THE GAME: FIU hosts its second-straight home game for a Jan. 17th, 6:00 p.m. matchup with the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers. Saturday's game between FIU and WKU will mark the 35th meeting all-time between the two teams as the Hilltoppers hold a commanding 30-5 lead. The last time these two teams met was in the Sun Belt Championship game on March 11, 2013. Despite four Panthers scoring in double-figures, FIU fell to WKU, 65-63 at Summit Arena in Hot Springs, Ark.
 

FIU EARNS 400th ON-COURT VICTORY VERSUS MARSHALL: FIU erased an 18-point deficit on Thursday night, as the Panthers topped the Marshall Thundering Herd, 66-62, in a thrilling come-from-behind overtime victory. The win was the 400th on-court victory in program history (FIU lists its victories at 368 currently due to past NCAA sanctions). The 18-point deficit was the fourth-largest for FIU, and by far the largest defict the Panthers faced but managed to come back and win. Four players (Dennis Mavin, Adrian Diaz, Dominique Williams and Daviyon Draper) scored in double-figures marking the first time this season the Panthers have had four players post double-digits. 
 

SCOUTING WKU: In its first season as a Conference USA memeber, WKU comes to Miami winners of six-straight, most recently topping Florida Atlantic,  88-85 on Thursday night. The Hilltoppers trailed by as many as 13 points against the Owls before fighting off its second-straight double-digit come-from-behind road win. WKU leads Conference USA in assists-per-game (14.9) and is second in the league in and 43rd in the nation for scoring offense (74.4 ppg). The Hilltoppers offense runs through T.J. Price, who has scored at least 20 points in seven of WKU's last eight games, while Price is also No. 13 in the nation for three-point field goal percentage (.471). The Panthers will have to combat Price's long range shot on Saturday, as he is currently ranked eighth among active NCAA Div. I players in career treys made (253). 
 

PANTHERS CLOSE OUT EIGHT-GAME ROAD TRIP: FIU began an eight-game road trip at Louisville on Dec. 5, and it concluded at UAB on Jan. 10. Following the contest with Kennesaw State on Dec. 2, FIU began a stretch of 44 days where it did not play a game from Lime Court at FIU Arena, until  that streak came to an end on Jan. 15 versus Marshall. This was by far the longest stretch away from home in school history for FIU. The previous long was 38 days during the 2009-10 season when the Panthers went from Nov. 23 to Dec. 31, 2009 without playing at FIU Arena. FIU was just one of 19 schools in NCAA Division I that played three or less home games heading into Jan. 9.
 

vs. CONFERENCE USA: FIU holds a 44-97 all-time record against current schools in Conference USA. The most wins FIU has earned against any school in the league is 20 against Florida Atlantic, with the majority of those coming in Sun Belt action. The Panthers have also earned seven wins against Middle Tennessee and five wins over Western Kentucky, both schools that were also former SBC members. 
 

NEXT UP: Following its matchup with the Hilltoppers, FIU will return to action on Jan. 29 for a 7 p.m. matchup with the Old Dominion Monarchs in Norfolk, Va. The game between FIU and ODU will mark just the second meeting all-time between the two teams as the Monarchs hold a 1-0 lead. The last time these two teams met was Jan. 16 of last season, as FIU fell to ODU. Tymell Murphy led the Panthers with 20 points, going 8-of-13 from the field and collecting a team-high six steals and three blocks.