SOUTH ALABAMA MEN S BASKETBALL

South Alabama Quick Facts School Name...University of South Alabama Location... Mobile, Ala. Founded...1963 Enrollment...16,699 President... Dr. Tony G. Waldrop (North Carolina 74) Athletics Director... Dr. Joel Erdmann (S. Dakota St. 86) National Affiliation... NCAA Division I Conference...Sun Belt Home Court... Mitchell Center (10,000) Nickname...Jaguars School Colors...Blue, Red and White Coaching Staff Head Coach...Matthew Graves Alma Mater...Butler, 1998 Record at South Alabama...59-84 (5th year) Career Record...Same Men s Basketball Office Phone...(251) 460-6104 Best Time of Day to Reach... Weekday mornings Assistant Coach...Darnell Archey Alma Mater...Butler, 2003 Assistant Coach... Russ Willemsen Alma Mater...Lee, 2004 Assistant Coach...Brock Morris Alma Mater... Alabama, 2008 Director of Basketball Operations...Andrew Steele Alma Mater... Alabama, 2012 Assistant Athletic Trainer... Matthew Brown Strategic Communications Assistant Athletic Director...Brian Fremund Office...(251) 414-8032 Email...bfremund@southalabama.edu Asst. Strategic Comm./MBB Contact... Matt Horne Office...(251) 414-8184 Email...mhorne@southalabama.edu Strategic Communications Fax...(251) 460-7297 Press Row Phone...(251) 460-7418 Strategic Comm. Mailing Address... 5950 Old Shell Rd. Mitchell Center Room 1209 Mobile, AL 36688 Basketball History First Year of Basketball...1968-69 Overall All-Time Record...797-625 All-Time Sun Belt Conference Record...344-288 NCAA Tournament Appearances/Last... 8/2008 NIT Tournament Appearances/Last... 4/2007 Sun Belt Tournament titles... 1980, 1989, 1991, 1997 1998, 2006 Media Relations Contacts South Alabama Matt Horne (mhorne@southalabama.edu) (251) 414-8184 (office) (912) 536-5806 (cell) Texas State Phillip Pongratz (pdp30@txstate.edu) (512) 245-4387 (office) (931) 446-4001 (cell) 2017-18 SOUTH ALABAMA MEN S BASKETBALL THE COACHES South Alabama Matthew Graves (Butler, 1998) Record at USA: 59-84 (5th year) Overall Record: Same Record vs. Texas State: 2-6 Texas State Danny Kaspar (North Texas, 1978) Record at TXST: 67-77 (5th year) Overall Record: 532-270 (27th year) LAST GAME South Alabama edged Georgia Southern on Sunday 69-67. Texas State won at Coastal Carolina 53-48. NEXT GAME The Jaguars stay in Texas to take on UTA Saturday afternoon. The Bobcats host Troy. ON THE AIR Radio: 99.5 FM The Jag; J.D. Byars (pxp) On the web: 995thejag.com/listen (audio); Texas State Bobcats All-Access (video) RANKINGS (Through Jan. 2) USA: #220 RPI, #203 Sagarin TXST: #315 RPI, #211 Sagarin THE SERIES Texas State leads 6-2. Current streak: Texas State, 1 win Last meeting: Texas State 90, South Alabama 64 (2/27/17) USA s last win in the series: 72-67 OT (1/14/17) USA s last win in Strahan Coliseum: None TXST s last win in Strahan Coliseum: 90-64 (2/27/17) USA s record in Strahan Coliseum: 0-4 USA s road streak: Lost 4 USA s longest winning / losing streak in series: 1 / 4 Notes: The two schools have met just eight times in their history, all after Texas State joined the Sun Belt Conference starting in 2013-14 The Jaguars stopped a four-game losing streak in the series last year at home in overtime. www.usajaguars.com @SouthAlaMBK Game 15 South Alabama Jaguars (8-6, 2-0) at Texas State Bobcats (8-7, 1-1) January 4, 2018 7:30 p.m. Strahan Coliseum (7,200) San Marcos, Texas 2017-18 Schedule Date Opponent Result/Time 11/10 at Texas Tech# L 50-75 11/13 MOBILE W 71-49 11/16 at La Salle# L 73-81 11/18 vs. Maine# W 68-46 11/19 vs. Saint Peter s# W 54-49 11/22 STETSON LOT 77-81 11/26 NEW ORLEANS W 55-52 11/29 SOUTHERN MISS W 69-58 12/2 at Florida International L 58-87 12/10 at Southern Illinois-Edwardsville L 75-76 12/16 EASTERN ILLINOIS W 63-52 12/21 at Tulane L 73-77 12/29 GEORGIA STATE* W 86-64 12/31 GEORGIA SOUTHERN* W 69-67 1/4 at Texas State* 7:30 p.m. 1/6 at UTA* 4:15 p.m. 1/9 TRINITY BAPTIST (Fla.) 7:05 p.m. 1/13 TROY* 3:05 p.m. 1/18 COASTAL CAROLINA* 7:05 p.m. 1/20 APPALACHIAN STATE* 3:05 p.m. 1/25 at Louisiana* 7:15 p.m. 1/27 at ULM* 2 p.m. 2/3 at Troy* 4:15 p.m. 2/8 LITTLE ROCK* 7:05 p.m. 2/10 ARKANSAS STATE* 3:05 p.m. 2/15 at Appalachian State* 6:30 p.m. CST 2/17 at Coastal Carolina* 2:30 p.m. CST 2/22 ULM* 7:05 p.m. 2/24 LOUISIANA* 7:05 p.m. 3/1 at Georgia Southern* 6:30 p.m. CST 3/3 at Georgia State* 1:15 p.m. CST 3/7-11 at Sun Belt Conference Tournament TBA * Sun Belt Conference game # Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame Tip-Off Quick Hits Record: 8-6 vs. non-conf: 6-6 / vs. Sun Belt: 2-0 Streak: Won 2 Last 5 / 10 / 15 games: 3-2 / 6-4 / 8-7 Longest winning / losing streak: 2 / 2 Wins vs. RPI Top 50 / 100: 0 / 0 SOUTH ALABAMA AT-A-GLANCE No. Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Yr. MPG PPG RPG Notes 0 Joe Thompson F 6-7 211 Fr. 10.7 1.4 3.2 Career-high 9 rebounds vs. Southern Miss 1 Herb McGee G 6-1 195 So. 25.8 8.1 3.2 Career-high 8 assists vs. Georgia State; 5.3 apg in last 3 games 3 Kevin Morris F 6-8 265 So. 8.5 1.7 2.2 Made 9 of last 12 shots from the floor 4 A.J. Caldwell G 6-4 190 Fr. 5.0 1.0 0.8 Out for the rest of the season with a knee injury 5 Dederick Lee G 6-0 162 Sr. 15.6 3.3 1.7 Set new season high with 6 assists (1 turnover) vs. Georgia State 11 John Pettway G 6-1 180 Fr. 6.9 2.6 0.6 5.5 ppg, 4-7 FGs vs. FIU/SIUE 12 R.J. Kelly F 6-5 183 So. Transfer from Savannah State 13 Devin Epps G 5-11 167 Sr. 0.8 0.0 0.0 Redshirted last season 14 Rodrick Sikes G 6-1 155 Jr. 28.7 18.4 2.6 30.7 ppg in last 3 games; Sun Belt Player of the Week 21 Nick Davis F 6-6 191 Sr. 23.2 5.1 5.4 8.5 ppg, 7.0 rpg in last 2 games; 4th in SBC in blks (1.6) 25 Jordan Andrews G 6-4 180 So. 23.1 10.0 2.0 19 pts vs. Georgia State (5-8 on 3s), most since 20 at La Salle on 11/16 30 Ethan Haslam G 6-1 182 So. 1.3 0.0 0.0 Appeared in 8 games last season 33 Josh Ajayi F 6-7 244 So. 30.8 12.2 6.8 16 pts, 10 rebs vs. GSU; 3 double-doubles this season 34 Rozelle Nix F 6-11 330 Gr. 11.3 2.3 2.1 Career-high 8 points, season-best 7 rebounds vs. Saint Peter s 42 Trhae Mitchell F 6-6 189 So. 29.4 4.9 6.8 8.5 rpg, 3.0 bpg in last 2 games Probable Starters Highlighted

