MIAMI (Dec. 31, 2020) – The FIU men's basketball team begins the new year with a Conference USA series against Old Dominion at the Ocean Bank Convocation Center from Jan 1-2. Tipoff on New Year's Day is slated for 7 p.m. ET on Friday, while Saturday's contest is set for 3 p.m.

Fans can catch both games on ESPN+. Click here for game notes.

BY THE NUMBERS
FIU enters the contest second in the nation with 13.8 threes per game. The squad's 110 three-pointers made ranks fourth nationally, while the Panthers' 286 attempts from beyond the arc are seventh in the country. The team sits sixth with 10.6 steals per game and 16th with 85 total steals.

Antonio Daye, Jr. ranks 17th in the nation with 53 assists. The guard's 155 total points are 52nd nationally and lead the league. Dimon Carrigan's 3.00 blocks per outing are second in C-USA and eight nationally, while the forward's 18 total blocks is 22nd in the country and third in the league.

LAST TIME OUT
FIU toppled Carver 111-34 during the team's last outing on Dec. 21. The Panthers' 34 assists and 20 made threes were new program records. The previous record for assists was set in 1990, while the previous mark from three was set at Cleveland State last year.

Petar Krivokapic and Cameron Corcoran tallied 17 points apiece to pace the Panthers. Daye, Jr. tallied a double-double with 14 points and 10 assists. Javaunte Hawkins logged a season-high eight assists during the victory.

CONFERENCE CLASH
Conference USA basketball will move to a divisional standings format for the 2020-21 season, as approved by the league's Board of Directors this past week.

C-USA will feature East and West divisions and will crown divisional champions after conference play in March. Standings will be based on overall conference winning percentage. In addition, divisional seeding will be utilized for the C-USA Men's and Women's Championships. A cross-divisional bracket will be used to determine first-round matchups.

The East Division will comprise of Charlotte, FIU, Florida Atlantic, Marshall, Middle Tennessee, Old Dominion and WKU. Louisiana Tech, North Texas, Rice, Southern Miss, UAB, UTEP and UTSA will make up the West Division.

SCOUTING OLD DOMINION
Old Dominion comes into conference play with a 4-2 mark this season. The Monarchs claimed victory in four of their last five games, most recently coming off a 77-57 win against Virginia Wesleyan. ODU has five players averaging double-figures: Malik Curry (15.6), Kalu Ezikpe (12.8), Joe Reece (11.2), Austin Trice (10.3) and A.J. Oliver II (10.2).

UP NEXT
FIU hits the road for the first time in league play when the team heads to Middle Tennessee for games against the Blue Raiders on Jan. 8-9.

FAN ATTENDANCE
Due to physical distancing requirements, the total capacity at Ocean Bank Convocation Center will be reduced to 15%, with no lower-level seating available. For more information on tickets, call 305-FIU-GAME or visit here.

SOCIAL MEDIA
Get all the latest information on FIU men's basketball by following @FIUMensBBall on Facebook and @FIUHoops on Twitter and Instagram. General athletic news can also be found at @FIUSports on Facebook and @FIUAthletics on Twitter and Instagram.