HATTIESBURG, Miss. – Although the real 2026-27 men's college basketball season won't start for Southern Miss until Nov. 2, the Golden Eagles gave fans an early look at this year's team as they took on LSU-New Orleans in an exhibition on Wednesday night at Reed Green Coliseum. When the dust settled, New Orleans' nine made 3s and 11-point advantage in points off of turnovers proved too much for Southern Miss to overcome, as the Golden Eagles lost, 82-72.

For a team with essentially a brand-new roster , the Golden Eagles looked the part in this one, as they had some defensive breakdowns and offensive possessions that they weren't able to finish the way head coach Jay Ladner would've liked.

"I saw a lot of randomness, which is my responsibility," Ladner said. "And I take responsibility for it. We may make a great play on offense, and the same guy on defense would lose his man or gamble. I thought we gambled too much. I thought there's a fine line between being aggressive and then being reckless and gambling.…