Men's Basketball Drops 2025-26 Sun Belt Schedule
8/7/2025 12:59:00 PM | Men's Basketball
NEW ORLEANS -- The Sun Belt Conference has announced the conference schedule for the 2025-26 season. As part of the schedule release, Southern Miss has two non-conference games on its schedule as part of the MAC-SBC Challenge.
I will say this again, men's basketball in the Sun Belt Conference is incredibly competitive and exciting, said head men's basketball coach Jay Ladner. There's been very little difference between the top and bottom teams in the league over the years. You have to bring your 'A' game each night and get a little lucky the other nights — the competition is that tight. We are looking forward to getting back to the top of the league and competing for a league title, as well as a spot in the NCAA Tournament.
The Golden Eagles will open their season with the MAC-SBC Challenge for the third-straight year and for the second time on the road. For the second consecutive year, Southern Miss opens Sun Belt play before Dec. 25 — outside of last season, 1982 was the last time Southern Miss played a conference opponent before that date.
Seventh-year head coach Jay Ladner will open the season against Buffalo (Nov. 3) in the first MAC-SBC Challenge contest. The Golden Eagles get into Sun Belt play as it opens the slate at The Greenhouse against Louisiana (Dec. 18) and Arkansas State (Dec. 20). Southern Miss comes out of the holiday break and travels to ULM (Jan. 1) and Louisiana (Jan. 3). Conference action briefly returns home after the three-game road trip with Texas State (Jan. 8) and ULM (Jan. 10) coming to town.
Ladner's team will hit the road for its longest conference play road trip in mid-January with stops at Troy (Jan. 14), Texas State (Jan. 17), Georgia State (Jan. 22), and Coastal Carolina (Jan. 24). Southern Miss makes a quick stop back in Hattiesburg to host a pair of east coast opponents in App State (Jan. 29) and James Madison (Jan. 31). The month of February starts with a trip to Marshall (Feb. 4) before hosting the second round of the MAC-SBC Challenge (Feb. 7).
Following the final non-conference game, Southern Miss hosts a trio of Sun Belt opponents to close out the home slate. The Golden Eagles will host South Alabama (Feb. 12) and Troy (Feb. 14), while playing its final home game against Old Dominion (Feb. 21). They will finish the season with road games at Arkansas State (Feb. 24) and South Alabama (Feb. 27). The trip to Mobile marks the second time in the last four years that Southern Miss finishes the regular season with a trip to Mobile during the final week of the season.
Season tickets for the 2025-26 Southern Miss men's basketball season will be available for purchase in the coming weeks. For more information, visit SouthernMissT.com/Tickets.
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| FULL 2025-26 SUN BELT SCHEDULE | |||
| DAY | DATE | OPPONENT | LOCATION |
| Monday | Nov. 3 | Buffalo^ | Buffalo, NY |
| THURSDAY | DEC. 18 | LOUISIANA | HATTIESBURG |
| SATURDAY | DEC. 20 | ARKANSAS STATE | HATTIESBURG |
| Thursday | Jan. 1 | ULM | Monroe, La. |
| Saturday | Jan. 3 | Louisiana | Lafayette, La. |
| THURSDAY | JAN. 8 | TEXAS STATE | HATTIESBURG |
| SATURDAY | JAN. 10 | ULM | HATTIESBURG |
| Wednesday | Jan. 14 | Troy | Troy, Ala. |
| Saturday | Jan. 17 | Texas State | San Marcos, Texas |
| Thursday | Jan. 22 | Georgia State | Atlanta, Ga. |
| Saturday | Jan. 24 | Coastal Carolina | Conway, SC |
| THURSDAY | JAN. 29 | APP STATE | HATTIESBURG |
| SATURDAY | JAN. 31 | JAMES MADISON | HATTIESBURG |
| Wednesday | Feb. 4 | Marshall | Huntington, WV |
| SATURDAY | FEB. 7 | MAC-SBC CHALLENGE^ | HATTIESBURG |
| THURSDAY | FEB. 12 | SOUTH ALABAMA | HATTIESBURG |
| SATURDAY | FEB. 14 | TROY | HATTIESBURG |
| SATURDAY | FEB. 21 | OLD DOMINION | HATTIESBURG |
| Tuesday | Feb. 24 | Arkansas State | Jonesboro, Ark. |
| Friday | Feb. 27 | South Alabama | Mobile, Ala. |
| March 3-9 | Sun Belt Tournament | Pensacola, Fla. | |