PENSACOLA, Fla. – South Alabama men's basketball will open play in the Sun Belt Conference Championship Tournament on Friday, March 6, against Georgia Southern at 7:30 p.m. CT inside the Pensacola Bay Center.

Game Information
South Alabama (21–10, 11–7) vs. Georgia Southern (18–15, 8–10)
Date: Friday, March 6
Tip-Off: 7:30 p.m. CT
Location: Pensacola Bay Center | Pensacola, Fla.
Live Stats: StatBroadcast
Watch: ESPN+
Radio: Jags Radio Network

Last Time Out

• South Alabama men's basketball closed the regular season Friday night with a 68–55 loss to Southern Miss in the Mitchell Center.

• The Jaguars built early momentum, jumping out to a 16–9 lead midway through the first half behind strong interior play from Chaze Harris and perimeter shots from Adam Olsen and Randy Brady.

• Brady added a three-pointer off a turnover during the same stretch, and the Jags controlled the glass early to create additional opportunities. Southern Miss responded with a pivotal 10–1 run over a four-minute span, flipping a seven-point deficit into a lead and eventually carrying a 35–29 advantage into halftime.

• South Alabama cut the margin to nine after a second-chance tip-in dunk from Stephen Williams and later trimmed it to eight following a fast-break layup from Jayden Cooper off a Harris assist, bringing the Mitchell Center crowd back into the game.

• However, Southern Miss answered with consecutive three-pointers during a 10–0 run that extended the lead to 15 and later pushed the advantage to as many as 18 with just over four minutes remaining.

• Harris led South Alabama with 23 points and nine rebounds while adding three steals. Olsen contributed 14 points, going 8-for-9 from the free-throw line, and Cooper added 10 points.

• As a team, the Jaguars shot 18-for-55 (32.7%) from the field and 4-for-22 (18.2%) from three-point range.

Scouting the Eagles

• Georgia Southern enters the tournament as the No. 10 seed and has already picked up two wins in Pensacola, defeating Old Dominion 88–84 on March 4 and Arkansas State 80–77 on March 5.

• Tyren Moore and Spudd Webb both average more than 15 points per game for the Eagles and have each surpassed 20 points during the Sun Belt Tournament. Webb scored 29 points against Old Dominion, while Moore poured in 25 points against Arkansas State.

• Georgia Southern has knocked down 24 three-pointers over its first two tournament games. The Eagles rank second in the Sun Belt, averaging 9.7 three-pointers per game, while attempting the 20th-most three-point attempts in the country at 29.3 per contest.

Series History Against Georgia Southern

• South Alabama holds a 19–12 advantage in the all-time series with Georgia Southern. The Jaguars have won four of the last seven meetings, including an 87–71 victory at the Mitchell Center on Jan. 10 on ESPNU.

• The two teams have met twice in the Sun Belt Conference Tournament, splitting those matchups. South Alabama won 67–61 in the 2016 quarterfinals, while Georgia Southern claimed a 76–71 victory in the 2024 tournament.

Notes You Need to Know

• Chaze Harris was named Sun Belt Player of the Year on March 1, becoming the seventh player in program history to earn the league's top individual honor and the first since Augustine Rubit in 2013.

• Harris averaged a league-leading 18.9 points per game during the regular season and raised that mark to 22.0 points per game in conference play. He ranks seventh nationally in field goals made (222) and free throw attempts (234), while his 587 total points rank among the top 25 nationally.

• The senior guard shot 53.1 percent from the field and 58.2 percent in league games, recording 12 20-point performances, three 30-point games, and scoring in double figures 29 times.

• Harris and Adam Olsen also earned All-Sun Belt honors for the Jaguars, with Harris named to the First Team and Olsen earning Second Team recognition.

• Olsen has emerged as one of the most dynamic scorers in the Sun Belt, totaling 502 points (fifth in the conference) while averaging 16.7 points per game and 17.1 in league play. He led the conference with 99 three-pointers made and ranked 17th nationally in threes per game (3.30). His 39.1 percent shooting from beyond the arc topped the Sun Belt and ranked 59th nationally.

• In conference play alone, Olsen knocked down 61 three-pointers — second most in the league — at a 37.2 percent clip. He led the Sun Belt with 15 20-point performances, added five 25+ point games, and scored in double figures 22 times. Olsen now sits at 99 three-pointers on the season, tying the South Alabama single-season record originally set by Chris Young in 2002–03.

• South Alabama has established itself as one of the top defensive teams in the country, leading the nation in fewest fouls per game (12.6), ranking fourth nationally in field-goal percentage defense (38.3%), and sitting 58th in scoring defense (69.0 ppg).

• The Jaguars have also been extremely efficient offensively, ranking third nationally in turnovers per game (8.7). South Alabama has committed fewer than 10 turnovers in 20 games this season, contributing to the 11th-best turnover margin nationally (+3.7).

• South Alabama has dominated the interior all season, outscoring opponents 1086–608 in the paint. Defensively, the Jags have forced teams to attempt 1,200 three-pointers, with just 382 made, contributing to the best field-goal percentage defense (38.3%) in the Sun Belt.

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