Men's Basketball Hosts Kent State Saturday in MAC-SBC Challenge

Saturday, February 7

Hattiesburg, Miss.

2 PM

Southern Miss

Kent State

Men's Basketball Hosts Kent State Saturday in MAC-SBC Challenge

2/6/2026 2:58:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Southern Miss Notes Kent State Notes

HATTIESBURG, Miss. -- The Southern Miss (12-13, 6-7 Sun Belt) men's basketball team returns to Reed Green Coliseum on Saturday to host Kent State (17-6, 8-3 MAC) at 2 p.m. in the second leg of the MAC-SBC Challenge. The game is the start of a five-game homestand for the Golden Eagles as they near the end of the regular season.

Game 26: Southern Miss (12-13, 6-7 Sun Belt) vs. Kent State (17-6, 8-3 MAC)
Saturday, February 7 at 2 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 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
- 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
- Kent State is 17-6 overall and 8-3 in MAC play this season. The Golden Flashes are coming off a 75-72 win at Toledo on Tuesday night
- Senior forward Delrecco Gillespie leads Kent State in scoring at 19.3 points per game and is averaging a team-high 12.0 rebounds per game. Gillespie has posted 18 double-doubles and is coming off a 25-point, 10-rebound night at Toledo
- Kent State's win over Bowling Green on Jan. 6, 2026, marked Head Coach Rob Senderoff's 300th at the helm of the Kent State Golden Flashes; the winningest coach in program history, nine of Coach Senderoff's 14 completed years have been 20-plus win seasons; nine of those seasons have also had double-digit wins in the MAC
- Kent State holds an 11-7 overall record against Sun Belt Conference opponents. The Flashes dropped their first game of the MAC-Sun Belt Challenge at home on Nov. 3 against Troy in overtime, 103-97
- Kent State's other top scorers include Morgan Safford (13.7), Rob Whaley Jr. (11.9), and Cian Medley (10.4)

SERIES HISTORY
- This is the first meeting between Southern Miss and Kent State

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 42-11 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 7
- Southern Miss is 10-11 all-time on February 7. The Golden Eagles picked up a 78-73 win over Old Dominion in 2024, which was the last time they played on that date. The first-ever game was in 1949, a 55-46 win on the road at Loyola New Orleans. Southern Miss won its first three games on February 7 before losing at Southeastern Louisiana in 1959

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.