The Gazebo Gazette
HATTIESBURG (GG) — A week after releasing the 2025-26 Sun Belt schedule, the Southern Miss men’s basketball team has finalized its non-conference slate of games.
The Golden Eagles will get a taste of action with a pair of exhibition games against New Orleans (Oct. 20) and Jackson State (Oct. 27). The game against New Orleans will be held at Reed Green Coliseum, while the latter exhibition will be played on the road in Jackson.
Seventh-year Southern Miss head coach, former St. Stanislaus College Prep head coach and Pass Christian resident Jay Ladner will open the season against Buffalo (Nov. 3) in the first MAC-SBC Challenge contest. Three days later, the Golden Eagles will host Tougaloo (Nov. 6) in the home opener at Reed Green Coliseum. They then embark on a stretch that includes one home game in a seven-game span. Southern Miss starts that portion of its schedule at South Carolina (Nov. 9) and Grambling State (Nov. 13) before returning to Hattiesburg to play William Carey (Nov. 18).
“This year’s schedule may be one of the toughest non-conference schedules in Southern Miss history,” Ladner said. “I truly believe that playing a tough schedule in the non-conference portion of the season prepares your team for conference play. Some schools prefer a softer schedule, but that’s not the Southern Miss way.”
The new-look Golden Eagles head back out on the road to play in the Pensacola Invitational opener (Nov. 22) in Pensacola, Fla. The bracket-style MTE will feature a game the following day against a to-be-named opponent. Both games will be played at the Pensacola Bay Center, which will host the Sun Belt Tournament for the sixth-straight season. Southern Miss ends the four-game road trip at Radford (Dec. 3) and Miami (Dec. 6).
The Golden Eagles get back to Reed Green Coliseum as they host Grambling (Dec. 8) to complete the home-and-home. Then it’s the annual reunion on the coast for Golden Eagle fans as Southern Miss and Ole Miss (Dec. 13) battle at the Mississippi Coast Coliseum for the third consecutive season. The Golden Eagles then get into Sun Belt play as it opens at The Greenhouse against Louisiana (Dec. 18) and Arkansas State (Dec. 20).
Southern Miss comes out of the holiday break and travels to LSU (Dec. 29) to wrap up the 2025 portion of its schedule. The month of February starts with a trip to Marshall (Feb. 4) before hosting the second round of the MAC-SBC Challenge (Feb. 7).
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FULL 2025-26 SCHEDULE
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| Day | Date | Opponent | Location |
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Monday
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Oct. 20
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New Orleans (EXH)
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HATTIESBURG
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Monday
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Oct. 27
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Jackson State (EXH)
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Jackson, Miss.
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| Monday | Nov. 3 | Buffalo (MAC-SBC Challenge) | Buffalo, N.Y. |
| THURSDAY | NOV. 6 | TOUGALOO | HATTIESBURG |
| Sunday | Nov. 9 | South Carolina | Columbia, S.C. |
| Thursday | Nov. 13 | Grambling State | Grambling, La. |
| TUESDAY | NOV. 18 | WILLIAM CAREY | HATTIESBURG |
| Saturday | Nov. 22 | TBD (Pensacola Invitational) | Pensacola, Fla. |
| Sunday | Nov. 23 |
TBD (Pensacola Invitational)
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Pensacola, Fla. |
| Wednesday | Dec. 3 | Radford | Radford, Va. |
| Saturday | Dec. 6 | Miami | Miami, Fla. |
| MONDAY | DEC. 8 | GRAMBLING STATE | HATTIESBURG |
| Saturday | Dec. 13 | Ole Miss | Biloxi, Miss. |
| Monday | Dec. 29 | LSU | Baton Rouge, La. |
| SATURDAY | FEB. 7 | MAC-SBC CHALLENGE | HATTIESBURG |
“I will say this again, men’s basketball in the Sun Belt Conference is incredibly competitive and exciting,” said head men’s basketball coach Jay Ladner. “There’s been very little difference between the top and bottom teams in the league over the years. You have to bring your ‘A’ game each night and get a little lucky the other nights — the competition is that tight. We are looking forward to getting back to the top of the league and competing for a league title, as well as a spot in the NCAA Tournament.”
