Golden Eagles Open Four-Game Homestand with South Alabama Thursday Night

HATTIESBURG, Miss. -- Southern Miss (13-13, 6-7 Sun Belt) begins a four-game homestand on Thursday night as the Golden Eagles host South Alabama (17-7, 7-4 Sun Belt) at Reed Green Coliseum. The two rivals are slated to tip-off at 7:30 p.m., following the women's game at 5 p.m.

Game 27: Southern Miss (13-13, 6-7 Sun Belt) vs. South Alabama (7-4 Sun Belt)
Thursday, February 12 at 7:30 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
- Djahi Binet was named the Sun Belt Player of the Week on Feb. 10 after averaging 24.0 points and 11.0 rebounds in games against Marshall and Kent State
- Southern Miss helped the Sun Belt to a 14-12 win in the MAC-SBC Challenge after beating Kent State, 66-65, on Feb. 7 at Reed Green Coliseum
- Binet became the first player in the Sun Belt this season to have a 30-point, 15-rebound game as he went for 31 points and 15 boards at Marshall on Feb. 4
- 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
- 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
- Tylik 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
- 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
- South Alabama is 17-7 and coming off an 81-69 win over Buffalo in the MAC-SBC Challenge. The Jaguars are 4-1 in their last five, with the only loss coming on the road at App State last Wednesday
- Jayden Cooper has scored in double figures in seven straight games, averaging 13.1 points and 3.0 rebounds while shooting 43 percent from the field. He scored 16 points against Buffalo, including three triples
- South Alabama ranks fifth nationally in turnovers committed per game (8.8) and has committed fewer than 10 turnovers in 15 games this season, resulting in the 21st-ranked turnover margin nationally (+3.7)
- The Jaguars lead the Sun Belt in field goal percentage (46.4), fouls per game (11.6), field goal percentage defense (37.7), turnover margin (3.7), turnovers per game (8.8), and winning percentage (70.8)
- Chaze Harris leads South Alabama in scoring at 17.5 points per game, while Adam Olsen is averaging 16.0 points. Peyton Law (12.8) and Cooper (10.6) both average 10-plus a game

SERIES HISTORY
- Southern Miss and South Alabama are slated to meet for the 54th time in the series history
- Southern Miss is 15-11 against the Jaguars in Hattiesburg, but only 1-0 at RGC in Sun Belt play against them
- South Alabama has won the last six meetings dating back to 2023. Southern Miss owns the longest winning streak in the series at eight (19962004)

Charity Stripe Livin'
- Southern Miss has made a living at the free-throw line this season, making at least 20 free throws in eight 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 43-11 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 7-0 in home openers under Jay Ladner, while six of those have been double-digit wins

ON THIS DAY
Date: February 12
- Southern Miss is 9-16 all-time on February 12. The Golden Eagles first played on this day in 1947 against Pensacola NAS, which was a 61-57 win on the road. Southern Miss put up 101 points in 1966 at Delta State and 103 points against Georgia State in 1973. Arkansas State beat Southern Miss last season on the road, where Andre Curbelo led the team in scoring with 16 points

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

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.

Golden Eagles Open Four-Game Homestand with South Alabama Thursday Night

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Players Mentioned

Djahi Binet

Curt Lewis

Tylik Weeks

University of Southern Mississippi Athletics