STORYLINES:
• Dennis Mavin, who currently leads Conference USA in scoring, is just 18 points shy from reaching 1,000 career points.
• Head Coach Anthony Evans makes his return to Norfolk, where he was the head coach at Norfolk State for six seasons.
• ODU leads the all-time series, 1-0.
 
THE GAME: Following a 12-day stretch without playing a game, 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.
 
EVANS MAKING HIS RETURN TO NORFOLK: When FIU Head Coach Anthony Evans coaches Thursday's game at Old Dominion, he will be stepping on familiar stomping grounds. ODU is located in Norfolk, Va., the same location where Evans' previous head coaching stint was at Norfolk State.  A well-known figure in the city of Norfolk, Evans spent six seasons coaching the Spartans and rebuilding the program into one of the top teams in the MEAC. He led Norfolk State to a 66-30 record in MEAC games in his six years as coach and led the program to two postseason appearances. The most memorable season for Evans was the 2011-12 campaign when he took the Spartans to new heights with the program's first-ever MEAC title and perhaps one of the biggest upsets in NCAA Tournament history. In the 2012 NCAA Tournament, the Evans-led Spartans knocked off the No. 2 seed Missouri Tigers, 86-84, becoming the fifth No. 15 seed (at the time) to defeat a No. 2 seed.
 
REST EASY AND LOOK OUT: A simple word to describe FIU's schedule this season would be crazy. Not too long ago, FIU began a 42-day stretch where it didn't play a home game. Most recently, the Panthers come into Thursday's contest with Old Dominion 12 days rested. FIU's Lime Court at FIU Arena hosted this year's "Miss Universe" pageant on Jan. 21 and 25, which eventually gave the men's squad a gap until their next scheduled game. Although the 12 days rest is nice, FIU will play five games in the next nine days, including three games at home next week that will be in a five-day span. 
 
MAVIN LEADS CONFERENCE USA IN SCORING: Entering Thursday's contest with ODU, senior guard Dennis Mavin leads Conference USA in scoring. Mavin is averaging 17.2 points-per-game, edging WKU's T.J. Price for the league lead. 
 Player (School)                        PPG
Dennis Mavin (FIU)                    17.2
T.J. Price (WKU)                       17.1
Jeromie Hill (UTSA)                   16.8
Raheem Appleby (LA Tech)        16.7
Alex Hamilton (LA Tech)             16.7
 
vs. CONFERENCE USA: FIU holds a 44-98 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.
 
LAST TIME OUT: Senior Dennis Mavin led three Panthers who scored  in double-digits, as FIU (9-9, 2-3 C-USA) fell, 65-58, to former Sun Belt foe and current Conference USA member WKU on the evening of Jan. 17 from Lime Court at FIU Arena. Mavin paced FIU's offense with 21 points, marking his fifth game this season with 20-or-more points, as the Gainesville, Fla., native went 8-of-18 from the floor. Junior Daviyon Draper shot 7-of-11 for 15 points in the effort and picked up his first-career double-double, adding a team-high 11 boards. Redshirt junior Adrian Diaz chipped in 11 points and seven rebounds. The Panthers shot 41.8 percent from the field while holding WKU to just 34.5 percent shooting. Both teams struggled from three, as FIU shot 14.3 percent and WKU shot at a 17.6 percent clip.
 
NEXT UP: Following its matchup with the Monarchs, FIU will return to action on Jan. 31 for a 7 p.m. matchup at the Charlotte 49ers. The game between FIU and Charlotte will mark just the second meeting all-time between the two teams as the 49ers hold a 1-0 lead. The last time these two teams met was Feb. 1, 2014 of last season, as FIU fell to Charlotte by a score of 73-61. Three Panthers reached double-digits in scoring, including Rakeem Buckles, who posted 20 points and 10 rebounds. Tymell Murphy tallied 11 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, while Dennis Mavin scored 14 points.

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About FIU Athletics: FIU Athletics is home to more than 400 student-athletes in 18 different sports. Athletic events are played in seven different venues on FIU's campuses (Modesto A. Maidique and Biscayne Bay), including FIU Arena and Ocean Bank Field at FIU Stadium.

About FIU: Florida International University is recognized as a Carnegie engaged university. It is a public research university with colleges and schools that offers more than 180 bachelor's, master's and doctoral programs in fields such as engineering, international relations, architecture, law and medicine. As one of South Florida's anchor institutions, FIU contributes $9.8 billion each year to the local economy. FIU is Worlds Ahead in finding solutions to the most challenging problems of our time. FIU emphasizes research as a major component of its mission. FIU has awarded over 200,000 degrees and enrolls more than 54,000 students in two campuses and three centers including FIU Downtown on Brickell, FIU@I-75, and the Miami Beach Urban Studios. FIU also supports artistic and cultural engagement through its three museums: the Patricia & Phillip Frost Art Museum, the Wolfsonian-FIU, and the Jewish Museum of Florida-FIU. FIU is a member of Conference USA and has over 400 student-athletes participating in 18 sports. For more information about FIU, visit http://www.fiu.edu/.