University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Thursday, January 29
Hattiesburg, Miss.
7 PM
Southern Miss
vs
App State
Men's Basketball Returns to The Greenhouse to Host App State
1/28/2026 9:51:00 AM | Men's Basketball
HATTIESBURG, Miss. -- The Southern Miss (11-11, 5-5 Sun Belt) men's basketball team is back at Reed Green Coliseum on Thursday night as it hosts App State (13-9, 6-4 Sun Belt) in a key Sun Belt contest. Thursday's game is the start of a stretch that includes six home games over the final nine regular season games for the Golden Eagles.
Game 23: Southern Miss (11-11, 5-5 Sun Belt) vs. App State (13-9, 6-4 Sun Belt)
Thursday, January 29 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 off to a 5-5 start in league play after starting 5-1. The Golden Eagles have lost four-straight road games to Troy, Texas State, Georgia State and Coastal Carolina
- Southern Miss limited its turnover number to a season-low seven at Coastal Carolina on Jan. 24
- Southern Miss picked up two wins in its first Sun Belt road trip, which is its best start in league play on the road in over 10 seasons
- Tylik Weeks is third in the league in scoring at 17.8 points per game, while Dylan Brumfield is 12.1 points per game in Sun Belt action
- Southern Miss won its Sun Belt opener against Louisiana, 62-54, in a low-scoring affair. Israel Hart dropped a season-best 17 points in the win
- Weeks posted his first career double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds against Ole Miss — the rebound total was a career best
- 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
- 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
- App State is 6-4 in Sun Belt action, coming off back-to-back wins over Louisiana and ULM. The Mountaineers topped ULM 59-43 in a low-scoring battle on Friday
- Kasen Jennings leads App State in scoring at 14.6 points per game and scored nine in the win over the Warhawks. Jennings has a high output from deep, including 11 attempts in the last game. He is 41-for-120 from three-point last to lead App State in three-point percentage
- Alonzo Dodd (12.8) and Luke Wilson (10.8) both average 10-plus points per game. Wilson averages 7.5 rebounds per game, while Michael Marcus Jr. pulls down 6.1 boards per game
- App State leads the Sun Belt in scoring defense at 65.5 points per game and ranks second in turnovers per game at 10.0. It also ranks second in three-point percentage (31.2), rebounding margin (+5.3), scoring margin (+6.6), and field goal percentage defense (39.0)
- Dustin Kerns is 24-22 against Sun Belt West schools over the last seven seasons, including a win over Southern Miss last season
- Since 2023-24, App State is 17-7 in January games and 10 of those wins have been by double figures
SERIES HISTORY
- Thursday's meeting is the fifth all-time contest between the two. It's the first in Hattiesburg since the 2022 season, and before that, it was in 1990
- App State won the last meeting, which was a buzzer-beating dunk last season in Boone
- Southern Miss won 76-70 in the last meeting at Reed Green Coliseum during the 2022-23 Sun Belt regular season title year
Charity Stripe Livin'
- Southern Miss has made a living at the free-throw line this season, making at least 20 free throws in seven games. The last time Southern Miss made at least 20 free throws in that many games was during the 2013-14 season, when it happened in 24 games
- A season-high 27 free throws were made in the win at Radford, while the Golden Eagles had 32 attempts in that game
- The 27 freebies were the most by a Jay Ladner-coached Southern Miss team. The top four of the Ladner era are all from this season
HOME SWEET REED GREEN
- Southern Miss is 41-10 at The Greenhouse since the start of the 2022-23 season
- 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 Golden Eagles are now 7-0 in home openers under Jay Ladner, while six of those have been double-digit wins
ON THIS DAY
Date: January 29
- Southern Miss is 12-12 on January 29. It's the second-straight year playing on January 29 after losing to Arkansas State last season. In 1962, the Golden Eagles made 36 free throws, which is the third-most in program history. Southern Miss topped Southeastern Louisiana in the first January 29 meeting in 1948. The Golden Eagles started 4-0 when playing on that date before losing to Louisiana by one in 1965
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 had a loaded non-conference slate that includes only five home games
- Notable stops on the road included South Carolina, Miami (Fla.), Radford, and LSU. The Golden Eagles also played Ole Miss at the Mississippi Coast Coliseum
- Other non-conference games were Buffalo, Tougaloo, Grambling (two times), William Carey, North Florida, UT Martin/Prairie View A&M, and Kent State the second MAC-SBC Challenge 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.
