Men's Basketball Departs for Sun Belt Conference Tournament in Pensacola

Thursday, March 5

Pensacola, Fla.

5 p.m.

Southern Miss

Louisiana or James Madison

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Men's Basketball Departs for Sun Belt Conference Tournament in Pensacola

3/4/2026 12:19:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Southern Miss Game Notes

HATTIESBURG, Miss. -- Southern Miss will open the 2026 Visit Pensacola Sun Belt Conference Men's Basketball Championship Presented by Air Force Reserve on Thursday night against James Madison or Louisiana. The eighth-seeded Golden Eagles will tip-off at 5 p.m. at the Pensacola Bay Center on ESPN+.

Third Round: Southern Miss (16-15, 9-9) vs. James Madison (17-14, 9-9)/Louisiana (11-21, 7-11)
Thursday, March 5 at 5 p.m. CT
TV: ESPN+ | Radio: Southern Miss Radio Network
Pensacola Bay Center (10,000)

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 Matt Stewart (pxp) and Victor Howell (color).

THE TOURNAMENT SETUP
- Southern Miss is the eighth seed at the Sun Belt Tournament; it's the second-highest seed behind the year the Golden Eagles were league champs in 2023
- The Golden Eagles will play No. 9 James Madison or Louisiana
- The winner of the Golden Eagles, Dukes, or Ragin' Cajuns will play No. 5 Texas State on Friday at 5 p.m.
- Confirmed opponents after Texas State include No. 4 App State and No. 1 Troy

STORMING THE BAY CENTER
- Historically, Southern Miss hasn't had much luck at the Pensacola Bay Center when it comes to the Sun Belt Tournament. The Golden Eagles won their first game last year versus Coastal Carolina, but are 1-3 overall
- However, Southern Miss is 2-0 at the Pensacola Bay Center this season after winning the Pensacola Invitational back in late November. Tylik Weeks was named tournament MVP, while Djahi Binet and Isaac Taveras picked up All-Tournament honors
- In game one against North Florida, the Golden Eagles erased a 13-point deficit en route to a 92-83 win. Weeks scored 37 points after coming off the bench. He had 15 field goals, six rebounds, and two assists. Three others scored in double figures -- Dylan Brumfield (13), Taveras (13), Binet (12)
- The Golden Eagles then cruised to a 70-60 win over UT Martin in the championship game. Southern Miss led by as many as 21 in the first half before the Skyhawks trimmed down the lead. Weeks and Binet both had 14 points, with Weeks grabbing seven rebounds. He averaged 25.5 points and 6.5 rebounds over the weekend
- The tournament title was the first for Southern Miss since winning the 2022 Cancun Challenge. The Golden Eagles went on to win the Sun Belt regular season later that year

FIRST TEAM BULLY
- Junior forward Tylik Weeks was named First Team All-Sun Belt by the league on Monday afternoon
- Weeks averaged 18.8 points per game on the season and 20.1 points per game in league play. Both ranked him second in the Sun Belt behind Chaze Harris (South Alabama), who was named the Sun Belt Player of the Year. Weeks averaged 5.8 rebounds per game in 30 contests and averaged 5.3 rebounds in 18 conference games
- Weeks scored in double figures 28 times, including a stretch of 21-straight games. That run is the second-longest stretch by a Golden Eagle in program history, as Wendell Ladner had a stretch of 22-straight games (Dec. 7, 1968 - Dec. 1, 1969). He produced 14 20-point games and had a pair of 30-point games

CHARITY STRIPE LIVIN'
- Southern Miss has made a living at the free-throw line this season, making at least 20 free throws in 11 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 45-12 at The Greenhouse since the start of the 2022-23 season and ended the 2025-26 season 10-3
- 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: March 5
- Southern Miss is 3-10 on March 5, including a 0-1 mark on this date in the Sun Belt Tournament. The Golden Eagles' last win on this day was a 66-64 victory against TCU in 2005. Southern Miss and Marshall famously played a 108-106 overtime game in 2015. The Golden Eagles are 1-2 on March 5 in postseason play, with an 85-57 win over Memphis in the quarterfinals of the 1998 Conference USA Tournament

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

Fans can follow @SouthernMissMBB on social media to get the latest Golden Eagle news.