Southern Miss basketball’s turnaround season ends with first-round NIT loss at UAB
The most successful Southern Miss basketball season in nearly a decade has reached its conclusion.
The Golden Eagles ran out of gas in the first round of the NIT in an 88-60 loss at UAB on Tuesday. Double-digit scoring efforts from Austin Crowley and DeAndre Pinckney and a career-high 13 from Nico Aguirre were not enough to overcome 24 team turnovers.
The Blazers got 26 from KJ Buffen and scored 30 points off USM’s turnovers. UAB used a 12-0 run in the second half to key a 47-22 run over the final 20 minutes.
The loss ended one of the sharpest turnarounds in college basketball history. Southern Miss (25-8) won more games in head coach Jay Ladner’s fourth season than it did in his first three combined (24).
The Golden Eagles improved by 18 wins, two short of Iowa State’s NCAA-record 20-game jump last season. Southern Miss ends the campaign with a Sun Belt Conference regular-season title banner after being picked by league coaches to finish 13th.
What’s next for USM
Crowley and forward Felipe Haase were instrumental in turning USM’s fortunes around after arriving via transfer from Ole Miss and Mercer, respectively.
Haase, who began his career at South Carolina, averaged a career-high 15.3 points per game while Crowley also set a career mark with a 16.1 scoring average.
While Haase’s collegiate career came to an end with a 7-point outing in Birmingham, the Eagles have a pair of players that could serve as strong cornerstones for USM’s next run.
Crowley and Neftali Alvarez, who played in 15 games around a foot injury, both have another year of eligibility and are likely Ladner’s top recruiting priorities.
Southern Miss will have to replace more than just Haase’s production this offseason, though. Denijay Harris and DeAndre Pinckney combined to play 167 games in the Black-and-Gold during their careers, leaving a significant experience gap to fill.
Among the school’s top priorities is working on a new deal for Ladner, who has coached the final game on his original contract.
A source told the Sun Herald that the school is “looking forward” to working a new deal for Ladner after he earned $35,000 in bonuses this season.