PREVIEWING THURSDAY Head coach Matthew Graves on Texas State On what the team can do to keep its run going: I think we have to keep hanging our hat on the defensive end of the floor. We re doing a great job of making opponents shoot one tough shot and doing a much better job rebounding that missed shot. If we continue to do that, our offense has shown an ability to get hot. We have to continue working on that side of the ball. On what can change to win in Texas: Obviously we haven t had success on the Texas swing, but you have to isolate it and focus on the game at hand, and go into it with the mindset of playing solid defense on the road. We have to take care of the basketball and take great shots. It s not a magic formula it s a mindset and bringing some toughness and an ability to focus away from home. On Texas State: I believe that Coach Kaspar is one of the best defensive coaches in the country. He gets his kids in a stance, they re physical, they play really hard, and they make it difficult to score. The last couple of days of practice, we ve really preached about being strong with the ball and we understand that there s going to be fouling and contact that won t be called, and you have to have the mindset to play through that. Those are the things that you have to take with you when you go on the court against this Texas State team. On Nijal Pearson: I think Pearson is one of the most versatile players in the league. He does a great job for them offensively scoring in the paint, from the 3-point line and the free-throw line. He does a good job of getting to the offensive glass and he defends on the other end of the floor as well he s second on the team in steals. He s a complete basketball player and does a great job for them. SOUTH ALABAMA S LAST GAME South Alabama 69, Georgia Southern 67 December 31, 2017 MOBILE, Ala. University of South Alabama junior Rodrick Sikes led all scorers with 27 points and the men s basketball team survived a last-second shot to edge Georgia Southern 69-67 Sunday afternoon at the Mitchell Center. A layup from Quan Jackson with 46.5 seconds left gave Georgia Southern (10-4, 1-1 Sun Belt) a 67-66 lead, but senior Nick Davis regained the lead with a putback with 29.5 on the clock. Jackson missed a 3-pointer on the Eagles next possession, and after a free throw from USA sophomore Herb McGee, Jackson was off the mark again as time expired. Sikes, the only Jaguar (8-6, 2-0) in double-digit points, hit five 3-pointers and went 8 for 9 from the free-throw line, including all three attempts with 1:40 left to break a 63-63 tie. GAME FACTS - The largest lead for either team in the final 18 minutes of the game was four - Georgia Southern missed its first seven shots and fell behind 16-3 in the early going, but hit a half-court shot at the buzzer to only trail at intermission 39-35 - Sikes opened the second half with a triple, but the Eagles scored the next eight points to take their first lead of the contest - The score was tied seven times and changed hands eight times in the second half - After GS s Jake Allsmiller and sophomore Jordan Andrews traded 3-pointers, the Eagles Mike Hughes knotted the score at 63-63 with 3:18 left with a free throw - Sikes went 3 for 3 at the line at the 1:40 mark to go up 66-63, but Tookie Brown converted twice at the line 15 seconds later, then Jackson followed with a layup to retake the lead - Jackson led Georgia Southern with 14 points, and Hughes and Brown added 13 and 12, respectively. THEY SAID IT Head Coach Matthew Graves Opening statement: Obviously, I m very excited and proud of our team protecting our home court. (We re) 2-0 in league play, it s hard to win in league play, but especially when you go on the road it s hard to win. Every game at home matters. Our guys are starting to value that and appreciate that. We played really good defensively. Obviously they got a shot there late that s a great set that they ran. I thought we rebounded the ball when we needed to in crucial situations. Rodrick stepped up and made three free throws there, and we held on. On the confidence of the team: Rodrick is obviously scoring the ball really well for us. We need him to continue to do that and take good shots. There s some shots you would like to take back. When a shooter has that much confidence and he knows that he doesn t have to worry about coming out of the game when he takes a bad one every now and then, as long as he guards, we re going to be okay. They took Josh away tonight. They did a good job defending Josh, but Josh really embraced that. He got eight defensive rebounds for us inside. When you look through the balance of scoring, several guys stepped up and made shots at different times. Jordan Andrews made a big 2017-18 South Alabama Men s Basketball Game Notes - Page 2 OPENING TIP South Alabama is 2-0 in the Sun Belt for the first time since 2012-13. The Jags 8-6 record before New Year s Day is their best since 2011-12. USA has lost 11 straight road games in the state of Texas. South Alabama is 6-2 when scoring fewer than 70 points in a game. The team had nine such wins in head coach Matthew Graves first four years combined. Thursday will be a matchup of the league s top two scoring defenses. Texas State is first at 62.5 ppg and South Alabama is next with 65.3 ppg. The Jaguars are first in field-goal percentage defense (.395) and 3-point defense (.297). The Bobcats are sixth in field goal defense (.422) and second in 3-point defense (.306). Nationally, the Jags are 25th in 3-point defense, 35th in field goal defense and 39th in scoring defense. Winning the rebounding and shooting battle has been key for the Jaguars this season. The team is 6-1 when outshooting its opponent and 5-1 when winning the battle of the boards. USA lost both categories Sunday against Georgia Southern, giving up a season-high 51 rebounds, but still managed to pull out the win. USA s 34.4 shooting percentage against Georgia Southern is the lowest in a win since Feb. 11, 2010. Rodrick Sikes, who was named the Sun Belt Player of the Week on Tuesday, is averaging 30.7 points and 5.7 treys in his last three games. He had a game-high 27 Sunday, shooting 5 for 10 from 3-point land and 8 for 9 from the free-throw line. Sikes, who has scored double-digit points in 13 consecutive games, is fifth in the conference in scoring (18.4 ppg) and second in 3-pointers per game (3.2). His 3-point average is 28th in Division I. Sikes has three 30-point games this season, the most by a USA player since Augustine Rubit had four in 2012-13. Josh Ajayi had his eight-game double-digit point streak snapped vs. Georgia Southern, but he scored his 500th career point, the most by any active player on the team. He still grabbed a team-high-tying eight rebounds and is averaging 9.0 rpg in his last two games. Herb McGee is averaging 5.3 assists in his last three games after dishing out a team-best four on Sunday. The Bobcats Nijal Pearson is the team s leading scorer with 14.6 ppg. He is second on the team in 3s (26), assists (27), blocks (6) and steals (19). Pearson is averaged 14.5 points against the Jags last year, including 15 in San Marcos. He had seven rebounds and four steals in Mobile. TEXAS STATE AT A GLANCE No. Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Yr. Pts. Rbs. Hometown 0 Isaiah Gurley G 6-3 195 Jr. 4.6 1.9 Brooklyn, N.Y. 1 Reggie Miller G 6-0 150 Fr. 2.5 1.1 Houston, Texas 2 Tre Larenz Nottingham G 6-2 185 Jr. 4.1 1.5 Moreno Valley, Calif. 3 Deris Duncan G 6-4 185 Sr. 2.1 1.0 Fishers, Ind. 4 Shelby Adams G 6-3 175 Fr. 3.1 1.1 Converse, Texas 5 Marlin Davis G 6-2 165 So. 5.2 2.0 Houston, Texas 10 Tyler Blount G 5-11 165 Sr. 7.8 1.9 Virginia Beach, Va. 14 Quentin Scott F 6-7 215 Fr. 1.6 2.0 Houma, La. 22 Nijal Pearson G 6-5 200 So. 14.6 5.6 Beaumont, Texas 23 Alex Peacock F 6-7 215 Jr. 7.4 5.3 Bloomington, Ill. 25 Alonzo Sule F 6-7 200 Fr. Houston, Texas 33 Immanuel King F 6-8 230 Sr. 9.3 6.3 Rocky Mount, N.C. 35 Jaylen Shead G 6-1 170 Jr. Pflugerville, Texas 45 Eric Terry F 6-8 230 R-So. 6.9 2.8 Houston, Texas 55 Nedeljko Prijovic F 6-8 210 So. 4.9 4.4 Belgrade, Serbia Probable starters highlighted STATISTICAL COMPARISON South Alabama Category Texas State 67.2... Scoring Offense...69.7 65.3...Scoring Defense...62.5.416...Field Goal Percentage....459.395...Field Goal Percentage Defense....422.350... 3-Point Field Goal Percentage....322.297... 3-Point Field Goal Percentage Defense....306 8.5... 3-Point Field Goals Made Per Game... 5.7.669...Free Throw Percentage....651 37.6... Rebounds Per Game...36.1 37.3...Rebounds Allowed Per Game...29.9 13.1... Assists Per Game...13.3 16.0... Turnovers Per Game...14.1 13.5...Turnovers Forced Per Game...14.8 5.8... Steals Per Game... 5.9 4.7...Blocks Per Game... 2.7 CATEGORY LEADERS South Alabama Texas State Pts Rodrick Sikes 18.4 Nijal Pearson 14.9 Rebs Ajayi/Mitchell 6.8 Immanuel King 6.3 Assists Herb McGee 40 Marlin Davis 48 Steals Trhae Mitchell 16 Alex Peacock 20 Blocks Nick Davis 23 King/Terry 11 FG % Josh Ajayi 50.4% Immanuel King 61.3% 3-Pt FG % Herb McGee 43.4% Tyler Blount 42.2% 3-Pt FG s Rodrick Sikes 45 Pearson/Blount 27 FT % Jordan Andrews 90.9% Alex Peacock 78.0%

THE JAGUARS ARE... Jaguars lead at the half...8-2; Sun Belt: 1-0 Opponent leads at the half...0-4; Sun Belt: 0-0 Game tied at the half...0-0; Sun Belt: 0-0 Jaguars lead with 5 minutes remaining...8-2; Sun Belt: 2-0 Opponent leads with 5 minutes remaining...0-4; Sun Belt: 0-0 Tied with 5 minutes remaining...0-0; Sun Belt: 0-0 Jaguars lead with 1 minute remaining...8-1; Sun Belt: 2-0 Opponent leads with 1 minute remaining...0-5; Sun Belt: 0-0 Game is tied with 1 minute remaining...0-0; Sun Belt: 0-0 Jaguars out-shoot opponent...6-1; Sun Belt: 1-0 Opponent out-shoots Jaguars...2-5; Sun Belt: 1-0 Jaguars out-rebound opponent...5-1; Sun Belt: 1-0 Opponent out-rebounds Jaguars...3-5; Sun Belt: 1-0 Rebounds are even...0-0; Sun Belt: 0-0 Jaguars shoot 50+% in the 1st half...0-0; Sun Belt: 0-0 Jaguars shoot below 50% in the 1st half...8-6; Sun Belt: 2-0 Jaguars shoot 50+% in the 2nd half...2-1; Sun Belt: 1-0 Jaguars shoot below 50% in the 2nd half...6-5; Sun Belt: 1-0 Jaguars shoot 50+% in the game...2-0; Sun Belt: 1-0 Jaguars shoot below 50% in the game...6-6; Sun Belt: 1-0 Opponent shoots 50+% in the 1st half...0-2; Sun Belt: 0-0 Opponent shoots below 50% in the 1st half...8-4; Sun Belt: 2-0 Opponent shoots 50+% in the 2nd half...0-1; Sun Belt: 0-0 Opponent shoots below 50% in the 2nd half...8-5; Sun Belt: 2-0 Opponent shoots 50+% in the game...0-1; Sun Belt: 0-0 Opponent shoots below 50% in the game...8-5; Sun Belt: 2-0 Jaguars make 15+ free throws...5-2; Sun Belt: 2-0 Jaguars make fewer than 15 free throws...3-4; Sun Belt: 0-0 Opponent makes 15+ free throws...1-3; Sun Belt: 1-0 Opponent makes fewer than 15 free throws...7-3; Sun Belt: 1-0 Jaguars have more turnovers than opponent...4-4; Sun Belt: 1-0 Opponent has more turnovers than Jaguars...4-2; Sun Belt: 1-0 Turnovers are the same...0-0; Sun Belt: 0-0 Jaguars have a positive assist/turnover ratio...2-1; Sun Belt: 0-0 Jaguars have a negative assist/turnover ratio...6-3; Sun Belt: 2-0 Jaguars have an even assist/turnover ratio...0-2; Sun Belt: 0-0 Jaguars bench out-scores opponent bench...5-3; Sun Belt: 1-0 Opponent bench out-scores Jaguars bench...2-2; Sun Belt: 0-0 Bench points are even...1-1; Sun Belt: 1-0 When a USA player has a double-double...2-1; Sun Belt: 1-0 When Josh Ajayi has a double-double...2-1; Sun Belt: 1-0 When Rodrick Sikes scores 30+ points...1-2; Sun Belt: 1-0 Jaguars score fewer than 50 points...0-0; Sun Belt: 0-0 Jaguars score between 50-59 points...2-2; Sun Belt: 0-0 Jaguars score between 60-69 points...4-0; Sun Belt: 1-0 Jaguars score between 70-79 points...1-4; Sun Belt: 0-0 Jaguars score between 80-89 points...1-0; Sun Belt: 1-0 Jaguars score between 90-99 points...0-0; Sun Belt: 0-0 Jaguars score 100+ points...0-0; Sun Belt: 0-0 Opponent scores fewer than 50 points...3-0; Sun Belt: 0-0 Opponent scores between 50-59 points...3-0; Sun Belt: 0-0 Opponent scores between 60-69 points...2-0; Sun Belt: 2-0 Opponent scores between 70-79 points...0-3; Sun Belt: 0-0 Opponent scores between 80-89 points...0-3; Sun Belt: 0-0 Opponent scores between 90-99 points...0-0; Sun Belt: 0-0 Opponent scores 100+ points...0-0; Sun Belt: 0-0 Games decided by one point...0-1; Sun Belt: 0-0 Games decided by 2-3 points...2-0; Sun Belt: 1-0 Games decided by 4-5 points...1-2; Sun Belt: 0-0 Games decided by 20+ points...3-2; Sun Belt: 1-0 Games decided in overtime...0-1; Sun Belt: 0-0 November games...5-3; Sun Belt: 0-0 December games...3-3; Sun Belt: 2-0 January games...0-0; Sun Belt: 0-0 February games...0-0; Sun Belt: 0-0 March games...0-0; Sun Belt: 0-0 On Mondays...1-0; Sun Belt: 0-0 On Tuesdays...0-0; Sun Belt: 0-0 On Wednesdays...1-1; Sun Belt: 0-0 On Thursdays...0-2; Sun Belt: 0-0 On Fridays...1-1; Sun Belt: 1-0 On Saturdays...2-1; Sun Belt: 0-0 On Sundays...3-1; Sun Belt: 1-0 During the day...4-2; Sun Belt: 1-0 At night...4-4; Sun Belt: 1-0 3 there late after they hit a 3. Our guys are gaining more confidence, and I think that is going to continue as we go out on the road. On this being something he saw coming on Rodrick: There s no way I think anybody saw that. I don t mean that in a negative way to Rodrick. We felt when we recruited him that he would be a double-figure scorer for us, you know 10 to 12 points per game. To his credit, he s really embraced our system, especially defensively, and that kid is always in the gym. He finds a way to get a manager to rebound for him or he