The Golden Eagles will open their season with the MAC-SBC Challenge for the third-straight year and for the second time on the road. For the second consecutive year, Southern Miss opens Sun Belt play before Dec. 25 — outside of last season, 1982 was the last time Southern Miss played a conference opponent before that date.
he Golden Eagles get into Sun Belt play as it opens the slate at The Greenhouse against Louisiana (Dec. 18) and Arkansas State (Dec. 20). Southern Miss comes out of the holiday break and travels to ULM (Jan. 1) and Louisiana (Jan. 3). Conference action briefly returns home after the three-game road trip with Texas State (Jan. 8) and ULM (Jan. 10) coming to town.
Ladner’s team will hit the road for its longest conference play road trip in mid-January with stops at Troy (Jan. 14), Texas State (Jan. 17), Georgia State (Jan. 22), and Coastal Carolina (Jan. 24). Southern Miss makes a quick stop back in Hattiesburg to host a pair of east coast opponents in App State (Jan. 29) and James Madison (Jan. 31). The month of February starts with a trip to Marshall (Feb. 4) before hosting the second round of the MAC-SBC Challenge (Feb. 7).
Following the final non-conference game, Southern Miss hosts a trio of Sun Belt opponents to close out the home slate. The Golden Eagles will host South Alabama (Feb. 12) and Troy (Feb. 14), while playing its final home game against Old Dominion (Feb. 21). They will finish the season with road games at Arkansas State (Feb. 24) and South Alabama (Feb. 27). The trip to Mobile marks the second time in the last four years that Southern Miss finishes the regular season with a trip to Mobile during the final week of the season.
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FULL 2025-26 SUN BELT SCHEDULE
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Day
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Date
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Opponent
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Location
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Monday
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Nov. 3
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Buffalo^
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Buffalo, NY
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THURSDAY
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DEC. 18
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LOUISIANA
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HATTIESBURG
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SATURDAY
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DEC. 20
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ARKANSAS STATE
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HATTIESBURG
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Thursday
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Jan. 1
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ULM
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Monroe, La.
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Saturday
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Jan. 3
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Louisiana
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Lafayette, La.
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THURSDAY
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JAN. 8
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TEXAS STATE
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HATTIESBURG
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SATURDAY
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JAN. 10
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ULM
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HATTIESBURG
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Wednesday
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Jan. 14
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Troy
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Troy, Ala.
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Saturday
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Jan. 17
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Texas State
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San Marcos, Texas
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Thursday
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Jan. 22
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Georgia State
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Atlanta, Ga.
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Saturday
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Jan. 24
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Coastal Carolina
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Conway, SC
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THURSDAY
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JAN. 29
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APP STATE
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HATTIESBURG
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SATURDAY
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JAN. 31
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JAMES MADISON
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HATTIESBURG
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Wednesday
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Feb. 4
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Marshall
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Huntington, WV
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SATURDAY
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FEB. 7
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MAC-SBC CHALLENGE^
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HATTIESBURG
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THURSDAY
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FEB. 12
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SOUTH ALABAMA
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HATTIESBURG
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SATURDAY
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FEB. 14
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TROY
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HATTIESBURG
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SATURDAY
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FEB. 21
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OLD DOMINION
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HATTIESBURG
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Tuesday
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Feb. 24
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Arkansas State
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Jonesboro, Ark.
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Friday
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Feb. 27
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South Alabama
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Mobile, Ala.
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March 3-9
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Sun Belt Tournament
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Pensacola, Fla.
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Season tickets for the 2025-26 Southern Miss men’s basketball season will be available for purchase in the coming weeks. For more information, visit SouthernMissT.com/Tickets.
Follow @SouthernMissMBB on X, Instagram and Facebook for the latest news regarding Southern Miss men’s basketball.
(Photos by Hunter Dawkins/The Gazebo Gazette via SuperTalk Mississippi News/Associated Press)
