University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Southern Miss-Denver MBB Game Notes
11/19/2005 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Nov. 19, 2005
FAIRBANKS, Alaska - Southern Miss (1-0) vs. Denver (1-0)
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Game 2 * BP Top of the World Classic Sat., Nov. 19, 2005 * 8 p.m., AST Carlson Center (5,703) * Fairbanks, Alaska
Tonight's Game
The Southern Miss basketball team advances to the winner's bracket of the BP Top of the World Classic, taking on Denver at 11 p.m., CT, Saturday at the Carlson Center. The Golden Eagles won their opening-round game 79-76 over Lamar, while the Pioneers won their opening-round game against Kennesaw State, 80-66. The game pits Southern Miss Head Coach Larry Eustachy with a former assistant, Denver's Terry Carroll, who coached for Eustachy at Iowa State from 1998-2001 before becoming the head coach at Denver. The winner of this contest advances to the championship game of the tournament against the victor of the San Diego State/Illinois-Chicago matchup.
The Rundown
TV: None Radio: Southern Miss ISP Sports Network (WXRR 104.5 FM Flagship): Jason Baker, play-by-play. Denver Radio Network (KCKK 1600-AM Flagship): Mitch Hyder, play-by-play. The Series: Tonight's game marks just the second overall meeting between the two schools. Denver won the only other matchup, 112-93 on Feb. 4, 1974. The Coaches: Larry Eustachy; Overall Record: 272-162 (15 yrs.); At Southern Miss: 12-17 (2 yrs.). Terry Carroll; Overall Record: 60-59 (5 yrs.); At Denver: 60-59 (5 yrs.) Up Next: The winner of this semifinal contest advances to the TOWC championship game against either San Diego State or Illinois-Chicago.
Scouting the Opponent
Denver enters tonight's game following an 80-66 victory over Kennesaw State in the opening-round of the BP Top of the World Classic. In the game, DaShawn Walker led the way with 21 points overall, while Yemi Nicholson -- the Sun Belt Conference Preseason Player of the Year -- added 19 points and nine rebounds. Three other players scored in double figures in the game, 13 each by David Kummer and Antonio Porch, and 12 for Alex Cox. The team, under the direction Larry Eustachy's former assistant Terry Carroll, finished the 2004-05 season with a 20-11 overall record, the Sun Belt Conference regular season championship and a postseason NIT appearance.
The Last Time Out
Southern Miss opened the season with a victory over Lamar, 79-76, in the opening-round of the BP Top of the World Classic. Jason Forte led the Golden Eagles (1-0) with 18 points, while Kyle Lamonte added 17, including 10-of-11 from the free throw line. Following Forte and Lamonte, Jarekus Singleton and Shaun Simpson each had 13 points. Lamonte led the team with six assists, and Forte added nine rebounds.
Waiting in the wings
Following tonight's game, Southern Miss will take on either San Diego State or Illinois-Chicago in the final round of the BP Top of the World Classic. If Southern Miss wins tonight's game, the contest will be for the championship.
Success on the Sidelines
In his three Division I coaching stints, Eustachy has seen tremendous success, advancing to the NCAA Tournament three times and the NIT twice. Eustachy also has been named a conference coach of the year four times, twice each with the Big West and the Big XII.
Coaching Milestones
Southern Miss Head Coach Larry Eustachy currently ranks among the top third in coaching victories (272) among NCAA Division I active coaches and among the top coaches in Conference USA in terms of victories. He currently stands three wins away from notching 275 victories in his career. Here's a look at Eustachy's milestone victories.
No. School Opp. Score Date 1 Idaho Simon Fraser 88-54 (H) 11/14/90 50 Idaho Montana State 63-46 (H) 1/16/93 100 Utah State Chaminade 98-52 (H) 12/18/95 150 Utah State North Texas 79-64 (A) 1/29/98 200 Iowa State Baylor 75-54 (A) 3/4/00 250 Iowa State Savannah State 79-59 (H) 12/15/02 272 Southern Miss Lamar 79-76 (N) 11/18/05
Talk about far travel
The season-opening trip to Fairbanks, Alaska, is quite the haul from Hattiesburg, Miss. After leaving Hattiesburg at Noon on Wednesday, the Golden Eagles departed Jackson, Miss., for Houston, Texas at Noon. Following an 85-minute flight and subsequent layover in Houston, the team departed on a flight for Seattle, Washington, at 5:50 p.m., CT. That flight arrived in Seattle at 8:30 p.m., PT and following another layover, the team left at 9:49 p.m., PT, for its final destination on the journey, arriving in Fairbanks, Alaska, at 12:36 a.m., AST. The overall trip for Southern Miss covered more than 5,000 miles, 15 hours and 36 minutes, and four different time zones. To put the trip in perspective, driving time from Hattiesburg to Fairbanks, via Houston and Seattle, would take 83 hours and 15 minutes, or roughly three and half days. In fact, it would be shorter to drive from Hattiesburg to Los Angeles, Calif., than it would be to drive from Seattle to Fairbanks.
New Faces in the crowd
Much like the 2004-05 season, the 2005-06 roster features several new faces. In fact, only four players return from last season's squad, including three scholarship players (Mildon Ambres, Jason Forte and Jarekus Singleton). In all, eight newcomers are joining the Golden Eagles, including five junior college transfers and three true freshman.
Returning Offense
Southern Miss doesn't have the luxury of tons of returning scoring for this season, with all last year's top three scorers not returning. Jarekus Singleton lead all returning players with 12.4 points per game, while Mildon Ambres and Jason Forte followed with averages of 7.7 and 6.1 points a game, respectively.
Southpaws in the lineup
This season also is unique in the sense that Southern Miss carries five predominant left-handers on the team (Courtney Beasley, David Cornwell, Craig Craft, Travis Hall and Shaun Simpson). While having that many left-handers is a rarity, it isn't the most for a team in Division I basketball this season. Samford, the Eagles' Nov. 28 opponent, has a nation-leading six left-handers on its squad.
Southern Miss In Season Openers
Since 1946, Southern Miss is 35-25 (.583) in season openers overall, including records of 27-6 (.818) at home, 5-16 (.238) on the road and 3-3 (.500) at a neutral location. The Golden Eagles have faced Lamar twice in season openers before, dropping games 94-77 and 91-85 in 1962 and 1964, respectively. Southern Miss has competed against Louisiana-Monroe the most in season-opening games (five), holding a 4-1 record in the series.
Workin' Overtime
The Golden Eagles' 88-84 overtime win last season over LSU (Dec. 18) was the first overtime game of the 2004-05 season. It was the third overtime win in a row for Southern Miss.
No Place Like Home
Home truly is the place to be as the Golden Eagles find comfort in knowing that they hold an overall record of 358-158 (.694) in Reed Green Coliseum. The Golden Eagles finished the 2004-05 season with a 7-6 (.538) record at the Green House and in team history, have only had two seasons with losing records on the home court in Hattiesburg. Coach Larry Eustachy (7-6 at home) is seeking to continue the tradition of Golden Eagle coaches with winning records at Reed Green Coliseum, following James Green (76-32), M.K. Turk (189-71), and Lee Floyd (59-19). Southern Miss is 0-0 in home games this season.
Openers at The Green House
Since the 1965-66 season, Southern Miss is 36-4 in home openers at the Reed Green Coliseum. The Golden Eagles have won 12-straight home openers beginning with the 1993-94 season, when Southern Miss defeated Alcorn State, 110-81. The Eagles have faced Alcorn State and Louisiana-Monroe the most in home openers. This season, Samford will be the home-opener opponent. The Bulldogs visit Hattiesburg on Nov. 28.
