MOBILE, Ala. – The University of South Alabama men's basketball team will participate in a charity exhibition contest at Mississippi State on Oct. 27 to benefit the United Way of West Central Mississippi.

The game is set to tip off at 3 p.m. at Humphrey Coliseum. Proceeds will go towards those affected by flood waters in the South Delta. There have been over 500 homes and approximately 225,000 acres of farmland damaged by the record floods.

"We're very appreciative for the opportunity to play a preseason top-4 team in the SEC for a good cause," USA head coach Richie Riley said. "I think it'll be great for our team this early in the season to play that caliber of competition in that kind of environment. It'll be a great early test with their size and athleticism and their overall talent."

USA last traveled to Starkville to open the 2011-12 regular season, a game MSU won 80-65. The Bulldogs went 23-11 last season under Ben Howland and earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament.

"The Mississippi Delta had some major damage and our prayers have been sent," Riley stated. "It's an honor to be able to play a game to raise money and help in any way we can. I would anticipate a great crowd up there for the game. There's a lot of excitement about Mississippi State; I'm sure that their fans will really turn out and I think we'll have a decent number as well, which will raise as much money as possible for a good cause."

The Mississippi State game will be South Alabama's only exhibition before the official open to the 2019-20 season on Nov. 6 against Pikeville at 7 p.m.

For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com, and follow the Jaguars at www.twitter.com/WeAreSouth_JAGS. Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).

Join the South Circle, the unrestricted giving option of the University of South Alabama Athletics. Contributions to South Circle directly support all 17 sports in addition to various support programming. For more information on how you can join visit: http://jaguarathleticfund.com/give.

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