gets the gun out and he gets shots up. He s a product of hard work and getting extra reps in. I m so happy for him. He s earned everything he s gotten so far. On the difference in getting a win like this compared to previous seasons: The biggest difference has been our defense. Our identity is on the defensive end of the floor. When you go through the statistics, we re in the top three in our league in a lot of different categories defensively. We probably slipped a little bit tonight in defensive rebounding, but we re doing a much better job on the glass this year. We re being more physical getting to the ball. I think you can just see guys getting more comfortable in our system. The rotation, we re starting to figure out when to sub guys and who s playing well with who. As a coaching staff, we re growing with the guys. It s going to be a lot of fun this next two and a half or three months. TEXAS STATE S LAST GAME Texas State 53, Coastal Carolina 48 December 31, 2017 CONWAY, S.C. Shooting was like day and night for the Texas State men s basketball team Sunday afternoon at the HTC Center but held on for a 53-48 victory against Coastal Carolina. The Bobcats made 65.0 percent of their shots in the opening half but were held to 27.3 percent in the final 20 minutes, while shooting 42.5 percent (19-of-42) for the contest. TXST improved to 8-7 on the season and 1-1 in the Sun Belt Conference while the Chanticleers drop to 7-8 overall and 1-1 in conference play. The win also gave the Bobcats its eighth consecutive month of a.500 record or better. This was a great win for us after coming off the disappointing loss to Appalachian State. Our guys have played for about 74 of the 80 minutes on this road trip, said head coach Danny Kaspar. This is a very tough road trip in terms of travel and I am really thankfully for the guys efforts in both games this weekend. Nijal Pearson got the scoring going with an 18-foot jumper after a defensive stop by TXST. Nearly three minutes into the contest, Tyler Blount knocked down a three-pointer as the Bobcats scored the first seven points of the game. Back-to-back three-pointers from Nedeljko Prijovic and Blount kicked started a 10-2 run for TXST over a 3:03 span. All of 10 points were scored by the duo with them netting five points apiece. Alex Peacock and Pearson knocked down treys on consecutive possessions to give the Bobcats their largest lead of the game at 30-16 with 4:21 left in the opening stanza. CCU would end the half by scoring eight of the final 10 points as TXST took a 32-24 lead into halftime. TXST s lone points coming on a desperation toss in the lane after contact by Blount that miraculously went through the hoop. The Bobcats extended their lead to 38-28 after a layup by Peacock and two free throws from Blount. The Peacock layup at the 17:09 mark was the last by TXST until the junior forward made another one with 7:20 left on the clock. During that stretch, CCU was able to cut the lead down to two. Four straight Chanticleer free throws knotted the game at 43. Pearson was able to get to the basket was had just enough on his attempt to get the ball to fall into the basket at the 3:24 mark. CCU answered back with two more charity stripe makes on its next possession. Two free throws courtesy of Pearson and a jumper by Prijovic from the charity stripe increased the advantage to 49-45. Twice in the final minute the Chanticleers were able to get within two. A 1-for-2 trip at the line by Tre Larenz Nottingham increased the score to 51-48 in favor of the Bobcats with 6.8 showing on the clock. CCU s Zac Cuthbertson was fouled and missed his first free throw attempt as 4.6 seconds remained in the game. He purposely missed his second attempt but completely missed the rim to automatically turn the ball over. Pearson then threw a long pass down court to Peacock, who raced to the basket for the game sealing layup. Leading the way offensively for TXST was Pearson with 15 points on 5-of-12 shooting and a made trey. He also converted 4-of-6 at the free throw line. Blount netted 14 points, 12 of which came in the first half. The senior knocked down 5-of-8 from the field with a 2-for-5 performance from the charity stripe. Peacock just missed reaching double-figures with nine points. Coming off the bench, Prijovic added seven points and four rebounds. Leading the team in assists and rebounds was Marlin Davis. The Houston native grabbed a career-high seven boards and handed out three assists. THE LAST TIME THEY MET Texas State 90, South Alabama 64 February 27, 2017 SAN MARCOS, Texas The Texas State men s basketball jumped out to a 13-2 lead and never trailed in a 90-64 win over the University of South Alabama Monday night at Strahan Coliseum. The Bobcats improve to 17-11 overall and 10-6 in the Sun Belt Conference. The Jags drop their third straight to fall to 13-16 and 6-10. The biggest thing with Texas State is they re defending at a really high level, USA head coach Matthew Graves said. They re the most physical team in our league guarding and they don t give you an opportunity to get easy baskets. Offensively, they re very patient and make you guard for long possessions. They take advantage of mismatches and then you throw in a first-team all-league guy like (Kavin) Gilder-Tilbury, you have the makings of a really good basketball team that s peaking at the right time. Texas State shot 58.6 percent from the floor and 42.9 percent from 3-point land, and won the rebounding battle 36-21. The Bobcats scored 13 of the first 15 points seven from Kavin Gilder-Tilbury after converting 5 of 6 to start the contest. On the other end of the court, the Jags went just 1 for 5 with a turnover. Obviously we didn t get off to a very good start and we subbed right away, Graves said. The physicality really 2017-18 South Alabama Men s Basketball Game Notes - Page 3

