MIAMI (March 10, 2020) – The FIU men's basketball team hits the road for the 2020 Air Force Reserve C-USA Basketball Championships presented by Baylor Scott & White Sports Performance Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas.

The Panthers enter the Conference USA tournament as the number five seed and will play 12th-seeded Rice on Wednesday, March 11, at 7:30 p.m. ET. The pairing marks the first meeting between the two teams in the Conference USA Tournament.

Fans can catch the game on ESPN+. Click here for FIU game notes.

BY THE NUMBERS
FIU leads the nation with 201 total blocks and 6.5 swats per game. The team also comes into the contest ranked eighth for three-point defense (28.6).

Individually, Osasumwen Osaghae enters the postseason as the nation's leader for total blocks (116) and swats per outing (3.7). His 116 blocked shots are also a single-season record at FIU. Devon Andrews paces the Panthers with 15.4 points per game, putting the senior seventh in the league.

FIU landed two players on the All-Conference second team, the league announced on Monday. The Panthers' Andrews and Osaghae took home the honors for the FIU squad. Osaghae also earned all-defensive team recognition and earned the coveted Conference USA Defensive Player of the Year honor, the first C-USA superlative award in program history.

MEETING THE OWLS
Rice enters the tournament at 15-16 for the year and a 7-11 mark in conference play, earning as the number 12 seed. The Owls are averaging 73.8 points while shooting 43.1% this season. Trey Murphey III leads the team with 13.6 points per game while Drew Peterson paces the squad with 3.5 assists.

During the first meeting between the teams, FIU fell at Rice 92-78. Ako Adams made five baskets from beyond the arc and finished with a team-high 19 points for Rice, while Andrews and Trejon Jacob each had 19 points and seven rebounds for FIU.

LAST TIME OUT
The Panthers fell to WKU 91-85 in the regular-season finale. The team shot 42% but allowed the Hilltoppers to go 54.2% from the field and 37.5% from three.

Individually, Jacob led the Panthers with 18 points in the loss. Andrews (12), Isaiah Banks (17), and Osaghae (11) also posted double-figure scoring on Saturday.

UP NEXT
The winner of the contest takes on fourth-seeded Charlotte on Thursday, March 12, at 7:30 p.m. ET.

SOCIAL MEDIA
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