2011 Sun Belt Conference Tournament - March 5-8
FIU (10-18, 5-11 SBC) vs. Denver (13-16, 9-7 SBC)
March 5, 2011 - 9:45 p.m. ET - Summit Arena (6,000)
Hot Springs, Ark.

Teams - FIU Panthers (10-18 overall, 0-0 neutral); Denver Pioneers (13-16 overall, 0-2 neutral)
Sun Belt Tournament Record -6-11
 First Round - 4-5
 Quarterfinals  -2-4
 Semifinals - 0-2
 Championship - N/A
Possible Quarterfinal Game - Should FIU defeat Denver, the Panthers will take on Middle Tennessee on Sunday, March 6, at 10:00 p.m. ET
Television - None
Radio - None
Live Video Streaming - www.sunbeltsports.org
Live Stats - www.sunbeltsports.org
Tickets - 501-620-5003
Records - FIU enters Saturday's contest with a 10-18 record following an 83-76 overtime win over Troy on Saturday, Feb. 26. Denver comes into Saturday's game with a 13-16 record following a 63-41 loss at North Texas on Saturday, Feb. 26.
Rankings - Neither FIU nor Denver are ranked in this week's national polls. FIU enters this year's tournament as the No. 6 seed in the East, while Denver is the No. 3 seed in the West. 
FIU Head Coach Isiah Thomas - Coach Thomas (Indiana '87) enters Saturday's contest with a career record of 17-43 (.283 - second season). Coach Thomas is 0-3 all-time versus the Pioneers.
Denver Head Coach Joe Scott - Coach Scott (Princeton '87) enters Saturday's contest with a career record of 147-172 (.461 - 11th season). Coach Scott is 4-1 all-time versus FIU.
Series History - Saturday will mark the 16th meeting all-time between the two teams. The Pioneers hold a 9-6 edge in the series history. The last meeting between the two squads took place earlier this season as Denver downed FIU, 79-70, in overtime on Jan. 15 in Denver, Colo.
Officials - Announced on game day

It's Tournament Time!
The Sun Belt Conference converges on Hot Springs, Ark., for the 2011 Sun Belt Conference Tournament held March 5-8. The Panthers enter the 2011 Sun Belt Tournament as the No. 6 seed in the East and will face Denver at 9:45 p.m. ET on Saturday, March 5. The game will be a rematch of last year's first-round matchup when the Pioneers defeated the Panthers, 71-64 (March 6, 2010).

FIU closed out the 2010-2011 regular season with an overtime victory over Troy on Saturday, Feb. 26. The victory marked the team's 10th win of the season and gave the Panthers a winning record at home (8-7). It marked the program's 16th winning home record in U.S. Century Bank Arena's 26-year history.

The win also marked FIU's first-ever season-series sweep of the Trojans - the Panthers defeated Troy, 81-80, in overtime on Feb. 3. The win snapped a five-game losing streak as well as a four-game skid at home.

The Panthers are led by junior DeJuan Wright, who is averaging 15.0 points-per-game and 6.9 rebounds-per-contest. The Detroit, Mich., native is one of two players in the conference to rank in the top 10 in both scoring (No. 5) and rebounding (No. 8) among all Sun Belt athletes. Wright has also notched double-figures in scoring in 12-straight contests. The 6-foot-3 guard has posted 405 points this season, marking the 21st-time in FIU history that a player has scored 400-or-more points in a single season. Junior Eric Frederick is second on the team in scoring, averaging 13.5 points-per-game. He is also second in rebounding, grabbing 6.8 boards-per-contest. Senior Marvin Roberts scored a season-high 26 points versus Troy on Saturday, to give the Brooklyn, N.Y., native 774 points for his career. Roberts now ranks No. 14 all-time on the FIU scoring list.

FIU comes into the SBC Tournament averaging 73.5 points-per-game (No. 2 in the Sun Belt Conference) and will face the league's top scoring defense (Denver - 60.8 ppg). 

Head Coach Isiah Thomas comes into the contest with a 17-43 record (0-1 at neutral sites) and will be looking to improve his record versus the Pioneers to 1-3.

