell Center in Mobile, Alabama, according to school officials.
Southern Miss enters the contest with a 15-15 overall record and an 8-9 mark in Sun Belt Conference play. South Alabama is 21-9 overall and 11-6 in league action. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+ and can be heard on the Southern Miss Radio Network, with John Cox calling the action.
The Golden Eagles are coming off an 89-84 loss at Arkansas State on Tuesday. They previously secured an 86-81 victory over Old Dominion, overcoming an 18-point deficit in the process. That comeback marked the fourth-largest in program history. Head coach Jay Ladner has led Southern Miss to notable wins this season, including their first Sun Belt road victory in more than a decade.
Player highlights include Tylik Weeks, who ranks fourth in the school’s single-season free throws with 176. Weeks scored 32 points against Troy on Feb. 14, with 30 coming in the second half—marking the only 30-point game by a Golden Eagle in a 20-minute half this season. Djahi Binet was named Sun Belt Player of the Week on Feb. 10 after averaging 24 points and 11 rebounds in two games, and he became the first player in the conference this season to post a 30-point, 15-rebound game.
Southern Miss has performed well at home, with a 45-12 record at Reed Green Coliseum since the 2022-23 season. The team is 10-3 this year at home and has won its last seven home games. The Golden Eagles are also 7-0 in home openers under Ladner.
South Alabama, meanwhile, is 21-9 following an 89-54 win over ULM. The Jaguars rank third nationally in turnovers committed per game (8.8) and lead the Sun Belt in several categories, including field goal percentage (47.0) and turnover margin (+3.6). Chaze Harris has scored in double figures in 20 straight games, including a 26-point effort against Southern Miss earlier this season.
This marks the 55th meeting in the series, which is tied 27-27. South Alabama has won the last seven matchups, including the first game this season in Hattiesburg by six points.
Southern Miss’s season features notable performances from veteran players such as Curt Lewis, one of the oldest players in Division I basketball, born on May 19, 1999. The team’s non-conference schedule included games against South Carolina, Miami (Fla.), LSU, and Ole Miss, among others. Fans can follow @SouthernMissMBB on social media for updates.