bothered us. It was something we talked about Sunday at film and in practice, and attempted to re-emphasize on Monday. I need to do a better job of getting that message through because they punched us in the mouth in the first half and we didn t respond. South Alabama scored six unanswered to get within seven with 5:40 left in the first half, but Texas State finished with a 16-5 run, including a triple from Gilder-Tilbury just before the buzzer to take a 45-27 lead into the break. USA used a 14-6 run right after halftime to get back in the game and was down just 51-41 with 15:38 to go, but TXST answered with a 12-5 burst to go back up 17. Later in the half, the Bobcats went on a 14-2 run take their largest lead of the game, 79-52. In the first 10 minutes of the second half, we played with physicality and shared the basketball, and defended the way we re capable of, Graves stated. The problem is when you dig yourself such a deep hole, it s very difficult to come back. To their credit, they made five shots with one second on the shot clock. They did a good job of running their offense all the way down and converting at the end. They banked two 3-point shots in, so it wasn t our night. Gilder-Tilbury led all scorers with 26 points his most ever against South Alabama by shooting 10 for 15 from the field and 4 for 8 from 3-point land. He made it a double-double with a game-best 11 rebounds. He was phenomenal tonight, Graves said. If we had the most improved player award in the Sun Belt, I think he would be right there in the mix to get that. That young man has worked really hard on his game and he played extremely well for them tonight. He did a wonderful job. Nijal Pearson joined Gilder-Tilbury in double-figures with 15 points. Ojai Black had 14 points, Marlin Davis added 11 and Nedeljko Prijovic tallied 10; they combined to shoot 13 for 16 from the floor. Senior Ken Williams (Houston, Texas) was the only Jaguar in double-figures with 14. WELCOME BACK! In his first game since finishing the 2015-16 season at Youngstown State, Jordan Andrews made quite an impact Andrews led all scorers at Texas Tech with 15 points, going 7 for 7 from the free-throw line He went 2 for 7 from 3-point land and added two assists. 50th SEASON OF BASKETBALL The 2017-18 campaign will be the 50th season of South Alabama men s basketball, dating back to the Jaguars first varsity season in 1968-69 Thoughout the year, the school will be celebrating the history of the program, culminating in a jersey retirement ceremony on Jan. 20 of Junie Lewis and Jeff Hodge. GOING FOR #800 The South Alabama basketball program will be attempting to win the 800th game in its history this season The Jaguars are 797-625 all time The team s 700th win came Jan. 22, 2011 against Florida International. REUNITED (AND IT FEELS SO GOOD) Herb McGee and Jordan Andrews were high school teammates at Riverside Academy in Reserve, La. The pair played on three state championship teams in their time together Andrews played his freshman season at Youngstown State before transferring to South Alabama prior to the 2016-17 season. BACK IN UNIFORM After having to sit out last season due to NCAA transfer rules, sophomore Jordan Andrews will be seeing his first game action since the 2015-16 season Andrews spent his freshman campaign at Youngstown State, where he was named to the Horizon League s all-freshman team In his one season with the Penguins, Andrews made 19 starts, averaged 7.9 points and broke the school s freshman 3-point record with 50 triples He shot 36.7 percent from long range and hit three treys or more seven times. ONE AND DONE Rozelle Nix is the South Alabama men s basketball program s first graduate transfer The Cincinnati, Ohio native spent last season at Pittsburgh, where he averaged 1.4 points in 20 appearances Nix sat out the 2015-16 campaign due to injury, and attended Pensacola Junior College as a freshman and sophomore. MITCHELL FINISHES STRONG Prior to joining the starting lineup on Jan. 23 last season, Trhae Mitchell averaged 1.1 points and 1.8 rebounds in 7.7 minutes over 15 games, but after getting his first starting assignment at Arkansas State, Mitchell broke out and averaged 6.2 points in 22.4 minutes of action, while shooting 69.6 percent from the floor and 70.0 percent from 3-point land He had two double-digit point performances over that span, coming in back-to-back games vs. Coastal Carolina and UTA Mitchell also had multiple blocks in six games, including a career-best four at Texas State. USA s Averages In... WINS Points...66.9 Scoring margin...+12.3 Field goal percentage....437 Three-point field goal percentage....344 Three-point field goals...8.0 Free throw percentage....692 Free throws...14.9 Rebounds...38.9 Assists...13.6 Turnovers...16.3 Steals...5.4 Blocks...5.5 Opponent points...54.6 Opponent field goal percentage....346 Opponent three-point field goal percentage....244 Opponent three-point field goals...5.0 Opponent free throw percentage....579 Opponent free throws...9.1 Opponent rebounds...35.5 Opponent assists...8.3 Opponent turnovers...14.1 Opponent steals...6.3 Opponent blocks...2.8 LOSSES Points...67.7 Scoring margin... (-11.8) Field goal percentage....393 Three-point field goal percentage....357 Three-point field goals...9.2 Free throw percentage....636 Free throws...12.5 Rebounds...35.8 Assists...11.7 Turnovers...15.7 Steals...6.3 Blocks...3.7 Opponent points...79.5 Opponent field goal percentage....458 Opponent three-point field goal percentage....360 Opponent three-point field goals...8.3 Opponent free throw percentage....724 Opponent free throws...16.2 Opponent rebounds...39.7 Opponent assists...15.7 Opponent turnovers...12.7 Opponent steals...7.7 Opponent blocks...3.8 Tracking South Alabama s Non-Conference Opponents (records through 1/2; RPI through 1/2) Record RPI Texas Tech...13-1 30 Mobile...5-8 La Salle...7-7 129 Maine...3-12 339 Saint Peter s...7-6 202 Stetson...8-8 250 New Orleans...5-8 192 Southern Miss...7-8 191 Florida International...7-7 300 SIU Edwardsville...4-9 223 Eastern Illinois...4-9 271 Tulane...10-4 98 Trinity Baptist...5-8 2017-18 South Alabama Men s Basketball Game Notes - Page 4

CAUSING HAVOK The Jaguars were the Sun Belt s best team in creating problems for opposing offenses last year and ranked among the top teams in the nation South Alabama led the league in turnover margin (+3.2), steals (7.5 spg) and turnovers forced (16.3 pg) The team ranked in the top 50 in Division I in all three categories and the top 20 in two The Jags were 13th in turnovers forced, 16th in turnover margin and 42nd in steals. JAGUARS WIN BIG South Alabama defeated Blue Mountain (Miss.) 88-35 in the team s 2016-17 home opener, which is tied for the second-largest win in school history, and biggest since 1979-80 The Toppers were held to 11 first-half points, tied for the fewest before halftime since Georgia State scored two in 1981-82, and the 35 points total are tied for the fifth-lowest total in school history. HOME OPENING SUCCESS In the 49 years of the program, the Jaguars have a history of successful home openers USA sports a 42-8 record in its home opening contests and has won 26 in a row The last loss was 81-75 to Southern Miss in 1991 The streak was extended in