Men's Basketball Treks Up I-59 to Battle UAB Thursday Night

Hattiesburg, Miss. -- Southern Miss is set to embark on a quick trip up I-59 Thursday night to battle C-USA men's basketball rival UAB (18-5, 8-2) on the backend of a three-game road trip. Thursday's 6 p.m. tipoff marks the Golden Eagles' (6-16, 1-8 C-USA) fourth-straight trip to Bartow Arena.

Watch | Listen | Live Stats | Notes

Follow Along
- Thursday ( 6 p.m.) - CBSSN, with Mike O'Donnell and Joel Godett
- John Cox will carry the game on the Southern Miss Learfield Sports Network (Rock 104.5 in Hattiesburg/Laurel) and the Gameday app.
- Follow @SouthernMiss MBB on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter for updates.

The Need to Know
- Southern Miss is coming off a Florida swing in which they fell at FAU and FIU. The Black and Gold had the lead at halftime against the Panthers before surrendering it with less than five minutes left in the game.
- Jaron Pierre, Jr. is averaging 23.0 ppg over his last three games and went for a career-high 29 points against Rice on Jan. 29. Pierre scored 21 at FIU, and then added 19 at FAU.
- Tyler Stevenson is 34^th all-time on the Southern Miss scoring list with 1,100 points. He trails John Vitrano (1967-70) by 17 points.
- The Golden Eagles' 15 assists at FIU was the fifth-most in a single game this season and tied their output from the Rice game.
- In two of its last three games, Southern Miss posted a season low in turnovers with seven against Rice, and nine against FIU.
- Stevenson leads all Golden Eagles in scoring in C-USA games at 15.6 ppg. Pierre is averaging 13.1 ppg, while DeAndre Pinckney is averaging 11.1 ppg.
- Stevenson (7.7) and Pinckney (5.8) lead the Golden Eagles in rebounding through the first nine conference games.
- Against FAU, Denijay Harris finished with 10 points, two off his career high. Harris' 10 points was a season high, and he added four rebounds.
- Stevenson ranks second in C-USA and 31^st nationally with 6.48 defensive rebounds per game.
- Stevenson's 51.2 percent shooting clip ranks second in C-USA at 81^st nationally.
- Head coach Jay Ladner is one win shy of reaching 100 career wins.

Scouting the Blazers
- UAB bounced back from a road loss at Marshall on Jan. 29 with a 22-point win over Middle Tennessee last Saturday.
- On Monday, Junior Jordan Walker was named the Conference USA Player of the Week for the third time in four weeks.
- Walker set the single-game scoring record with 42 points against Middle Tennessee and is averaging 19.4 ppg this season.
- The Blazers are 13-0 in Bartow Arena this season and every win at home have come by double digits.
- Jackson Quan (11.7) and KJ Buffen (10.3) are both averaging double-digit scoring numbers.
- Seven-footer Trey Jemison is averaging 7.4 rpg, while Buffen is averaging 6.9 rpg.
- UAB's 10.7 steals per game ranks fifth nationally and leads all C-USA teams. Its 246 total steals are sixth-most in the nation.
- The Blazers' +6.7 turnover margin is second-most nationally.
- Second-year coach Andy Kennedy is 40-12 while leading the Blazers.
- Kennedy is no strangers to the state of Mississippi after spending 12 years leading Ole Miss. He is the winningest coach in Ole Miss history.

The Series History
- UAB holds a 34-19 advantage in the all-time series.
- The Blazers have won 10 of the last 12 meetings, including both meetings last year.
- Southern Miss last beat UAB on Jan. 23, 2020, 84-77. That win came at Bartow Arena.
- The Golden Eagles are 6-20 in games played at UAB.
- Ladner is 1-2 against UAB and 1-3 against Kennedy.
- Kennedy is 5-2 against Southern Miss.

The Road Ahead
- The Golden Eagles will start a four-game homestand against Western Kentucky on Monday, Feb. 14. Tipoff from Reed Green Coliseum is scheduled for 7 p.m.

Men's Basketball Treks Up I-59 to Battle UAB Thursday Night

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Denijay Harris

Jaron Pierre, Jr.

DeAndre Pinckney

Tyler Stevenson