A Look at Denver
The Denver Pioneers come into Saturday's first round contest having lost three-straight games. Denver (13-16, 9-7 Sun Belt Conference) is the No. 3 seed in the West Division and has not defeated a Sun Belt opponent away from Magness Arena since Jan. 8 (66-57 at ULM).

The Pioneers are averaging 60.4 points-per-game on 45.9 percent shooting from the floor. Their opponents are averaging 60.8 points-per-game while shooting 45.4 percent from the field.

Denver is led by Second-Team All-Sun Belt selection Chase Hallam, who is averaging 12.7 points-per-game. Also averaging in double-digits is Brian Stafford, who comes into Saturday's game scoring 12.6 points-per-game.
 
Denver is coached by Joe Scott (Princeton '87) who owns a career record of 147-172 (11th season); 58-64 in four seasons as head coach of the Pioneers. Scott is 4-1 all-time versus FIU.

FIU - Denver Series History
Saturday's game between FIU and Denver will mark the 16th meeting all-time between the two schools.
 -  Denver leads the series history, 9-6
 -  The last meeting between the two teams resulted in a 79-70 overtime win for DU on Jan. 15, 2011, in Denver, Colo.
 -  The Panthers are 0-1 record all-time versus Denver in the Sun Belt Tournament
 -  FIU is looking to avenge a 71-64 loss to Denver in the first round of last season's tournament
 -  Denver has won each of the last three meetings
 -  FIU's last win over the Pioneers was on Jan. 17, 2009 (59-57)
 -  This year's overtime contest marked the first-ever game to go to overtime between the two teams
 -  Head Coach Isiah Thomas is looking to improve his record to 1-3 all-time versus Denver

An FIU Victory Would....
 -  Improve FIU's record to 11-18
 -  Improve the Panthers' record to 9-7 all-time versus Denver
 -  Set up a quarterfinals match with Middle Tennessee
 -  Give FIU two-straight victories
 -  Snap a three-game losing skid to Denver
 -  End the Pioneers' season
 -  Give Head Coach Isiah Thomas his 18th-career win
 -  Give FIU its 350th win (actual on-court record)
 -  Give FIU its 266th Division I win (actual on-court record)

A Look at Middle Tennessee
The Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders enter this year's tournament as the No. 2 seed in the East Division with a 10-4 conference record (15-15 overall). The Blue Raiders snapped a two-game conference losing streak by defeating WKU, 57-39, on Saturday, Feb. 26, to close out the season.

As the No. 2 seed, MT will get a first-round bye and will face the winner of the FIU/Denver contest. The Blue Raiders are averaging 69.6 points-per-game on 42.7 percent shooting, while allowing 67.3 points-per-game as the opposition has converted 43.3 percent of its shots.

The Blue Raiders are led by Second-Team All-Sun Belt honoree James Washington, who comes into the tournament averaging 13.9 points-per-game. He also leads the team with 87 assists. Jason Jones enters Sunday's contest averaging 13.5 points-per-game and is second on the team in rebounding (4.9 rpg).

Middle Tennessee is coached by Kermit Davis (Mississippi State '82) who owns a career record of 289-200 (16th season); 152-125 in nine seasons as head coach of the Blue Raiders. Davis is 3-1 all-time versus FIU.

FIU - Middle Tennessee Series History
Sunday's possible game between FIU and Middle Tennessee would mark the 25th meeting all-time between the two schools.
 -  Middle Tennessee leads the series history, 18-6
 -  The last meeting between the two teams resulted in an 80-68 win for MT on Feb. 12, 2011, in Murfreesboro, Tenn.
 -  The Panthers have never faced Middle Tennessee in the Sun Belt Tournament
 -  The Blue Raiders have won three-straight games over the Panthers
 -  FIU's last win over the Blue Raiders was on Jan. 14, 2010 (65-58) 
 -  Head Coach Isiah Thomas would be looking to improve his record to 2-3 all-time versus Middle Tennessee