November with an 88-35 win over Blue Mountain Spring Hill is the most frequent victim during the streak, losing three times The Jaguars have defeated Abilene Christian, Alabama State, Alcorn State and Prairie View A&M twice each in season lid-lifters. JAGUARS PICKED NINTH IN PRESEASON POLL In a poll of the league s coaches, South Alabama received 43 points in the preseason poll and was voted ninth UTA garnered 128 points and nine of 12 first-place votes, while Georgia State earned 116 points and one firstplace nod Defending tournament champion Troy (115, 1 first-place vote) was third, Georgia Southern (114) was fourth and Louisiana (113) was fifth. ACCURACY IS THE KEY TO SUCCESS Under head coach Matthew Graves, South Alabama is 46-15 (.754) when compiling a higher shooting percentage than its opponent 26-11 (.703) vs. SBC schools but 13-69 (.159) 7-39 (.152) vs. Sun Belt teams when being outshot In 2015-16, the Jags were 13-3 with the shooting advantage and 1-16 without it In 2014-15, South Alabama was 9-3 when winning the shooting battle but 3-18 (1-18 vs. Division I opponents) when losing it. THAT 70s SHOW When scoring 70 or more since the start of the 2013-14 season, the Jaguars are 42-26 (.618), but 15-58 (.205) when scoring 69 or fewer In 2015-16, the Jaguars were 11-5 with 70-plus and 3-14 when under 70 The season prior, South Alabama was 10-5, its lowest win percentage when scoring 70-plus in the last eight years, and was 2-16 when scoring 69 or fewer. AT HOME IN THE MITCHELL CENTER Since the facility opened in 1999, the Jaguars have established a winning tradition on their home floor, the Mitchell Center In 15 seasons, South Alabama has a 185-86 (.683) record and has eight seasons of 10 or more wins In 2007-08 the Jags posted a 17-1 slate in front of their home fans (17-0 in the regular season), the second-most home wins in school history (19, 1973-74). NICE TO MEET YOU South Alabama will be taking on three first-time opponents this season: Trinity Baptist, La Salle and Saint Peter s The Jaguars faced Saint Peter s on the second day of the Naismith Hall of Fame Tip-Off. Sun Belt Conference Standings East SBC Overall Louisiana 2-0 12-3 SOUTH ALABAMA 2-0 8-6 Appalachian State 2-0 7-8 Georgia Southern 1-1 10-5 Texas State 1-1 8-7 Coastal Carolina 1-1 7-8 Troy 1-1 7-8 Arkansas State 1-1 6-9 Little Rock 1-1 4-11 UTA 0-2 9-6 Georgia State 0-2 9-6 ULM 0-2 6-7 PREVIOUS GAMES Friday, December 22 Clemson 89, Louisiana 60 ETSU 79, Georgia Southern 59 Charleston 67, Coastal Carolina 65 Arkansas State 99, Culver-Stockton 68 Texas State 74, Rice 66 Saturday, December 23 Georgia State 71, Chattanooga 48 Friday, December 29 Coastal Carolina 90, UTA 65 Appalachian State 66, Texas State 62 Louisiana 77, Little Rock 63 South Alabama 86, Georgia State 64 Georgia Southern 86, Troy 80 Arkansas State 75, ULM 64 Sunday, December 31 Appalachian State 80, UTA 76 Texas State 53, Coastal Carolina 48 South Alabama 69, Georgia Southern 67 Troy 68, Georgia State 66 Louisiana 88, Arkansas State 78 Little Rock 71, ULM 62 TODAY S GAMES Thursday, January 4 Little Rock at Georgia State Arkansas State at Georgia Southern Coastal Carolina at ULM Appalachian State at Louisiana Troy at UTA South Alabama at Texas State UPCOMING GAMES Saturday, January 6 Arkansas State at Georgia State Appalachian State at ULM Little Rock at Georgia Southern South Alabama at UTA Troy at Texas State Coastal Carolina at Louisiana Tuesday, January 9 Trinity Baptist at South Alabama Thursday, January 11 Georgia State at Appalachian State Georgia Southern at Coastal Carolina UTA at Little Rock Texas State at Arkansas State 2017-18 South Alabama Men s Basketball Game Notes - Page 5 Career Watch POINTS 1. Jeff Hodge 2,221 1985-89 2. Augustine Rubit 1,917 2010-14 3. Terry Catledge 1,866 1982-85 4. Ed Rains 1,801 1977-81 5. Rory White 1,726 1978-82 Junie Lewis 1,726 1986-89 7. Ken Williams 1,723 2013-17 8. Demetric Bennett 1,405 2005-08 9. Andy Denny 1,352 1969-72 10. Demetrice Williams 1,350 1999-03 Josh Ajayi 500 2016-PR REBOUNDS 1. Augustine Rubit 1,183 2010-14 2. Terry Catledge 932 1983-85 3. Rory White 737 1978-82 4. Ed Rains 720 1978-81 5. Henry Williams 684 2001-04 Josh Ajayi 263 2016-PR ASSISTS 1. Cedric Yelding 566 1989-93 2. Jeff Hodge 461 1985-89 3. Demetrice Williams 429 1999-03 4. Scott Williams 400 1977-81 5. Junie Lewis 390 1986-89 Dederick Lee 116 2016-PR BLOCKS 1. Kelly Blaine 213 1982-85 2. Javier Carter 204 2009-13 3. Augustine Rubit 139 2010-14 4. Brandon Davis 114 2006-09 5. John May 111 1978-81 Nick Davis 45 2015-PR STEALS 1. Cedric Yelding 241 1989-93 2. Jeff Hodge 223 1985-89 3. Demetrice Williams 223 1999-03 4. Ed Rains 162 1977-81 5. Carlos Smith 133 2003-07 Dederick Lee 35 2016-PR FIELD GOALS 1. Jeff Hodge 876 1985-89 2. Rory White 732 1977-82 3. Terry Catledge 721 1982-85 4. Junie Lewis 711 1986-89 5. Augustine Rubit 673 2010-14 Josh Ajayi 184 2016-PR 3-POINT FIELD GOALS 1. Ken Williams 253 2013-17 2. Derek Turner 249 1988-92 3. Demetric Bennett 208 2005-08 4. Chris Young 188 2002-04 5. Richard Law 161 2002-06 Rodrick Sikes 45 2016-PR 3-POINT ATTEMPTS 1. Ken Williams 778 2013-17 2. Derek Turner 600 1988-92 3. Demetric Bennett 500 2005-08 4. Chris Young 496 2002-04 5. Carlos Smith 431 2003-07 Herb McGee 121 2016-PR Active leader in italics

Game-By-Game Starting Lineups Opponents Forward Forward Guard Guard Guard 11/10 at Texas Tech Nix Ajayi Mitchell Andrews McGee 11/13 Mobile Nix Ajayi Mitchell Andrews McGee 11/16 at La Salle Nix Ajayi Mitchell Andrews McGee 11/18 vs. Maine Nix Ajayi Mitchell Andrews McGee 11/19 vs. Saint Peter s Nix Ajayi Mitchell Andrews McGee 11/22 Stetson Nix Ajayi Mitchell Andrews McGee 11/26 New Orleans Davis Ajayi Mitchell Sikes McGee 11/29 Southern Miss Davis Ajayi Mitchell Sikes McGee 12/2 at FIU Davis Ajayi Mitchell Sikes McGee 12/10 at SIU-Edwardsville Davis Ajayi Mitchell Sikes Lee 12/16 Eastern Illinois Davis Ajayi Mitchell Sikes McGee 12/21 at Tulane Davis Ajayi Mitchell Sikes McGee 12/29 Georgia State Davis Ajayi Mitchell Sikes McGee 12/31 Georgia Southern Davis Ajayi Mitchell Sikes McGee 1/4 at Texas State 1/6 at UTA 1/9 Trinity Baptist 1/13 Troy 1/18 Coastal Carolina 1/20 Appalachian State 1/25 at UL Lafayette 1/27 at UL Monroe 2/3 at Troy 2/8 Little Rock 2/10 Arkansas State 2/15 at Appalachian State 2/17 at Coastal Carolina 2/22 ULM 2/24 Louisiana 3/1 at Georgia Southern 3/3 at Georgia State Starting Combos & W-L Marks: All Games Sun Belt Nix, Ajayi, Mitchell, Andrews, McGee 3-3 0-0 Davis, Ajayi, Mitchell, Sikes, McGee 5-2 2-0 Davis, Ajayi, Mitchell, Sikes, Lee 