Southern Miss has finally made the NCAA Tournament after missing it for the last 21 years. The Golden Eagles were placed in the East Region with the ninth seed.
USM will play Kansas State in the first round and, if they win, will face Syracuse in the second round. Southern Miss has the talent to win a first-round game, something it has never done.
If the Golden Eagles are going to win, they will need their guards to play well. Former Wingfield High School star Maurice Bolden will need to come up big for USM.
In the Conference USA Tournament, Bolden averaged 8.5 points in two games. This season, Bolden has averaged 9.9 points and 5.3 rebounds.
In his senior season, Bolden has provided the Golden Eagles with leadership they have not had in past seasons. USM needs all the leadership it can get in the NCAA Tournament, since the team has not been involved in the tournament in so long.
Bolden's journey to USM started at Wingfield where he led his team to a third-place finish in the 5A Championship. He was named the 18th best player in Mississippi by MagnoliaPreps.com.
After graduating from Wingfield, Bolden's next stop was Marion Military Institute, where he averaged 14.3 points, 7.3 rebounds with 2.1 blocks. Bolden played for Marion Military Institute for one season before moving on to Southern Miss.
Bolden played in every game his first two seasons at USM. He averaged 8.7 points his first season at Southern Miss and 6.8 points his second season.
As guard, Bolden is a good defender and rebounder--something USM will need to make a run in the NCAA Tournament.
Southern Miss plays Kansas State at 11:40 a.m. on Tru TV and will face the winner of Syracuse and UNC-Asheville. A No. 16 seed has never beaten a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament--good news for Syracuse against UNC-Asheville.
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