Thursday, January 5
Lafayette, LA
7 PM
Southern Miss
at
Louisiana
Golden Eagles Set for Heavyweight Fight at Louisiana Thursday Night
1/4/2023 10:35:00 AM | Men's Basketball
HATTIESBURG, Miss. -- The Southern Miss men's basketball team has a chance to make another statement Thursday night as it travels to Louisiana (10-4, 0-2 SBC) to face the Sun Belt Conference preseason favorites. The Ragin' Cajuns will host the Golden Eagles (13-2, 2-0 SBC) at the Cajundome with a 7 p.m. tipoff.
How to Follow
- Stream the game on ESPN+ at 7p.m., with Dan McDonald on the call
- John Cox will carry the game on the Southern Miss Learfield Sports Network (Rock 104.5 in Hattiesburg/Laurel) and the Gameday App
- Follow @SouthernMissMBB on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook for updates
Golden Eagles Nuggets
- The Golden Eagles' 13 wins are the most under Jay Ladner in a single season since he started in 2018
- Their 13 wins are the most before New Year's Day and tie the 13 wins the 2011-12 team recorded before the holiday
- Southern Miss is 2-0 in conference play for the first time since 2011-12, not including the vacated seasons
- Its first Sun Belt win in program history came via a 64-60 win against Troy last Thursday night in Hattiesburg
- The defensive battle featured 16 forced turnovers by Juan Cardona's defense and five blocks, including three from Felipe Haase
- Austin Crowley exploded for a career-high 30 points in a 76-70 win against App State Saturday afternoon
- Crowley picked up Sun Belt Player of the Week honors after averaging 23.5 points per game over the last two contests
- Crowley had a team-high 17 points and Haase added another 16 in the win over the Trojans. Denijay Harris (12) and DeAndre Pinckney (10) also finished in double figures for Southern Miss
- Crowley has scored 10-plus points in each of the last six games, while Pinckney has done so in his last five games
- As of Friday, Southern Miss ranks 33rd in scoring defense (61.3), 14th in scoring margin (16.6), 22nd in steals per game (9.5), 11th in turnover margin (5.3) and 25th in turnovers forced per game (17.2)
- Southern Miss had a record-breaking day in the steals department against Lamar on Dec. 10 as its 21 steals was the fourth most in a single game in program history
- Three days later it set a program record for three-point attempts when it tried 42 at Lamar on Dec. 13
- Haase (7.2) and Pinckney (6.9) each average seven rebounds per contest and Haase's 108 lead the team
- Ladner went with the starting lineup of Mo Arnold, Harris, Crowley, Pinckney and Haase against App State. It was the fifth time he's used it this season and they are 5-0 when that unit starts
Scouting the Ragin' Cajuns
- Louisiana has lost its last three games and sits 10-4 after the opening week of conference play
- The Ragin' Cajuns were picked as the Sun Belt preseason favorites and Jordan Brown was selected as the preseason Player of the Year
- Brown leads them in scoring at 19.8 points per game and has scored 15-plus points in 12 games this season
- Terrence Lewis II (13.1) and Greg Williams, Jr. (13.1) are the only other players averaging at least 10 points a game
- Louisiana's .384 three-point percentage ranks 24th in the country and is the best in the Sun Belt
- Williams leads the charge from deep with 29 this season and Kentrell Garnett's .458 shooting percentage from deeps leads the team
- The Ragin' Cajuns suffered a 77-76 loss at Coastal Carolina on Thursday, then a 70-66 loss at Old Dominion on Sunday
Series History
- Thursday's meeting will be the 57th all-time as a historic rivalry is renewed
- The Golden Eagles lead the series, 32-24, despite losing the last meeting
- Louisiana took the 2021 contest via a 66-45 score in Hattiesburg
- Southern Miss is 11-17 in Lafayette and has won the two on the road
Up Next
- Southern Miss will head to ULM on Friday morning for a Saturday matinee at the Fant-Ewing Coliseum. Tipoff in Monroe is at 2 p.m.