Game 23: Southern Miss (11-11, 5-5 Sun Belt) vs. App State (13-9, 6-4 Sun Belt)
Thursday, January 29 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 off to a 5-5 start in league play after starting 5-1. The Golden Eagles have lost four-straight road games to Troy, Texas State, Georgia State and Coastal Carolina
- Southern Miss limited its turnover number to a season-low seven at Coastal Carolina on Jan. 24
- Southern Miss picked up two wins in its first Sun Belt road trip, which is its best start in league play on the road in over 10 seasons
- Tylik Weeks is third in the league in scoring at 17.8 points per game, while Dylan Brumfield is 12.1 points per game in Sun Belt action
- Southern Miss won its Sun Belt opener against Louisiana, 62-54, in a low-scoring affair. Israel Hart dropped a season-best 17 points in the win
- Weeks posted his first career double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds against Ole Miss — the rebound total was a career best
- 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
- 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
- App State is 6-4 in Sun Belt action, coming off back-to-back wins over Louisiana and ULM. The Mountaineers topped ULM 59-43 in a low-scoring battle on Friday
- Kasen Jennings leads App State in scoring at 14.6 points per game and scored nine in the win over the Warhawks. Jennings has a high output from deep, including 11 attempts in the last game. He is 41-for-120 from three-point last to lead App State in three-point percentage
- Alonzo Dodd (12.8) and Luke Wilson (10.8) both average 10-plus points per game. Wilson averages 7.5 rebounds per game, while Michael Marcus Jr. pulls down 6.1 boards per game
- App State leads the Sun Belt in scoring defense at 65.5 points per game and ranks second in turnovers per game at 10.0. It also ranks second in three-point percentage (31.2), rebounding margin (+5.3), scoring margin (+6.6), and field goal percentage defense (39.0)
- Dustin Kerns is 24-22 against Sun Belt West schools over the last seven seasons, including a win over Southern Miss last season
- Since 2023-24, App State is 17-7 in January games and 10 of those wins have been by double figures
SERIES HISTORY
- Thursday's meeting is the fifth all-time contest between the two. It's the first in Hattiesburg since the 2022 season, and before that, it was in 1990
- App State won the last meeting, which was a buzzer-beating dunk last season in Boone
- Southern Miss won 76-70 in the last meeting at Reed Green Coliseum during the 2022-23 Sun Belt regular season title year
Charity Stripe Livin'
- Southern Miss has made a living at the free-throw line this season, making at least 20 free throws in seven games. The last time Southern Miss made at least 20 free throws in that many games was during the 2013-14 season, when it happened in 24 games
- A season-high 27 free throws were made in the win at Radford, while the Golden Eagles had 32 attempts in that game
- The 27 freebies were the most by a Jay Ladner-coached Southern Miss team. The top four of the Ladner era are all from this season
HOME SWEET REED GREEN
- Southern Miss is 41-10 at The Greenhouse since the start of the 2022-23 season
- 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 Golden Eagles are now 7-0 in home openers under Jay Ladner, while six of those have been double-digit wins
ON THIS DAY
Date: January 29
- Southern Miss is 12-12 on January 29. It's the second-straight year playing on January 29 after losing to Arkansas State last season. In 1962, the Golden Eagles made 36 free throws, which is the third-most in program history. Southern Miss topped Southeastern Louisiana in the first January 29 meeting in 1948. The Golden Eagles started 4-0 when playing on that date before losing to Louisiana by one in 1965
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 had a loaded non-conference slate that includes only five home games
- Notable stops on the road included South Carolina, Miami (Fla.), Radford, and LSU. The Golden Eagles also played Ole Miss at the Mississippi Coast Coliseum
- Other non-conference games were Buffalo, Tougaloo, Grambling (two times), William Carey, North Florida, UT Martin/Prairie View A&M, and Kent State the second MAC-SBC Challenge 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.
Players Mentioned
Full Highlights - Southern Miss vs ULM
Saturday, January 10
Full Highlights - Southern Miss vs. Texas State
Friday, January 09
Full Highlights - Southern Miss vs. Grambling State
Tuesday, December 09
Southern Miss vs. Tougaloo Men's Basketball Game Highlights
Friday, November 07