After being picked last in the Sun Belt preseason poll, Southern Miss Men’s basketball has just claimed the regular season Sun Belt title in their first year in the Sun Belt.

“It shows you how useless the polls are,” Ladner said when asked about being in first place after beating Louisiana on February 10

Southern Miss needed some help to win the title outright. They needed Marshall to lose to Old Dominion, which happened. The Monarchs ended Marshall’s hot streak by besting them 71-67. Southern Miss also needed to beat Texas State tonight on the road, which they did.

This is the first regular season championship since they were co-champions with Cincinnati in 2001. This is their first outright championship since 1991; they went to the NCAA tournament in 2001 and NIT in 1991. (The NCAA vacated the regular season title in 2013-14)

At the beginning of the season, it seemed unthinkable; some said it was improbable. However, what the team said was different; it was a goal and mindset they had since day one.

Felipe Hasse, who has become a household name for Southern Miss basketball fans, seemed to know from day one that this was likely.

“I’m excited to do things right, bring people to the gym, and get the fans involved. I can’t wait and prove those who picked us to be last in the conference wrong,” Haase said before the season.

Hasse led the team in scoring tonight against Texas State with 23 points.

Throughout the season, family has been the motto. #LaFamilia, as they call it. Southern Miss is on the verge of completing the greatest turnaround season in NCAA history this season.

The win tonight brought the team’s record to 25-6. Twenty-five wins are the most wins in the regular season by any Southern Miss team since turning to division one.

The 2023 Sun Belt Men’s bracket is out and Southern Miss has claimed the No. 1 seed and will play their first game in Pensacola on Saturday, March 4 at 11:30 AM. They will face the winner of the No. 8 South Alabama and No. 9 Appalachian State.

What Jay Ladner and his staff have done this season is nothing short of incredible. It will go down in history here at Southern Miss.

All eyes now turn to Pensacola, Flordia, where the Eagles, amazingly, eye a bid at the big dance.