How to Follow
- Stream the game on ESPN+ at 7p.m., with Dan McDonald on the call
- John Cox will carry the game on the Southern Miss Learfield Sports Network (Rock 104.5 in Hattiesburg/Laurel) and the Gameday App
- Follow @SouthernMissMBB on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook for updates
𝗛𝟭𝗠 🔥@TheRealAC5 is the @SunBelt Player of the Week after averaging 23.5 ppg this weekend. Oh yeah, he dropped 30 against App State ‼️
— Southern Miss MBB (@SouthernMissMBB) January 3, 2023
🔗 https://t.co/q3I3xjXl0s#LaFamilia | #SMTTT pic.twitter.com/6KzCim2qFm
Golden Eagles Nuggets
- The Golden Eagles' 13 wins are the most under Jay Ladner in a single season since he started in 2018
- Their 13 wins are the most before New Year's Day and tie the 13 wins the 2011-12 team recorded before the holiday
- Southern Miss is 2-0 in conference play for the first time since 2011-12, not including the vacated seasons
- Its first Sun Belt win in program history came via a 64-60 win against Troy last Thursday night in Hattiesburg
- The defensive battle featured 16 forced turnovers by Juan Cardona's defense and five blocks, including three from Felipe Haase
- Austin Crowley exploded for a career-high 30 points in a 76-70 win against App State Saturday afternoon
- Crowley picked up Sun Belt Player of the Week honors after averaging 23.5 points per game over the last two contests
- Crowley had a team-high 17 points and Haase added another 16 in the win over the Trojans. Denijay Harris (12) and DeAndre Pinckney (10) also finished in double figures for Southern Miss
- Crowley has scored 10-plus points in each of the last six games, while Pinckney has done so in his last five games
- As of Friday, Southern Miss ranks 33rd in scoring defense (61.3), 14th in scoring margin (16.6), 22nd in steals per game (9.5), 11th in turnover margin (5.3) and 25th in turnovers forced per game (17.2)
- Southern Miss had a record-breaking day in the steals department against Lamar on Dec. 10 as its 21 steals was the fourth most in a single game in program history
- Three days later it set a program record for three-point attempts when it tried 42 at Lamar on Dec. 13
- Haase (7.2) and Pinckney (6.9) each average seven rebounds per contest and Haase's 108 lead the team
- Ladner went with the starting lineup of Mo Arnold, Harris, Crowley, Pinckney and Haase against App State. It was the fifth time he's used it this season and they are 5-0 when that unit starts
Scouting the Ragin' Cajuns
- Louisiana has lost its last three games and sits 10-4 after the opening week of conference play
- The Ragin' Cajuns were picked as the Sun Belt preseason favorites and Jordan Brown was selected as the preseason Player of the Year
- Brown leads them in scoring at 19.8 points per game and has scored 15-plus points in 12 games this season
- Terrence Lewis II (13.1) and Greg Williams, Jr. (13.1) are the only other players averaging at least 10 points a game
- Louisiana's .384 three-point percentage ranks 24th in the country and is the best in the Sun Belt
- Williams leads the charge from deep with 29 this season and Kentrell Garnett's .458 shooting percentage from deeps leads the team
- The Ragin' Cajuns suffered a 77-76 loss at Coastal Carolina on Thursday, then a 70-66 loss at Old Dominion on Sunday
Series History
- Thursday's meeting will be the 57th all-time as a historic rivalry is renewed
- The Golden Eagles lead the series, 32-24, despite losing the last meeting
- Louisiana took the 2021 contest via a 66-45 score in Hattiesburg
- Southern Miss is 11-17 in Lafayette and has won the two on the road
Up Next
- Southern Miss will head to ULM on Friday morning for a Saturday matinee at the Fant-Ewing Coliseum. Tipoff in Monroe is at 2 p.m.
Players Mentioned
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