University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Friday, January 8
Birmingham, AL
6:30 PM
Southern Miss
at
UAB
Golden Eagles Set for Two-Game Road Trip at UAB
1/7/2021 9:32:00 AM | Men's Basketball
HATTIESBURG, Miss.-- Southern Miss' second C-USA men's basketball swing takes it up the interstate to Birmingham, where the Black and Gold will battle UAB Friday (6:30 p.m.) and Saturday (4 p.m.).
Streaming
Friday (6:30 p.m.) - CUSA.tv, with David Crane and Murray Bartow
Saturday (4 p.m.) - ESPN Plus, with Blake Gardner, Bill Jones and Lynden Blake
John Cox will carry both games on the Southern Miss Learfield IMG Sports Network (Rock 104.5 in Hattiesburg/Laurel) and the Gameday app.
Incredible Comeback
Southern Miss is coming off a split-series against UTEP. Friday's 74-66 overtime win featured one of the better comebacks in recent memory. Trailing 60-53 with 45 seconds left, Tyler Stevenson completed a three-point play. After UTEP turned it over on the next possession, Stevenson trimmed the deficit to 60-58 on a put-back with 21 ticks left. The Miners again gave it away, this time barely past the baseline, and Jaron Pierre Jr. took a give-and-go off the in-bounds pass for the game-tying finger roll with 15 seconds to play. The Miners were unable to get a shot off to close regulation.
Free-Throw Explosion
One of the greater takeaways than the never-quit mentality was that Southern Miss closed regulation and overtime with 14-straight free-throw makes. The Golden Eagles were 37-for-47 (78.7 percent) combined against UTEP after averaging only 13.4 attempts over the first seven games (making 54.3 percent). Stevenson's 10-for-13 outing were the most makes by a Golden Eagle since Tyree Griffin on Jan. 20, 2018 against North Texas. Tae Hardy has also made 15 in a row and 20 of his last 21 after starting the year 3-for-8.
Trending Up
Over its four-game win streak that was snapped Saturday, Southern Miss has held opponents to 34.7 percent shooting, compared to 43.7 percent over the first four. The squad is also 30th in the nation with just 62.2 ppg allowed. Carrying over to the charity stripe, the Golden Eagles were 75.4 percent at the foul line in those four (46.6 percent prior).
Pierre's Honor
Pierre earned C-USA Freshman of the Week honors for the second time. He had 15 points in each UTEP contest, including the final shot of regulation and forcing the turnover that set it up. Â Pierre is seventh in C-USA for field-goal percentage (57.9 percent) and eighth in minutes (35.3 mpg), which is also tops for all freshmen.
Crashing the Boards
Friday's win also saw Southern Miss become the sixth team in Division I this season to have three players register 10-plus rebounds (LaDavius Draine 11, Stevenson and DeAndre Pinckney with 10). Pinckney, who suffered a concussion in the opener, has played 15, 30 and 22 minutes since returning from the holiday break, gaining more reps and confidence on both ends. He averaged 9.0 rpg against the Miners. Harris had a career-high nine points on Saturday, including going 5-for-5 at the line.
Rebounding has been a story of the season. Southern Miss boasts a plus-5.3 margin, which is fourth in C-USA and the team's highest mark of the last seven years. Its 21 offensive rebounds in the opener were its most since the 2015-16 opener at Memphis. For reference, last year's team was plus-1.7. Stevenson is fifth in C-USA with 7.6 rpg.
The Last Time They Met
The last meeting between these teams saw Southern Miss win 84-77, snapping a five-game losing streak inside Bartow Arena. It also remains the Golden Eagles' highest-scoring game against a Division I foe under Jay Ladner. Southern Miss (which shot 68 percent in the second half) led by as much as 16 with 9:42 left and held on despite UAB getting within 75-70 at 1:31.
Returning to the Scene of the Crime
Draine, who against Loyola became the program's 38th member of the 1,000-point club, has fond memories of his two trips to Bartow Arena. As a freshman (Jan. 11, 2018), he exploded for 19 points on 8-for-11 shooting after entering the night with just 19 points over 31 career minutes. In last season's win there, he matched a career-high 28 points while playing all 40 minutes.
How They Compare
These two teams enter as the league's top two in scoring, field-goal and three-point defense, with UAB ahead in each. Five of the Blazers' seven wins have come by 22-plus points, but this will be their first action falling to Chattanooga on Dec. 19, their only loss of the season. Southern Miss, in its five wins, is out-shooting opponents 45.6 to 36.3 percent (70.8 to 56.6 in scoring), while in defeats opponents have the 45.8 to 38.6 shooting edge and 69.2 to 56.5 on the board.
