University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Southern Miss
Miami (Fla.)
Golden Eagles Battle Miami Saturday on ACC Network
12/5/2025 5:04:00 PM | Men's Basketball
HATTIESBURG, Miss. -- The Southern Miss (5-3, 0-0 Sun Belt) men's basketball is in Coral Cables as it prepares to take on Miami (7-2, 0-0 ACC) on Saturday at the Watsco Center. The 11 a.m. CT tip wraps up a five-day trip for the Golden Eagles after they beat Radford on Wednesday night.
Game 9: Southern Miss (5-3, 0-0 Sun Belt) at Miami (7-2, 0-0 ACC)
Saturday, December 6 at 11 a.m. CT
TV: ACC Network| Radio: Southern Miss Radio Network
Watsco Center (8,000)
Fans can listen on the Southern Miss Radio Network, Southern Miss Game Day App, or their local Southern Miss Network affiliate to hear Chris Harris on the call. The game will air on ACC Network with Cooper Boardman (pxp) and Chris Spatola (color).
NEWS AND NOTES
- Junior guard Tylik Weeks was named the Sun Belt Player of the Week last Monday as he took home MVP honors at the Pensacola Invitational
- Outside of an 11-point deficit at the half against North Florida, Southern Miss dominated the Pensacola Invitational and took home its second MTE title under Jay Ladner
- As of last Friday, Isaac Taveras and Weeks are one of nine pairs averaging 17.9 PPG in collegiate basketball
- Weeks scored 37 points in the win over North Florida, which was the 11th-most in program history and the second-most by any Sun Belt player since the 2022-23 season
- Southern Miss fell on the road at South Carolina on Nov. 9 as the Gamecocks used a three-point barrage to finish the comeback in overtime. Weeks dropped a career-high 20 points, while Taveras scored 25 and Israel Hart had 17
- Felipe Patino went off for 18 points on six three-pointers in the win over Tougaloo on Nov. 6. Taveras produced a 16-point, 10-rebound double-double and Israel Hart had 11 points
- The Golden Eagles return only four players from last season: Dalyn Brandon, Brewer Carruth, Tegra Izay, Jett Montgomery
- Ladner and Co. brought in 14 newcomers during the offseason: DJahi Binet, Dylan Brumfield, Robert Cowherd, Fallou Diagne, IJ Ezuma, Israel Hart, Blake Lander, Curt Lewis, Felipe Patino, EJ Paymon, Isaac Taveras, Chiante' Tramble, Chandler Watts, Tylik Weeks
- The 2025-26 season marks the 106th season of Southern Miss basketball and the 61st season inside Reed Green Coliseum
- Southern Miss was voted 12th in the preseason poll after finishing in 12th last season in the league standings
ABOUT THE OPPONENT
- The Hurricanes are led by first-year head coach Jai Lucas. Lucas spent the last three seasons as an assistant coach at Duke. He has also spent time at Texas and Kentucky after a standout playing career with the Longhorns
- Miami is coming off a 75-66 win over Ole Miss in the ACC/SEC Challenge on Tuesday night. The Hurricanes were led by Shelton Henderson's 18 points
- Malik Reneau leads Miami in scoring at 20.1 points per contest. Tre Donaldson, Tru Washington and Henderson are all averaging 10.1 points per game
- The Hurricanes average 85.1 points per game, which ranks 73rd in Division I. On the defensive side, the Hurricanes' scoring defense allows 65.4 points. That mark ranks 37th in the country. The Hurricanes have shot over 50% in six games this season, highlighted by the Georgetown game where Miami shot 58.8% from the floor and was an astounding 68.2% in the second half against the Hoyas
-Miami shoots the ball at an elite level, hanging on to a 51.3 percent shooting mark. That ranks 21st in the country and leads the ACC.
SERIES HISTORY
- Saturday's meeting is the fourth all-time and the first since the 2008-09 season
- Miami won the last meeting on Nov. 21, 2008, 70- 60, at the Paradise Jam
- Southern Miss lost the only meeting in Miami, 85-78, in 1957
A GOOD START AT HOME
- Southern Miss moved to 69-12 in home openers dating back to the 1956-56 season when the Golden Eagles fell to Louisiana Tech
- The first home-opening win for Southern Miss was against Tyndall Field (Fla.) to open the 1947-48 season
- The Golden Eagles are now 7-0 in home openers under Jay Ladner, while six of those have been double-digit wins
| Home Openers Under Jay Ladner | |||
| Date | Result | Score | Opponent |
| 11/5/19 | W | 90-71 | Delta State |
| 12/2/20 | W | 80-53 | William Carey |
| 11/9/21 | W | 81-67 | William Carey |
| 11/11/22 | W | 86-62 | Loyola (La.) |
| 11/6/23 | W | 64-42 | William Carey |
| 11/4/24 | W | 77-68 | Bowling Green |
| 11/6/25 | W | 93-57 | Tougaloo |
ON THIS DAY
Date: December 6
- Southern Miss is 15-11 on Dec. 6, which includes the first-ever game played at Reed Green Coliseum. The Golden Eagles battled Louisiana on that day, with Southern Miss winning 71-69 at The Greenhouse. The last Dec. 6 game was against Florida State in 2016, which makes this the second-straight game against an ACC opponent on Dec. 6
THE VETERAN OF THE COUNTRY
- Curt Lewis enters the season as one of the oldest players in Division I basketball. The Louisville, Ky., product was born on May 19, 1999
- Below is a list of the oldest players in the country
Ramel Bethea, Green Bay - July 27, 1996
Nginyu Ngala, Kansas - April 3, 1999
Curt Lewis, Southern Miss - May 19, 1999
Ibrahim Olajuwon, FIU - May 26, 1999
Hunter Erickson, Hawaii - September 14, 1999
Bouna Kebe, Delaware - December 24, 1999
LOADED NON-CON SLATE
- Southern Miss has a loaded non-conference slate that includes only five home games
- Notable stops on the road include South Carolina, Miami (Fla.), Radford, and LSU
- Southern Miss will also play Ole Miss at the Coast Coliseum on Dec. 13
- Other non-conference games are Buffalo, Tougaloo, Grambling (two times), William Carey, North Florida, UT Martin/Prairie View A&M and the second MAC-SBC Challenge opponent in February
Single-game and season tickets are available via southernmiss.com/tickets, calling 1-800-844-TICK, or by visiting the Pat Ferlise Ticket Office during normal business hours.
Fans can follow @SouthernMissMBB on social media to get the latest Golden Eagle news.