FIU - The Numbers Game
 -  FIU is shooting 44.3 percent - fourth in the Sun Belt Conference
 -  The Panthers are averaging 73.5 points-per-game - second in the Sun Belt Conference
 -  3 Panthers scored in double-figures versus Troy (2/26)
 -  Troy attempted 45 3-pointers versus FIU (2/26)
 -  Senior Marvin Roberts scored a season-high 26 points versus Troy (2/26)
 -  The Panthers converted 32-of-41 free-throws versus the Trojans (2/26)
 -  Junior DeJuan Wright has scored in double-figures in 12-straight games
 -  The 2010-2011 season marks the 30th year of FIU basketball
 -  The Panthers have hit at least one 3-pointer in 82-consecutive games
 -  The Panthers have forced 437 turnovers this season
 ?  FIU is second in the Sun Belt in steals-per-game (8.5)

Last Time Out
The FIU men's basketball team honored its five seniors with an 83-76 overtime win over the Troy Trojans on Saturday, Feb. 26, at U.S. Century Bank Arena. Seniors Anthony Anderson, Jr., Phil Gary, Jr., Marvin Roberts, Tremayne Russell and Stephon Weaver appeared in their final home game as members of the FIU Panthers and came away with the team's second-straight win over the Trojans.

"First of all, I'm happy for the seniors that they end on a win," Head Coach Isiah Thomas said. "I'm really proud that all the seniors that were out on the floor, they will be graduating so that's something that we are extremely proud of. I was happy for Marvin (Roberts) that his last game here he finally got his offense back, played well. I thought it was a total team effort and I was just really happy that the guys fought and scratched out a win."

The Panthers (10-18, 5-11 Sun Belt Conference) were led by Roberts, who finished the night with a season-high 26 points and eight rebounds. The Brooklyn, N.Y., native converted 9-of-15 shooting from the floor and 6-of-7 from the free-throw line. With his 26 points, Roberts increased his career points total to 774, moving the 6-foot-5 guard to No. 14 on FIU's all-time scoring list. It was also Roberts' ninth-career 20-point game and third of the season.

Junior Jeremy Allen posted 16 points on 5-of-10 shooting, including back-to-back treys in overtime to help seal FIU's 10th win of the year. The Detroit, Mich., native went 4-of-4 from the free-throw line and has now converted 19-straight free-throws, tying the FIU record held by Weaver. Also scoring 16 points was junior DeJuan Wright, who notched double-figures for the 12th-straight contest. Wright finished the night with a team-high nine rebounds and converted 8-of-10 from the charity stripe.

FIU shot 40.4 percent from the floor and was 5-of-22 from beyond the arc. The Panthers made 32-of-41 shots from the free-throw line, marking the 12th time the Panthers have shot 70.0 percent-or-better from the line. FIU out-rebounded the Trojans, 48-45, but committed 18 turnovers.

"You look back over our last 10-11 games, if we shoot the ball well from the foul line, it's a totally different season for us," Thomas said. "Hopefully we've learned and we're doing the small things. We rebounded the ball well and we made our free throws and we tried to limit our turnovers but we had some that were kind of careless but for the most part, that's where you win basketball games at - you've got to rebounds, you've got to convert from the foul line, and you can't turn it over."
 
The Trojans shot 35.5 percent from the floor and 31.1 percent from beyond the arc on the night. Troy attempted 45 treys, converting 14. The Trojans had three players in double-figures: Vernon Taylor (18 points), Travis Lee (18 points) and Regis Huddleston (19 points).

The win marked FIU's first-ever season-series sweep of the Trojans and improved the Panthers to 7-5 all-time versus Troy. With the victory, FIU closed out the 2010-2011 season with a winning record at home (8-7) for the 16th time in U.S. Century Bank Arena's 26-year history.

Déjà Vu   
FIU will take on Denver in the first round of this year's Sun Belt Conference Tournament. The match up is eerily familiar as both teams met up in last year's first round. In fact, both this year's and last year's contest started at 9:45 p.m. (8:45 p.m. CT) with the winner taking on Middle Tennessee the next day.