Streaming
Friday (6:30 p.m.) - CUSA.tv, with David Crane and Murray Bartow
Saturday (4 p.m.) - ESPN Plus, with Blake Gardner, Bill Jones and Lynden Blake
John Cox will carry both games on the Southern Miss Learfield IMG Sports Network (Rock 104.5 in Hattiesburg/Laurel) and the Gameday app.
Incredible Comeback
Southern Miss is coming off a split-series against UTEP. Friday's 74-66 overtime win featured one of the better comebacks in recent memory. Trailing 60-53 with 45 seconds left, Tyler Stevenson completed a three-point play. After UTEP turned it over on the next possession, Stevenson trimmed the deficit to 60-58 on a put-back with 21 ticks left. The Miners again gave it away, this time barely past the baseline, and Jaron Pierre Jr. took a give-and-go off the in-bounds pass for the game-tying finger roll with 15 seconds to play. The Miners were unable to get a shot off to close regulation.
Free-Throw Explosion
One of the greater takeaways than the never-quit mentality was that Southern Miss closed regulation and overtime with 14-straight free-throw makes. The Golden Eagles were 37-for-47 (78.7 percent) combined against UTEP after averaging only 13.4 attempts over the first seven games (making 54.3 percent). Stevenson's 10-for-13 outing were the most makes by a Golden Eagle since Tyree Griffin on Jan. 20, 2018 against North Texas. Tae Hardy has also made 15 in a row and 20 of his last 21 after starting the year 3-for-8.
Trending Up
Over its four-game win streak that was snapped Saturday, Southern Miss has held opponents to 34.7 percent shooting, compared to 43.7 percent over the first four. The squad is also 30th in the nation with just 62.2 ppg allowed. Carrying over to the charity stripe, the Golden Eagles were 75.4 percent at the foul line in those four (46.6 percent prior).
Pierre's Honor
Pierre earned C-USA Freshman of the Week honors for the second time. He had 15 points in each UTEP contest, including the final shot of regulation and forcing the turnover that set it up. Â Pierre is seventh in C-USA for field-goal percentage (57.9 percent) and eighth in minutes (35.3 mpg), which is also tops for all freshmen.
Crashing the Boards
Friday's win also saw Southern Miss become the sixth team in Division I this season to have three players register 10-plus rebounds (LaDavius Draine 11, Stevenson and DeAndre Pinckney with 10). Pinckney, who suffered a concussion in the opener, has played 15, 30 and 22 minutes since returning from the holiday break, gaining more reps and confidence on both ends. He averaged 9.0 rpg against the Miners. Harris had a career-high nine points on Saturday, including going 5-for-5 at the line.
Rebounding has been a story of the season. Southern Miss boasts a plus-5.3 margin, which is fourth in C-USA and the team's highest mark of the last seven years. Its 21 offensive rebounds in the opener were its most since the 2015-16 opener at Memphis. For reference, last year's team was plus-1.7. Stevenson is fifth in C-USA with 7.6 rpg.
The Last Time They Met
The last meeting between these teams saw Southern Miss win 84-77, snapping a five-game losing streak inside Bartow Arena. It also remains the Golden Eagles' highest-scoring game against a Division I foe under Jay Ladner. Southern Miss (which shot 68 percent in the second half) led by as much as 16 with 9:42 left and held on despite UAB getting within 75-70 at 1:31.
Returning to the Scene of the Crime
Draine, who against Loyola became the program's 38th member of the 1,000-point club, has fond memories of his two trips to Bartow Arena. As a freshman (Jan. 11, 2018), he exploded for 19 points on 8-for-11 shooting after entering the night with just 19 points over 31 career minutes. In last season's win there, he matched a career-high 28 points while playing all 40 minutes.
How They Compare
These two teams enter as the league's top two in scoring, field-goal and three-point defense, with UAB ahead in each. Five of the Blazers' seven wins have come by 22-plus points, but this will be their first action falling to Chattanooga on Dec. 19, their only loss of the season. Southern Miss, in its five wins, is out-shooting opponents 45.6 to 36.3 percent (70.8 to 56.6 in scoring), while in defeats opponents have the 45.8 to 38.6 shooting edge and 69.2 to 56.5 on the board.
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's BasketballJay Ladner Press Conference - October 15, 2025
Wednesday, October 15
Southern Miss-Alabama State Highlights - 12/05/24
Friday, December 06
MBB: Southern Miss vs. Loyola New Orleans Highlights
Wednesday, November 13
Postgame Highlights - Southern Miss vs. Xavier (La.)
Wednesday, March 06