0-1 0-0 USA Among The Sun Belt and NCAA Leaders TEAM SBC NCAA Scoring Offense (67.2) 11 313 Scoring Defense (65.3) 2 39 Scoring Margin (+1.9) 10 193 Free Throw Percentage (.669) 7 285 Field Goal Percentage (.416) 11 303 FG Percentage Defense (.395) 2 35 3-Point Field Goal Pct. (.350) 3 186 3-Point FG Pct. Defense (.297) 1 25 Rebounding Offense (37.6) 6 Rebounding Defense (37.3) 9 Rebounding Margin (+0.3) 8 212 Blocked Shots (4.7) 1 55 Assists (13.1) 7 231 Steals (5.8) 8 243 Turnover Margin (-2.5) 12 313 Assist/Turnover Ratio (0.8) 11 307 Offensive Rebounds (8.9) 12 285 Defensive Rebounds (28.6) 2 33 Defensive Rebound Pct. (.730) 4 Offensive Rebound Pct. (.251) 12 3-Point Field Goals Made (8.5) 4 107 INDIVIDUAL Scoring SBC NCAA Rodrick Sikes (18.4) 5 90 Josh Ajayi (12.2) 18 Rebounds Per Game SBC NCAA Trhae Mitchell (6.8) T-12 T-228 Josh Ajayi (6.8) T-12 T-228 Nick Davis (5.4) 19 Field Goal Pct. SBC NCAA Josh Ajayi (.504) 14 Assists Per Game SBC NCAA Herb McGee (2.9) 11 Free Throw Pct. SBC NCAA Jordan Andrews (.909) 1 17 Rodrick Sikes (.756) 14 3-Point Pct. SBC NCAA Herb McGee (.434) 9 Rodrick Sikes (.433) 11 62 USA Start Chart Player 2017-18 Current Streak Career Josh Ajayi... 14 14 39 Jordan Andrews...6 25 Nick Davis...8 8 8 Dederick Lee...1 29 Herb McGee... 13 4 15 Trhae Mitchell... 14 14 25 Rozelle Nix...6 6 Rodrick Sikes...8 8 8 3-Pointers Per Game SBC NCAA Rodrick Sikes (3.2) 2 28 Jordan Andrews (1.9) 15 Blocks Per Game SBC NCAA Nick Davis (1.6) 4 90 Trhae Mitchell (1.5) 6 112 Defensive Rebounds SBC NCAA Trhae Mitchell (5.9) 4 88 Josh Ajayi (4.9) T-7 237 Note: SBC stats through 12/31; NCAA stats through 1/2 2017-18 South Alabama Men s Basketball Game Notes - Page 6

Matthew Graves Head Coach Butler, 1998 5th Season From the moment he was hired in March 2013, University of South Alabama men s basketball head coach Matthew Graves made it a top priority to change the culture at South Alabama. After spending 17 years at Butler University as both a student-athlete and coach, Graves set out to take the Butler philosophy and install that in the Jaguar men s basketball program. Entering his fourth season, Graves is laying the foundation for success. From revamping academics and a greater involvement in community service activities, to restructuring off-season workouts and practices to emphasize skill development, to the style of play during games, every aspect of the program has been evaluated and fine-tuned to Graves standards. The process aims to establish long-term prosperity both on and off the court, contending for championships while graduating student-athletes year in, and year out. Overhauling the academic program resulted in the team s highest GPA in over five years in 2013-14, and both seniors, Antoine Allen and Augustine Rubit earned their degrees. On the court, his first year in charge resulted in an 11-20 record with a roster that included 10 first- or second-year players, with inexperience rearing its ugly head in the 11 times the Jags let a second-half lead slip away. However, Rubit set both school and conference records for rebounds and became the first Jaguar to earn All-Sun Belt recognition four times. Rubit finished in the top 10 in five different individual categories and ranked third in the league in rebounding (9.4 rpg) and sixth in scoring (17.0 ppg). Graves style of play and work on the court helped Barrington Stevens III go from a 0.7 assist-turnover ratio his freshman campaign to a 2.0 as a sophomore, the best ratio by a South Alabama player since 1988-89. His second season may have only resulted in one more win overall, but the improvements on the court were noticeable. The Jaguars increased conference wins from five to nine and earned the No. 6 seed in the Sun Belt Tournament, a year after failing to qualify. After a slow start to the campaign, South Alabama finished with 10 wins over the final 21 contests and won the program s first SBC Tournament game since 2012. In conference games, the Jags were fourth in scoring (72.4 ppg), second in field goal percentage (.454) and first in 3-point percentage (.369). The team improved by almost six points per contest in the final 22 games, and increased its field goal and 3-point percentages by 5.7 and 5.8 percent, respectively. A major driving force in that improvement was the Ken Williams, who earned all-sun Belt distinction after averaging 15.7 points eighth in the league and converting 2.6 treys per outing, which was second. In league games, he was fourth in scoring average (18.0 ppg) and 3-point percentage (.403), and first in 3s per game (2.8). The Graves Ledger 2017-18 South Alabama Men s Basketball Game Notes - Page 7 The 2015-16 season saw Williams earn a Third-Team All-Sun Belt nod and the Jaguars improve their win total yet again to 14. USA advanced to the Sun Belt Quarterfinals and won a game in the tournament in back-to-back years for the first time since 2010. Graves spent the previous 10 seasons as an assistant on the staff at Butler, where his efforts helped the Bulldogs advance to back-to-back NCAA Tournament championship games and appear in the event in six of the last seven years. During his tenure at Butler, Graves helped the program to an overall record of 244-98 (71.3%), a berth in national postseason tournaments each of the last eight seasons and eight straight years with 20-plus victories. Following the 2009-10 campaign that saw the Bulldogs finish 33-5 after falling to Duke 61-59 in the national title contest, he was promoted to associate head coach; in his first year in that role, Butler returned to the NCAA Tournament championship game after defeating Pittsburgh, Florida and Wisconsin the first, second and fourth seeds in the Southeast Region while going on to post a 28-10 record. In 2012-13, the Bulldogs first in the Atlantic 10 Conference, they went 27-9 including an 11-5 mark in league action. In addition to advancing to the third round of the NCAA Tournament, Butler defeated two of the four No. 1 seeds in the event Indiana and Gonzaga during the regular season. Graves first helped lead Butler back to postseason play in 2005-06, when the school went 20-13 after earning a first-round win in the National Invitation Tournament. The following year, the Bulldogs won the NIT Season Tip-Off and advanced to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament before falling to eventual champion Florida en route to a final record of 29-7. Butler finished 30-4 after claiming the Horizon League Tournament title and a first-round NCAA win in 2007-08, advancing to the NCAA