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NEW ORLEANS - The LSU New Orleans and Southern Miss men's basketball programs will tune up for the regular season against each other on Wednesday night at Reed Green Coliseum in Hattiesburg, Miss. Tipoff is set for 6:00 p.m.
The Privateers are looking to keep up the momentum from last season's 11-win turnaround. Only Ron Greene's 1973-1974 squad (12 wins) had a bigger win difference from one year to the next. A 10-win improvement in league play matched Tim Floyd's 1992-1993 team for the biggest conference improvement in program history. Nine wins on the road last season joined the 1992-1993 and 2007-2008 teams for the most in program history.'
Only Miami (+17 wins), Green Bay (+14 wins), Seton Hall (+13 wins), and Stephen F. Austin (+13 wins) improved by more wins than the Privateers last season.
Kedrick Osby,
Enzo Boudouma and
Jamal Chretien II are the lone returners who saw action last season. Osby saw action in 32 games last season with seven starts and averaged 4.9 points per game and 2.2 rebounds per game as a key contributor off the bench. Boudouma put up similar numbers - in 32 games with six starts the Swiss international averaged 5.3 points per game and 3.1 rebounds per game. Chretien saw action in 14 games with four starts scoring 19 points in 130 minutes of action.
Eze Nwakamma returns to the team but did not see action last season.
Those four are joined by newcomers:
Jaydon Awe (Northern Oklahoma - Tonkawa),
Walter Campbell (Lincoln Memorial University),
Nick Jones (Wagner),
Autrail Manning Jr. (John Curtis Christian),
Marcus McDonald (Phoenix College Preparatory Academy),
Cham Okey (North Dakota College of Science), Solomin Ominu (Midland College),
Yohandry Ortiz (South Plains CC),
Jonathan Pace (Mississippi Valley State),
Sam Parson (Columbia State CC), Kryan Ratliff (Louisiana),
Alan Shi (Brookline HS) and
Kahlil Singleton (Canisius).
In regular season matchups the all-time series between the two teams is tied 11-11. Southern Miss won the last regular meeting in 2009.
SCOUTING THE GOLDEN EAGLES
Southern Miss finished 19-16 a season ago including a 9-9 mark in the Sun Belt. Their season ended with a Sun Belt semifinal loss to eventual champion Troy. USM was picked to finish seventh in the league this season by the league's coaches.
Senior guard Isaac Taveras was named Sun Belt Preseason Player of the Year on Monday afternoon. The former South Plains teammate of current Privateer sophomore Ortiz averaged 15.3 points, 6.8 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game last season.
Brewer Carruth, Chandler Watts and Fallou Diagne also return from last season's team - Carruth is the only remaining Golden Eagle from USM's overtime exhibition win in
Stacy Hollowell's Privateer debut on the Privateer bench two seasons ago. He led USM with 22 points in their scrimmage last week.
COVERAGE INFORMATION
There will be no live video tomorrow night, or any Privateer Radio Network coverage. Southern Miss will be providing audio coverage at the link above, as well as live stats at the link above. Updates will also be available on @PrivateersHoops on X throughout the game and a full recap and box score will be posted on PrivateerSports.com after the game.
ABOUT LSU NEW ORLEANS
In July of 2026 the University of New Orleans rejoined the LSU system and rebranded to "LSU New Orleans" bringing together two powerful brands - the purple and gold of LSU with the unbreakable spirit of New Orleans. The transition marks a return to the LSU family for the University - a place it called home from 1958-2011. Athletic teams will remain the Privateers and continue to compete in the Southland Conference.
FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA
Supporters are encouraged to visit PrivateerSports.com for the latest information on LSU New Orleans Athletics. You can also follow us on social media at @PrivateersHoops on Facebook, Instagram, X (formerly Twitter) and @PrivateerSports on YouTube.
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