MIAMI (Feb. 27, 2021) – The FIU men's basketball team closes out the regular season with a Conference USA series at WKU on Feb. 28- March 1. Tipoff from Sunday's contest at E.A. Diddle Arena is slated for 3 p.m. ET, while Monday's battle is slated for 1 p.m.
Fans can watch both games on ESPN+. Click here for game notes.
LAST TIME OUT
FIU fell to Southern Miss 85-72 during the Panthers' final home game of the season. Overall, FIU shot 41.0% from the floor with 12 three-pointers during the loss. The Panther bench outscored the USM reserves 27-9, but the Golden Eagles held the 40-25 rebounding advantage. Individually, Isaiah Banks and Tevin Brewer led the way for FIU with 15 points apiece.
BY THE NUMBERS
FIU leads the country with 752 three-pointers attempted this season. The team is also fifth for 254 threes made and seventh with 10.6 three-pointers per contest. FIU ranks sixth nationally with 206 total steals for its 2020-21 campaign. The team averages 8.6 steals per game, which ranks 23rd in the country.
Dimon Carrigan comes into the series with 52 blocks this season, ranking the senior 15th in the nation and second in the conference, behind WKU center Charles Bassey. Carrigan's 2.36 swats per contest are good for 20th in the country and second in C-USA behind Bassey.
SCOUTING THE HILLTOPPERS
WKU comes into the series with a 15-5 overall record and an 8-2 mark against league opponents. The Hilltoppers sit in first in the East division of C-USA. As a team, WKU averages 74.1 points per game while shooting 45.8% from the floor this season.
Bassey has been named to the Wooden Award Late Season Top 20 Watch List, selected to the Naismith Trophy Player of the Year Midseason Watch List and is on the National Player of the Year watch list for the Lute Olson Award. He was also named a Naismith Defensive Player of the Year Semifinalist and a top-five finalist for the 2021 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Award just this week.
The center averages a double-double that includes 17.5 points and 11.5 rebounds per outing. