Tylik Weeks 30-Piece Pushes Southern Miss Past James Madison in Sun Belt Tournament

The Golden Eagles got a big win over James Madison in their first game of the Sun Belt Conference tournament in Pensacola on Thursday.

Tylik Weeks drains a 3-pointer in Southern Miss' win over James Madison. / @SouthernMissMBB

No matter what your regular-season record is, anything can happen if you're playing your best basketball come March. Southern Miss finished the regular season 16-15, but that overall record didn't reflect how well the team had played down the stretch.

Riding some momentum from a regular-season finale win at South Alabama, the Golden Eagles kept the good vibes going on Thursday night, as they defeated James Madison in their first game of the Sun Belt Conference tournament, 86-80. It was a tightly contested game throughout, but the Golden Eagles were able to create some separation in the second half to put the game away.

More History for Tylik Weeks

Tylik Weeks has been a catalyst for Southern Miss all season. / @SouthernMissMBB

Star junior forward Tylik Weeks, as he's done all season, put on a show in Pensacola, pouring in a game-high 31 points on 8-16 shooting from the floor, 2-2 from deep and 13-15 from the free throw line. He also collected five rebounds, three assists, one steal and one block. He made some history tonight by becoming just the third Southern Miss player to ever score 30 or more points in a conference tournament game. The only other two players to ever accomplish that feat were Cortez Edwards (2018) and Nick Revon (1952).

"Bully" Weeks is known for his ability to get downhill and score in the paint at will, but he showed that he can also hit some threes if opponents are going to leave him open. If he can continue to hit a three or two over the next several days, the Golden Eagles could be primed for a successful weekend in Pensacola.

Isaac Taveras Shows Versatility

Isaac Taveras helps up teammate Dylan Brumfield. / @SouthernMissMBB

Junior guard Isaac Taveras, whom head coach Jay Ladner told us has finally worked his way back to being comfortable after returning from a broken wrist a few weeks ago, was the Golden Eagles' second-leading scorer with 17 points on 7-17 shooting from the floor and 3-4 from the charity stripe. Taveras also had a great night on the boards, grabbing a team-high eight rebounds.

Taveras and Weeks are as good of a one-two punch as you'll find in the Sun Belt, and the Golden Eagles will always have a good chance to win any game they're in when those two are cooking.

Great Overall Team Effort

Dylan Brumfield had a great all-around performance for Southern Miss on Thursday night. / @SouthernMissMBB

Senior big man Djahi Binet also scored in double figures, finishing with 11 points on 4-10 shooting to go with five rebounds. Binet is usually more efficient around the rim, both with scoring and rebounding, so it wouldn't shock us to see a bounce-back performance from him on Friday.

Izzy Hart, Dylan Brumfield, Tegra Izay, Chiante' Tramble and Curt Lewis all made meaningful contributions in the Golden Eagles' win over James Madison. Brumfield did a little bit of everything, finishing with eight points, four rebounds and four steals.

Eags Get the Important "First One"

Southern Miss' rallying cry for the Sun Belt tournament is "Ya Gotta Believe!" / @SouthernMissMBB

Southern Miss head coach Jay Ladner told us earlier this week that he'd be feeling good about where the Golden Eagles were at if they could just snag this first win. During his time at Jones Junior College, Coach Ladner led the Bobcats to a national championship in 2014 by winning five games in five days.

 “If you get that first one, you actually have a little bit of an advantage,” Coach Ladner said. “If you can survive that first one, the team that you're gonna play (in the next round) will have been sitting out for about eight days. … Now, once you get into the third, fourth, fifth game, then you begin to talk about fatigue and some things like that setting in. But again, it can be done.”

Next up, Southern Miss will take on Texas State in the fourth round of the Sun Belt Conference tournament on Friday night. The Golden Eagles split their season series with the Bobcats 1-1, with one game decided in overtime and the other decided by single digits, so we should be in for yet another good one. Stay tuned to Southern Miss Golden Eagles On SI for more coverage going into the weekend.