Southern Miss Hopes to Continue Momentum After Best Win of the Season

Head coach Jay Ladner's squad got a massive win over one of the top teams in the Sun Belt on Saturday. Can it be a spark for the rest of the season?

Southern Miss head coach Jay Ladner talks with players in a huddle. / Ayrton Breckenridge/Clarion Ledger / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

HATTIESBURG – With March rapidly approaching, it's getting close to "do or die" time for Southern Miss (14-14, 7-8). Coming off what was arguably their best win of the season against Troy, which was, at the time, tied for first place in the Sun Belt, the Golden Eagles are hoping that performance will provide a spark for the remainder of the season.

Weeks and Binet Dominate

Southern Miss forward Tylik Weeks takes the ball down the floor. / @SouthernMissMMB / X

"Good quality win for our ball club. Proud of our grit and toughness," Ladner tells Southern Miss Golden Eagles On SI.

Southern Miss got a monster performance from star guard Tylik Weeks in Saturday's 69-65 win at Reed Green Coliseum. Playing nearly the entire game (39 minutes), Weeks poured in 32 points on 11-20 shooting overall and 10-11 from the free-throw line, with 30 of those points coming in the second half alone. Djahi Binet was also huge, posting a 14-point, 18-rebound double-double in 31 minutes.

Time to Find Consistency

Southern Miss center Djahi Binet dominated in the paint with 14 points and 18 rebounds against Troy. / Kendall Trigg

Throughout this season, including what we saw over the weekend, this Golden Eagles roster has shown flashes of being far more talented than their record would indicate. Those flashes of brilliance are great, but Ladner knows his team must find a way to be more consistent and refine some key areas before Sun Belt tournament time arrives if it wants make a late run.

"Still feel we can play better," Ladner said. "Defense was solid, but a few communication breakdowns led to easy buckets for Troy.  Also, we had a considerable improvement in the turnover category vs. what we did against South Al.  Still too many. Heck, one is too many for me. Overall, we had a solid defensive effort against an explosive team. Rebounded well. Binet was a monster (18 boards).  One of the best second halves in USM history by "Bully" Weeks. But what I was most proud of was his teammates continuing to get him the ball."

Only "Big Ones" Remaining

Southern Miss guard Isaac Taveras returned to action on Saturday after being out with a hand injury since December. / @DJKujho on X

There are three games remaining for Southern Miss before tournament time arrives: Old Dominion (10-18, 6-9) at home on Senior Day on Feb. 21, at Arkansas State (16-11, 7-7) on Feb. 24, and at South Alabama (19-8, 9-5) on Feb. 27. The Golden Eagles are currently ninth in the Sun Belt standings, but there's a chance they could jump three or even four spots before the end of the regular season, depending on how their games go, as well as how the teams ahead of them perform.

Whether Southern Miss gets any outside help or not, the only thing it can control is its own record. Things haven't gone smoothly at times this season, but there's no use in crying over spilled milk. The team is healthy again and riding some momentum, and now the goal is to finish the year with a 17-14 record and see what Sun Belt tournament seed that would earn. This team has the potential to surprise some people in March, but it all depends on consistency.

"Nothing but big ones left," as Ladner put it.

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