Southern Miss Golden Eagles
Conference USA (27-6, 13-3)
Southern Miss has a tough, experienced squad that knows how to grind out wins. This team never lost a game at home and made a game of it late in every single contest except for their road loss at Louisville back in November. That toughness will come in very handy now.
Big Wins: 11/18 at North Dakota State (70-69), 12/7 Georgia State (75-65), 2/22 UTEP (77-68)
Bad Losses: 12/18 at Western Kentucky (65-68), 1/12 at Tulsa (71-75), 2/13 at UAB (60-84)
Coach: Donnie Tyndall (2 seasons at Southern Miss)
Why They Can Surprise:
The Golden Eagles’ toughness is most prevalent on the glass. Despite being generally undersized, Coach Donnie Tyndall’s team was one of the best rebounding squads in Conference USA. Daveon Boardingham and Aaron Brown, the regular starting frontcourt, are decent on the glass. However, it is guard Michael Craig that turns this into a good rebounding team. The 6-5 senior averages 7.4 rebounds per contest. He is also a very good effective slasher and one of five players who hover around the double-digit scoring average.
Why They Can Disappoint:
However, nobody on the team is a shot blocking threat and that has hindered the Southern Miss defense. Boardingham and Brown are part of the balanced scoring attack, but they will not put fear into opposing big men or slashers. There is not much Coach Tyndall can do about it at this point, but the offense must be smart and efficient in order to keep up with potent offenses they will see in the tournament.
Probable Starters:
Neil Watson, Senior, Guard, 10.3 ppg, 4.0 apg
Jerrold Brooks, Senior, Guard, 9.6 ppg, 2.6 apg
Matt Bingaya, Sophomore, Guard, 5.8 ppg
Aaron Brown, Junior, Forward, 9.8 ppg, 4.4 rpg
Daveon Boardingham, Senior, Forward, 10.6 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 1.0 bpg
Key Roleplayers:
Chip Armelin, Junior, Guard, 5.1 ppg
Michael Craig, Senior, Guard, 11.0 ppg, 2.1 apg, 7.4 rpg
Jeremiah Eason, Junior, Forward, 5.8 ppg, 4.2 rpg
Deonte Houston, Junior, Guard, 3.9 ppg, 1.8 apg
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 72.6 (127th in nation, 6th in conference)
Scoring Defense: 62.4 (22, 1)
Field-Goal Percentage: 46.5 (66, 2)
Field-Goal Defense: 42.4 (115, 8)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 5.5 (253, 10)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 35.4 (129, 2)
Free-Throw Percentage: 68.8 (207, 4)
Rebound Margin: 6.4 (17, 2)
Assists Per Game: 14.3 (65, 2)
Turnovers Per Game: 13.3 (257, 10)
Recent Postseason Appearances:
2013 NIT First Round win over Charleston Southern
2013 NIT Second Round win over Louisiana Tech
2013 NIT Quarterfinal loss to BYU
2012 NCAA Second Round loss to Kansas State
2010 CIT First Round loss to Louisiana Tech
2001 NIT First Round loss to Mississippi State
1998 NIT First Round loss to Auburn
1995 NIT First Round loss to St. Bonaventure
1994 NIT First Round loss to Clemson
*all team stats through 3/9
See All Men’s Basketball Postseason Capsules
