SAN ANTONIO – The UTSA men's basketball team will start a season-long, three-game homestand with a pair of league tests vs. Southern Miss, starting on Friday at 6 p.m. at the Convocation Center. The series will conclude on Saturday at 3 p.m.
Friday's game will be streamed live on CUSA TV and Saturday is set for an ESPN+ broadcast. Both games will be live on Ticket 760 AM.
UTSA (5-8, 1-5 Conference USA) comes into the game sporting a 5-1 record at home in 2020-21. The Roadrunners suffered a two-game setback at Louisiana Tech last weekend, falling 77-66 in the opener on Friday and 82-66 in the finale on Saturday in Ruston.
The Roadrunners have averaged 77.2 points per game, allowing 77.8 points per outing. UTSA is shooting 42.6 percent as a team, including 29.9 percent from 3-point range, holding foes to 43.9 percent overall and 36.6 percent from range. UTSA averages 38.9 rebounds, 14.2 assists, 12.8 turnovers, 6.4 steals and 3.2 blocks per game as a team.
UTSA is led by senior guards Jhivvan Jackson and Keaton Wallace. Two of the three highest scoring players in UTSA history, the pair have combined to score 4,110 career points. Jackson averages 18.8 points and 3.8 rebounds per game, while Wallace chips in 14.4 points and 4.8 rebounds per game. Sophomore center Jacob Germany averages 9.8 points and 5.8 rebounds per game. Junior Eric Parrish sports 6.7 points and 4.7 rebounds per game, while freshman Jordan Ivy-Curry adds 6.3 points and 2.7 rebounds per outing.
Southern Miss leads the all-time series with UTSA, 7-5 but the series is completely dominated by the home team. The Golden Eagles have won all seven of their home games with the Roadrunners, while UTSA has won all five of its home tilts with USM.
UTSA won the meeting last year, 80-70 in San Antonio on Jan. 11, 2020. UTSA got a 23-point, six rebounds, four assist game from Jhivvan Jackson and 16 points from Keaton Wallace. Erik Czumbel made three 3-pointers and Byron Frohnen had nine points and eight rebounds. UTSA shot 48.1 percent in the win, while Southern Miss shot 47.2 percent, going 3 of 14 from 3-point range. UTSA bombed in 15 of 27 3-pointers. Southern Miss had four players in double figures, led by Artur Konontsuk, who had 14 points.
Southern Miss (7-6, 3-3 C-USA) averages 65.1 points per game as a team, allowing 62.1. The Golden Eagles are shooting 44.3 percent as a team and 35.8 percent from range, holding foes to 39.3 percent and 30.8 percent from 3-point range. USM averages 37.1 rebounds, 12.1 assists, 14.7 turnovers, 5.4 steals and 1.8 blocks per game as a team.
The Golden Eagles are led by Tyler Stevenson, a 6-foot-8 forward, who averages 13.0 points and 7.2 rebounds per game. Jaron Pierre Jr., an early contender for C-USA Freshman of the Year – averages 10.9 points and 4.8 rebounds per game. Tae Hardy sports 10.5 points and 2.0 rebounds per game, while veteran LaDavius Draine averages 9.8 points and 43.8 rebounds per game.
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