University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Southern Miss
Grambling State
Men's Basketball Returns to RGC After a 20-Day Absence
12/7/2025 9:30:00 PM | Men's Basketball
HATTIESBURG, Miss. -- The Southern Miss (5-4, 0-0 Sun Belt) men's basketball team returns to Reed Green Coliseum for the first time in 20 days as it hosts Grambling State on Monday night. The Golden Eagles and Tigers will tip at 7 p.m., a month after meeting in Grambling.
Game 10: Southern Miss (5-4, 0-0 Sun Belt) vs. Grambling State (3-5, 0-0 SWAC)
Monday, December 8 at 7 p.m. CT
TV: ESPN+| Radio: Southern Miss Radio Network
Reed Green Coliseum (8,095)
Fans can listen on the Southern Miss Radio Network, Southern Miss Game Day App, or their local Southern Miss Network affiliate to hear John Cox on the call. The game will air on ESPN+ with Lee Roberts (pxp) and Larry Boyd (color).
NEWS AND NOTES
- Southern Miss is coming off a five-day road trip with a win over Radford and a loss at Miami. Djahi Binet and Tylik Weeks scored in double figures in both games
- Weeks was named the Sun Belt Player of the Week 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
- 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
- Grambling was picked to finish seventh out of 12 in the SWAC Men's Basketball Preseason Poll, one spot higher than its eighth-place finish in 2024-25
- Grambling head coach Patrick Crarey II is in his first season at the helm of the Tiger basketball program. Crarey is 3-5 during his short time in Grambling, La. Crarey brought in 11 transfers as well as a pair of freshmen
- Jamil Muttilib led the charge off the bench against Howard with a game-high 21 points, knocking down 5-of-7 three-pointers and providing a major spark in the second half that moved the Tigers to 2-1
- Antonio Munoz leads Grambling in scoring as the freshman from Chicago is averaging 12.0 points per game. Jimel Lane (10.3) and Muttilib (10.1) both average 10+ points per game
- After beating the Golden Eagles in November, Grambling went out West and dropped close games to San Diego, Cal Baptist, and UC Irvine. They then went to Tulane and played to a two-point loss on Dec. 2 -- that was its last game
SERIES HISTORY
- Monday's meeting is the fourth all-time between the two schools and the second this season. Grambling won the first meeting 75-70 back on Nov. 13
- The Golden Eagles cruised to a 93-45 win on Dec. 14, 2012 in Hattiesburg. They won the first meeting 70-52 at the Super Chevy Shootout in Iowa City, Iowa on Dec. 7, 1996
- The Golden Eagles have not played the Tigers in Hattiesburg since that 2012 season
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 8
- Southern Miss is 6-10 on Dec. 8, which included the 1,000th game played in program history. The Golden Eagles took on Louisiana in the historic contest in Lafayette on Dec. 8, 1984. The last outing on this day was during the 2011-12 season at La Tech, while the last win was against Spring Hill during the 2007-08 season
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.