Tournament again the next season while posting a 26-6 mark. While on the Butler staff, Graves was listed No. 2 on CollegeInsider.com s ranking of top 25 mid-major assistants in 2009 while the previous year FoxSports.com recognized him as one of the top 10 mid-major assistants in the country. Graves started as an assistant coach at North Central and Ben Davis High Schools in Indianapolis, joining the Bulldog staff as coordinator of men s basketball operations in 2001. During his first two seasons at Butler, the Bulldogs won 53 games and advanced to the Sweet 16 of the 2003 NCAA Tournament. As a player, Graves lettered four years at Butler and was part of a program that posted a 95-54 (63.8%) mark while he was in school. He was team captain each of his final two seasons, when the Bulldogs went 23-10 and 22-11, respectively, after winning the Midwestern Collegiate Conference Tournament title and advancing to the NCAA Tournament. Graves was the third-leading scorer on the team in 1996-97 when Butler made its first NCAA Tournament appearance in 35 years, while as a senior he was chosen the squad s most valuable player and was named to the MCC all-tournament team after recording 18 points in the championship contest. He scored 994 points during his career, and still ranks among the top 10 in school history with 175 three-point field goals and an 84.6 free-throw percentage. Graves 42 points his senior year against Cleveland State is the fifth-highest total in a game in Bulldog history. Off the court, he was named to the GTE Academic All-District V team his final year and was also an academic all-league selection. Graves earned his bachelor s degree from Butler in education (chemistry) in 1998 and his master s degree from the school in 2003 in education administration. He and his wife Susan have two daughters, Abigail and Lillian. Year School Overall Conference Finish Postseason Director of Operations 2001-02 Butler 26-6 12-4 1st NCAA First Round 2002-03 Butler 27-6 14-2 1st NCAA Sweet 16 Assistant Coach 2003-04 Butler 16-14 8-8 6th 2004-05 Butler 13-15 7-9 7th 2005-06 Butler 20-13 11-5 2nd NIT Second Round 2006-07 Butler 29-7 13-3 T-1st NCAA Sweet 16 2007-08 Butler 30-4 16-2 1st NCAA Second Round 2008-09 Butler 26-6 15-3 1st NCAA First Round 2009-10 Butler 33-5 18-0 1st NCAA Runner-Up Associate Head Coach 2010-11 Butler 28-10 13-5 T-1st NCAA Runner-Up 2011-12 Butler 22-15 11-7 T-3rd CBI Semifinals 2012-13 Butler 27-9 11-5 T-3rd NCAA Third Round Head Coach 2013-14 South Alabama 11-20 5-13 9th 2014-15 South Alabama 12-21 9-11 T-7th 2015-16 South Alabama 14-19 8-12 T-7th 2016-17 South Alabama 14-18 7-11 9th 2017-18 South Alabama 8-6 2-0 Head Coach (5) 59-84 31-47 Player (5) 95-54 46-25 3 Midwestern Collegiate Championships Director of Operations (2) 53-12 26-6 2 Horizon League Championships Assistant/Associate Head Coach (10) 244-98 123-47 8 Horizon League Championships

SOUTH ALABAMA ROSTER No. Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Yr.-Exp. Hometown (Previous School/High School) 0 Joe Thompson F 6-7 211 Fr.-HS Kenner, La. (Bonnabel HS) 1 Herb McGee G 6-1 195 So.-1L Reserve, La. (Riverside Academy) 3 Kevin Morris F 6-8 265 So.-1L Dothan, Ala. (Dothan HS) 4 A.J. Caldwell G 6-4 190 Fr.-HS Sarasota, Fla. (Riverview HS) 5 Dederick Lee G 6-0 162 Sr.-1L Clarksville, Ark. (Indian Hills CC/Clarksville HS) 11 John Pettway G 6-1 180 Fr.-RS Safford, Ala. (Keith HS) *12 R.J. Kelly F 6-5 183 So.-TR Powder Springs, Ga. (Savannah State/Cumberland Chr. Aca.) 13 Devin Epps G 5-11 167 Sr.-RS Murfreesboro, Tenn. (Murfreesboro-Oakland HS) 14 Rodrick Sikes G 6-1 155 Jr.-JC Ocean Springs, Miss. (Southwest Mississippi CC/St. Martin HS) 21 Nick Davis F 6-6 191 Sr.-2L Mt. Vernon, Ala. (Alabama State/McIntosh HS) 25 Jordan Andrews G 6-4 180 So.-RS Abita Springs, La. (Youngstown State/Riverside Academy) 30 Ethan Haslam G 6-1 182 So.-1L Lithia, Fla. (Academy at the Lakes) 33 Josh Ajayi F 6-7 244 So.-1L El Monte, Calif. (Cheshire Academy/San Gabriel Academy) 34 Rozelle Nix F 6-11 330 Gr.-TR Cincinnati, Ohio (Pittsburgh/Winthrow HS) 42 Trhae Mitchell F 6-6 189 So.-1L Austell, Ga. (Pebblebrook HS) * Will redshirt the 2017-18 season Head coach: Matthew Graves (Butler 98), fifth season Assistant coaches: Darnell Archey (Butler 03), fifth season Russ Willemsen (Lee 04), fifth season Pronunciation Guide Josh Ajayi Ah-JYE-yee Brock Morris (Alabama 08), third season Dederick Lee DEAD-rick Director of operations: Andrew Steele (Alabama 12), first season Assistant athletic trainer: Matthew Brown (Indiana State 06), ninth season Trhae Mitchell Trey Rozelle Nix Ro-ZELL Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach: Garett Mize (Kentucky Christian 14), first season SOUTH ALABAMA RESULTS AND LEADERS Date Opponent Time/Result Points Rebounds Assists Steals Blocks 11/10 at Texas Tech# L 50-75 Andrews-15 Mitchell-6 Andrews/Ajayi-2 Sikes-3 Ajayi/Nix-1 11/13 MOBILE W 71-49 Andrews-18 Ajayi-10 Mitchell-6 Andrews-2 Davis-4 11/16 at La Salle# L 73-81 Andrews-20 Mitchell-6 McGee-5 Three players-1 Davis/Sikes-1 11/18 vs. Maine# W 68-46 Ajayi-18 Mitchell-7 Andrews/Mitchell-5 Mitchell-3 Mitchell-2 11/19 vs. Saint Peter s# W 54-49 Sikes-13 Three players-7 McGee-3 Mitchell-2 Mitchell-1 11/22 STETSON LOT 77-81 Sikes-32 Ajayi-11 Lee-5 Davis/Andrews-2 Davis-3 11/26 NEW ORLEANS W 55-52 Sikes-15 Ajayi/Davis-7 Davis-4 Davis-4 Mitchell-1 11/29 SOUTHERN MISS W 69-58 Sikes-20 Davis-11 McGee-4 Three players-1 Davis-5 12/2 at Florida International L 58-87 Ajayi-16 Three players-7 Pettway/Mitchell-3 Ajayi-1 Mitchell-3 12/10 at SIU-Edwardsville L 75-76 Andrews-15 Ajayi-9 Four players-2 Sikes-3 Davis-3 12/16 EASTERN ILLINOIS W 63-52 McGee-15 Mitchell-9 Mitchell-7 Sikes-3 Mitchell-4 12/21 at Tulane L 73-77 Sikes-34 McGee-7 McGee-4 Andrews-3 Davis-1 12/29 GEORGIA STATE* W 86-64 Sikes-31 Ajayi-10 McGee-8 Andrews-3 Davis/Mitchell-3 12/31 GEORGIA SOUTHERN* W 69-67 Sikes-27 Ajayi/Mitchell-8 McGee-4 Sikes/Lee-1 Mitchell-3 1/4 at Texas State* 7:30 p.m. 1/6 at UTA* 4:15 p.m. 1/9 TRINITY BAPTIST (Fla.) 7:05 p.m. 1/13 TROY* 3:05 p.m. 1/18 COASTAL CAROLINA* 7:05 p.m. 1/20 APPALACHIAN STATE* 3:05 p.m. 1/25 at Louisiana* 7:15 p.m. 1/27 at ULM* 2 p.m. 2/3 at Troy* 4:15 p.m. 2/8 LITTLE ROCK* 7:05 p.m. 2/10 ARKANSAS STATE* 3:05 p.m. 2/15 at Appalachian State* 6:30 p.m. CST 2/17 at Coastal Carolina* 2:30 p.m. CST 2/22 ULM* 7:05 p.m. 2/24 LOUISIANA* 7:05 p.m. 3/1 at Georgia Southern* 6:30 p.m. CST 3/3 at Georgia State* 1:15 p.m. CST 3/7-11 at Sun Belt Conference Tournament TBA 2017-18 South Alabama Men s Basketball Game Notes - Page 8