White thinks USM will treat finale like NCAA tourney

When Conference USA released its television schedule last September, league officials did so with the assumption a March 5, 2015 matchup between Louisiana Tech and Southern Miss on CBS Sports Network would hold some significance.

It seemed like an intriguing matchup at the time considering Tech and Southern Miss were two of the four teams that won a share of the 2014 regular season title.

And while Tech and Southern Miss are on completely different paths, the two teams have plenty to play for in Thursday's clash at the Thomas Assembly Center.

Tech (23-7, 14-3) is looking for its first outright regular season conference title since 1999. Southern Miss (9-19, 4-13), according to Tech coach Michael White, will treat the game with a similar mindset.

"This will be the NCAA Tournament for those guys when they come up here," White said. "They have absolutely nothing to lose. They're going to let it fly, play with a ton of confidence like they did at home beating UTEP."

Southern Miss won't be participating in March's conference tournament, let alone the NCAA Tournament. The top 12 teams (Southern Miss is in 13th place) head to Birmingham, Alabama, but the Golden Eagles didn't have a choice this season anyway.

Earlier in the year, Southern Miss self-imposed a postseason ban as the NCAA began an investigation looking into improper benefits under former coach Donnie Tyndall, who is now at Tennessee.

Two starters, Rasham Suarez and Jeremiah Eason, were subsequently ruled ineligible.

"I don't think we'll treat it any different than we've been treating (games)," Southern Miss coach Doc Sadler told the Hattiesburg American on Monday. "I expect us to go over there and play as hard as we can play and hopefully, like all road games, not turn it over, make a few shots and get it down to five minutes and have a chance to win."

Things got so bad at Southern Miss this season that the Golden Eagles finished an overtime loss against Florida International with four players due to injuries and three players fouling out.

That's when the pushover label was stamped on Southern Miss as the Golden Eagles became an automatic win for most Conference USA teams.

Unfazed, Southern Miss knocked off Texas-San Antonio last week then shocked the entire conference with a 24-point comeback win over UTEP.

"I anticipate them coming out very strong with them overcoming a huge deficit against UTEP. That win right there will give them so much momentum," Tech senior guard Speedy Smith said. "I believe that if your team doesn't have the chance to go to the conference tournament, you're going to come out swinging as hard as you can. I just owe it to my guys to come out, play with an edge, get the win and celebrate after that."

Southern Miss has a new coach with Sadler and several new players who weren't on the 2014 squad that Tech knocked out in the semifinals of the C-USA tournament, but collectively, they can now spoil Tech from winning a conference title on the Bulldogs' home floor.

"I don't think they get enough credit as much as a good team that they are," Tech senior forward Michale Kyser said. "They beat UTEP, and I know how deadly they can be coming in here."

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