GAME NOTES: The Louisiana Tech Bulldogs will try to clinch an outright Conference USA regular season title as they host the Southern Miss Golden Eagles at the Thomas Assembly Center.

This will be the final outing of the 2014-15 season for Southern Miss, which self-imposed a postseason ban for this season due to violations by former coach Donnie Tyndall. Although the majority of the Golden Eagles' first campaign under coach Doc Sadler has been painful to watch, they come into Thursday's contest on a two-game winning streak following home victories over Texas-San Antonio (70-66) and Texas-El Paso (63-60). USM has gone just 1-7 on the road since entering the conference portion of its schedule.

The Golden Eagles are netting only 60.0 points per game, but have allowed their opposition to post 68.1 ppg. They are also being outrebounded by just under five boards per tilt. USM did a solid job of spreading the ball around versus UTEP its last time out, as it assisted 17 of its 21 makes from the floor. The Golden Eagles also recorded 11 steals to off-set their 5-of-21 shooting from 3-point range and 16-of-29 clip at the charity stripe. Junior forward Norville Carey and sophomore guard Shadell Millinghaus tied for the team-high with 17 points apiece. Junior guard Chip Armelin chipped in 16 points, while freshman point guard Kevin Holland handed out seven assists. Armelin is ranked fifth among C-USA players in points per game (16.0) and makes from 3-point range per game (2.1). Matt Bingaya is second on the squad in scoring at 13.9 ppg and pulls down a team-best 5.7 rpg.

This will be the second matchup of the season between USM and the Bulldogs. Louisiana Tech defeated the Golden Eagles, 83-70, in Hattiesburg in the conference opener for both sides. The Bulldogs are 25-9 versus USM in Ruston after winning the last 13 meetings.

Louisiana Tech began its season-ending three-game homestand with a 77-60 win over UTEP before downing UTSA, 76-66, on Saturday. Coach Michael White's team is in sole possession of first place in the C-USA race, 1.5 games ahead of the UAB Blazers. The Bulldogs' triumph over the Roadrunners marked their 28th consecutive win at the Thomas Assembly Center, giving them the fourth longest active home winning streak nationally.

Louisiana Tech has been driven to its 23-7 overall standing by the dynamic backcourt duo of Alex Hamilton and Raheem Appleby, who rank sixth and eighth in the C-USA in scoring, respectively. However, the Bulldogs' big men stole the show in their win over UTSA on Saturday. Sophomore forward Eric McCree tallied a team-high 16 points, which he accompanied with seven boards and four steals. Senior center Michale Kyser also made a major impact with 10 points, eight rebounds and nine blocked shots. Hamilton and Appleby combined for 28 points, while senior floor general Kenneth Smith contributed 12 points and seven assists. Hamilton, Kyser and Smith will become the winningest players in program history if Louisiana Tech knocks off the Golden Eagles.

Although USM has showed signs of life down the stretch, it is going to be overmatched against a motivated Louisiana Tech unit on Thursday. The Bulldogs are gearing up for a run at the NCAA Tournament. There is little doubt they will try to end the regular season on a positive note.