Close Games
Six of Southern Miss' games last season were decided in the closing seconds, including the season-ending victory over TCU, 66-64, on March 5, 2005. Also, both games against Tulane (a 61-60 win on 1/22 and a 75-72 loss on 2/9) also were decided in the waning moments. Prior to that, the other games decided in the final plays all resulted in Southern Miss losses, including a 65-63 loss against Saint Louis. In the season opener against Georgia State, Rashaad Carruth missed the potential game-winner as time expired in a 70-68 loss. Then in the loss to UNC Greensboro, a foul on a last-second 3-point attempt gave the Spartans the edge they needed in a 79-78 decision.
The Tournament Tally
The 2005-06 schedule features just one in-season tournament, this week's season-opening BP Top of the World Classic in Fairbanks, Alaska. Last season, the team competed in two in-season tournaments, including the Jim Thorpe Classic in Reno, Nev., and the Gazette Hawkeye Challenge in Iowa City, Iowa. Southern Miss finished the Jim Thorpe Classic with a 1-1 record, falling to Georgia State in the opener, 70-68, and then topping Colorado-Colorado Springs, 75-61, in the consolation game. That was the team's first-ever appearance in the Jim Thorpe Classic. The team had much of the same when they played in the Gazette Hawkeye Challenge, taking home third place with a win over Centenary in the consolation contest. Since 1980, Southern Miss teams have competed in 30 in-season tournaments, finishing with a record of 32-31 in those events. The Golden Eagles have advanced to the championship round 15 times in those tournaments, taking home six titles.
Streaks and skids
Southern Miss certainly saw its share of ups and down in the 2004-05 regular season. After starting 3-2 on the season, the team rolled off six-straight wins for its longest win streak since the 2000-01 season. After that however, the Golden Eagles lost six in a row -- the most consecutive losses since the late stages of the 1998-99 season. Southern Miss snapped that skid with the win over Tulane (1/22/05), but then lost nine in a row, the longest such skid since the 1974-75 season, when the team lost 10 in a row. The team did win the final game of the year over TCU, 66-64.
Century count
Southern Miss' 100-77 victory over McNeese State on Nov. 27, 2004, marked the first time in nearly a decade that the Golden Eagles have hit the century mark in a game. Southern Miss' prior 100-point outing came in a double-overtime 113-107 loss to Ole Miss on Dec. 19, 1995. The team's last win in which it scored a 100 points was a 100-76 win over South Alabama on Jan. 19, 1995.
Victorious margin
Southern Miss' 90-46 win over William Carey last season marked the highest margin of victory (44 points) since the team had a 46-point margin of victory in December of 2000. The total is the 10th-largest margin of victory. The overall record is 66, in a 103-37 win over Troy State in 1951.
Against the ranked
Southern Miss' game last season against nationally ranked Charlotte (No. 21, USA Today/Coaches Poll; 21 AP) marked the third game against a ranked opponent. The Golden Eagles also played against Louisville when the Cardinals were ranked No. 19 in both polls and also played against Cincinnati when the Bearcats were 20 and 21 in the respective polls. Southern Miss was 0-3 against ranked teams last year. The team played in three games against ranked foes two years ago, defeating then No. 18 Marquette 83-61 (1-16-04), falling 76-42 on the road against No. 12 Louisville (1/7/04) and losing to No. 5 Cincinnati 84-47 in Hattiesburg (1/24/04).
Stout schedule
Five postseason teams from a season ago and two Southeastern Conference foes appear on the 2005-06 schedule. Among the NCAA participants that Southern Miss will face three of them -- UAB, UCF and UTEP -- all currently play in the new-look Conference USA. Two others, C-USA holdovers Houston and Memphis, competed in the 2005 National Invitational Tournament. Non-conference opponents Arkansas and Auburn, members of the SEC, also appear on the schedule. The contest with Auburn is the first in a two-year contract, with the Tigers visiting Hattiesburg and Reed Green Coliseum on Jan. 2, 2007.
