University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Friday, February 12
Reed Green Coliseum
7 p.m.
Southern Miss
vs
North Texas
Golden Eagles Set to Host Defending C-USA Champ North Texas Friday, Saturday
2/11/2021 11:48:00 AM | Men's Basketball
HATTIESBURG, Miss. -- After playing five of its last six games on the road, the Southern Miss men's basketball team is eager for its return to the friendly confines of Reed Green Coliseum, where it will host the defending C-USA champs, North Texas, Friday (7 p.m.) and Saturday (4 p.m.).
TV: ESPN Plus with Lee Roberts and Larry Boyd
Radio: Southern MIss Learfield IMG Sports Network (Rock 104.5 in Hattiesburg/Laurel) and Gameday/TuneIn apps
Tickets: None available
Week in Review
Southern Miss dropped a pair of contests at Rice last week, one of the surprise breakout teams in the league. The Owls had hot starts in each game, and while they were in control all of Friday, the Golden Eagles rallied throughout Saturday and got within 69-66 at the 1:37 mark. Rice's 27 three-pointers over the two games were too much to overcome.
Emerging Weapon
Justin Johnson, one of the team's more-heralded signees, has played his best over the recent stretch. Over his last three outings, he is averaging 9.7 ppg and 23.7 mpg on 12-for-21 shooting (57 percent). Johnson was averaging 3.0 points over 13.3 minutes per game going in. His four blocks over these last three games give him seven for the season, further showcasing his length and athletic ability.
Star Power
Tyler Stevenson remains one of the league's biggest threats. His 29 points (12-for-21 shooting, all career-highs) on Saturday marked the team's best performance against a Division I opponent since Cortez Edwards' 30 against Marshall in the 2018 C-USA Semifinals. Friday's game marked only the third time in 30 career C-USA starts that he did not reach double-figure scoring. The former walk-on has four 20-point games and double-doubles apiece in league play and sits 10th in school history with a 53.3 field-goal percentage. He is fourth in the league with 7.4 rpg for the whole season.
Help in the Post
DeAndre Pinckney has scored a career-high 15 points three times this year, with one each coming against Rice and Louisiana Tech. Over the last five games, he is averaging 10.2 ppg on a team-high 52.9 percent from the field. He was limited to just eight minutes in the second LA Tech game (Jan. 30) due to foul trouble.
The Last Time We Met
North Texas' smothering second-half defense in last year's meeting (Jan. 16, 2020) did plenty to snap Southern Miss' three-game series win streak in Hattiesburg. The Golden Eagles shot 54 percent in the first half, yet trailed by 10 at the break, and were then held to 30 percent the rest of the way. Clawing to within seven points at 10:59, the Mean Green reeled off 11-straight points to pull away for good. Southern Miss was held to just 1-of-5 shooting from deep.
About the Opponent
The Mean Green bring more of the same defensive pressure this season, ranking second and third in league play for scoring (61.9 ppg) and field-goal percentage (40.9 percent). Of its five leading scorers (all starters), four are seniors, including Javion Hamlet, C-USA's reigning Male Student-Athlete of the Year (12.9 ppg). Former Southern Miss assistant Jareem Dowling (2012-15) returns for his fourth year at UNT.
What it Will Take
Each of Southern Miss' wins this year have come when allowing less than 70 points. Due to COVID-19 issues, North Texas has played only three C-USA road games (two UTSA, one Rice), outscoring its opponents 75.0 to 73.7. In addition, all of the Golden Eagles' wins have come when leading at the half, while six of the year's victories have come when out-shooting the opponent. The Golden Eagles are 74th nationally in defensive scoring (66.3 ppg) after being No. 260 last year (72.3). The 11 steals to close the Rice road trip marked a season-high.
X-Factors
Southern Miss has won eight of the last nine games in which Artur Konontsuk has scored in double-figures, dating back to last year. The only blemish was South Alabama's buzzer-beating victory on Dec. 12. Tae Hardy is also shooting 49.2 percent in team wins compared to 37.8 in losses. Since starting 3-for-8 at the foul line as well, he has made 33 of his last 37 (89.2 percent).
