MOBILE, Ala. – South Alabama hits the road Thursday night to take on Southern Miss on Feb. 12 at 7:30 p.m. CT as the Jaguars open their final road swing of the regular season in a key Sun Belt matchup.

Game Information

South Alabama (17–7, 7–4 SBC) at Southern Miss (13–13, 6–7 SBC)
Date: Thursday, Feb. 12
Tip-off: 7:30 p.m. CT
Location: Hattiesburg, Miss. | Reed Green Coliseum
Listen: Jags Radio Network
Stats: South Alabama StatBroadcast
Watch: ESPN+

Last Time Out

• Five players finished in double figures as South Alabama dominated Buffalo wire-to-wire Saturday evening, earning an 81–69 victory at the Mitchell Center.

• The Jaguars shot 52.8 percent from the floor and knocked down 10 three-pointers in one of their most efficient offensive performances of the season.

• Adam Olsen led the way with 23 points on 6-of-11 shooting, including four three-pointers, marking his 11th 20-point game of the year. He also added three steals.

• Jayden Cooper continued his strong stretch with 16 points, four rebounds, and three assists, while Chaze Harris contributed 14 points, four assists, and three rebounds.

• South Alabama held Buffalo without a field goal for more than four minutes late in the first half, building a 16-point halftime lead. The Jaguars opened the second half with back-to-back baskets in the paint to push the advantage past 20.

• A 12–2 run midway through the second half — fueled by points off turnovers and a transition dunk — extended the lead to 30, the largest of the game. Buffalo trimmed the deficit late with multiple three-pointers, but South Alabama closed the door with defensive stops and free throws.

Scouting the Golden Eagles

• Southern Miss enters Thursday's matchup after a 66–65 win over Kent State in the MAC-SBC Challenge.

• Sun Belt Player of the Week Djahi Binet delivered a standout performance in that contest, posting 31 points and 15 rebounds.

• The Golden Eagles are 6–7 in conference play and recently snapped a five-game losing streak with a 73–65 win over James Madison.

• Southern Miss ranks among the Top 50 nationally in free throws made per game (17.8).

• Tylik Weeks leads the Golden Eagles in scoring, averaging 17.6 points and 6.0 rebounds per game.

Series History

• South Alabama has controlled the rivalry in recent years, winning six straight meetings and nine of the last 10 against Southern Miss.

• Although the Golden Eagles hold a narrow 27–26 advantage in the all-time series, the Jaguars have claimed each of the last six matchups by an average margin of 14.8 points.

Notes You Need to Know

• With seven games remaining in the regular season, South Alabama enters a pivotal stretch to close conference play. The Jaguars will play five games in a 10-day span, including their final three road contests.

• The stretch begins Thursday at Southern Miss before traveling to Arkansas State on Saturday, Feb. 14. South Alabama then heads to Marshall on Monday in a matchup originally scheduled for Jan. 24 that was postponed due to winter weather.

• After one of his toughest outings of the season at App State — shooting 2-for-14 with six points — Adam Olsen responded with 23 points against Buffalo, knocking down four three-pointers and adding three steals.

• Jayden Cooper has reached double figures in seven consecutive games and is averaging 13.2 points and 3.0 rebounds during that stretch.

• South Alabama ranks fifth nationally in turnovers committed per game (8.8) and has committed fewer than 10 turnovers in 15 games this season. The Jaguars rank 21st nationally in turnover margin (+3.7).

• Defensively, South Alabama has been one of the nation's most disciplined teams. The Jaguars lead the country in fewest fouls per game (11.6), rank third in field-goal percentage defense (37.7%), and sit 37th in scoring defense (67.6 ppg).

• South Alabama is 14–4 when holding opponents to 70 points or fewer and has limited teams to 40 percent shooting or below in 18 of 24 games this season.

• Head coach Richie Riley owns a 41–19 record in the month of February since taking over the program in 2018–19. The Jaguars won seven of their final nine regular-season games a year ago.

FOLLOW THE JAGS

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