First Time at the SBC Tournament
This year's FIU squad will have nine members, who will be making their Sun Belt Conference debut this weekend. Of the team's 13 active players, only Stephon Weaver, Tremayne Russell, Phil Gary, Jr., and Anthony Anderson, Jr., have seen action in the Sun Belt Tournament.

Official Radio Home of Sun Belt Championship Announced
The Sun Belt Conference and KZHS (AM590-FM105.5) and KLEZ (93.5) Radio of Hot Springs and Central Arkansas announced on Feb. 1 that the stations will be the official home for all games of the upcoming Sun Belt Conference Men's and Women's Basketball Championships.

The Sun Belt Conference is hosting both its men's and women's basketball championship events in Hot Springs over a four-day period - March 5-8 at Summit Arena and the Hot Springs Convention Center.  The partnership with KZHS (AM590-FM105.5) and KLEZ (93.5)) will guarantee that all 24 games will be broadcast locally so that fans in and around Hot Springs can catch all of the action.

KZHS (AM590-FM105.5) is the sports authority in Hot Springs and Central Arkansas. With a signal that covers half of Arkansas, it is quickly becoming the "go-to" station for Arkansas sports fans who want a taste of national, state and local sports. KZHS carries Fox Sports with popular shows including Dan Patrick and Jim Rome.

KZHS is also a proud member of the St. Louis Cardinals radio network and carries two of the state's most successful high school athletic programs - Lake Hamilton and Fountain Lake High Schools.

KZHS General Manager Jamie Friend said: "I'm overjoyed that KZHS has the honor of carrying every game of the Sun Belt Tournament that Hot Springs has the privilege of hosting. We are excited that our young station is going to be making its first parlay into Division I college basketball - an area that we have yet to be involved in and a key component to our programming. We are grateful to be a part of it."

Lanny Beavers, owner of LRB Sports, HOGVILLE.net and FEARLESSFRIDAY.com said: "We are proud to present the Sun Belt Tournament to our listeners. Hot Springs is my hometown and the community is excited to have Division I basketball in the Spa City."

Seniors Honored
This year's senior class (Anthony Anderson, Jr., Phil Gary, Jr., Marvin Roberts, Tremayne Russell, and Stephon Weaver) were honored on Saturday, Feb. 26, prior to the start of FIU's game with Troy. Playing in the final home game of their FIU career, all five seniors saw action on the floor as the Panthers defeated the Trojans, 83-76 (OT).

One of Two
Heading into Saturday's contest, Junior DeJuan Wright is one of two Sun Belt basketball players to rank in the top 10 in both points and rebounds this season. On the year, Wright ranks No. 5 in points-per-game (15.0) and No. 8 in rebounds-per-game (6.9).

12-Straight
Junior DeJuan Wright enters Saturday's game having scored in double-figures in 12-straight games. Wright is averaging 15.0 points-per-game, ranking No. 5 in the Sun Belt Conference.

300-Plus Club
Junior DeJuan Wright enters Saturday's game having scored 405 points this season, ranking No. 20 all-time in FIU history for points in a single season. His 405-point performance marks the 21st time a Panther has scored 400-or-more points in a single season. Junior Eric Frederick has scored 350 points this season, ranking No. 43 all-time for points in a single season.

Russell Has Seen a Lot of Action as a Panther
Senior Tremayne Russell enters Saturday's game having played in 107 games during his FIU career. The Savannah, Ga., native is one of 13 players in FIU history to have played in 100-or-more games. The school record for games played is held by Dwight Stewart, who participated in 118 competitions from 1988-93.

Raining Treys
Entering Saturday's game, the FIU Panthers have converted at least one 3-point basket in 82-straight games, dating back to Dec. 20, 2008.

774 and Counting 
Senior Marvin Roberts enters Saturday's game having scored 774 points for his FIU career. The Brooklyn, N.Y., native is averaging 13.6 points-per-game during his two-year career at FIU currently ranks No. 14 on FIU's all-time scoring list.