Home-Court Advantage
Southern Miss is averaging 70.7 ppg at home, 10.6 higher than away. Four players are in double-figures, including LaDavius Draine and his 44.9 percent three-point clip. The Golden Eagles are also out-shooting opponents 37.1 to 30.4 percent in those contests.
TV: ESPN Plus with Lee Roberts and Larry Boyd
Radio: Southern MIss Learfield IMG Sports Network (Rock 104.5 in Hattiesburg/Laurel) and Gameday/TuneIn apps
Tickets: None available
Week in Review
Southern Miss dropped a pair of contests at Rice last week, one of the surprise breakout teams in the league. The Owls had hot starts in each game, and while they were in control all of Friday, the Golden Eagles rallied throughout Saturday and got within 69-66 at the 1:37 mark. Rice's 27 three-pointers over the two games were too much to overcome.
Emerging Weapon
Justin Johnson, one of the team's more-heralded signees, has played his best over the recent stretch. Over his last three outings, he is averaging 9.7 ppg and 23.7 mpg on 12-for-21 shooting (57 percent). Johnson was averaging 3.0 points over 13.3 minutes per game going in. His four blocks over these last three games give him seven for the season, further showcasing his length and athletic ability.
Star Power
Tyler Stevenson remains one of the league's biggest threats. His 29 points (12-for-21 shooting, all career-highs) on Saturday marked the team's best performance against a Division I opponent since Cortez Edwards' 30 against Marshall in the 2018 C-USA Semifinals. Friday's game marked only the third time in 30 career C-USA starts that he did not reach double-figure scoring. The former walk-on has four 20-point games and double-doubles apiece in league play and sits 10th in school history with a 53.3 field-goal percentage. He is fourth in the league with 7.4 rpg for the whole season.
Help in the Post
DeAndre Pinckney has scored a career-high 15 points three times this year, with one each coming against Rice and Louisiana Tech. Over the last five games, he is averaging 10.2 ppg on a team-high 52.9 percent from the field. He was limited to just eight minutes in the second LA Tech game (Jan. 30) due to foul trouble.
The Last Time We Met
North Texas' smothering second-half defense in last year's meeting (Jan. 16, 2020) did plenty to snap Southern Miss' three-game series win streak in Hattiesburg. The Golden Eagles shot 54 percent in the first half, yet trailed by 10 at the break, and were then held to 30 percent the rest of the way. Clawing to within seven points at 10:59, the Mean Green reeled off 11-straight points to pull away for good. Southern Miss was held to just 1-of-5 shooting from deep.
About the Opponent
The Mean Green bring more of the same defensive pressure this season, ranking second and third in league play for scoring (61.9 ppg) and field-goal percentage (40.9 percent). Of its five leading scorers (all starters), four are seniors, including Javion Hamlet, C-USA's reigning Male Student-Athlete of the Year (12.9 ppg). Former Southern Miss assistant Jareem Dowling (2012-15) returns for his fourth year at UNT.
What it Will Take
Each of Southern Miss' wins this year have come when allowing less than 70 points. Due to COVID-19 issues, North Texas has played only three C-USA road games (two UTSA, one Rice), outscoring its opponents 75.0 to 73.7. In addition, all of the Golden Eagles' wins have come when leading at the half, while six of the year's victories have come when out-shooting the opponent. The Golden Eagles are 74th nationally in defensive scoring (66.3 ppg) after being No. 260 last year (72.3). The 11 steals to close the Rice road trip marked a season-high.
X-Factors
Southern Miss has won eight of the last nine games in which Artur Konontsuk has scored in double-figures, dating back to last year. The only blemish was South Alabama's buzzer-beating victory on Dec. 12. Tae Hardy is also shooting 49.2 percent in team wins compared to 37.8 in losses. Since starting 3-for-8 at the foul line as well, he has made 33 of his last 37 (89.2 percent).
Home-Court Advantage
Southern Miss is averaging 70.7 ppg at home, 10.6 higher than away. Four players are in double-figures, including LaDavius Draine and his 44.9 percent three-point clip. The Golden Eagles are also out-shooting opponents 37.1 to 30.4 percent in those contests.
Players Mentioned
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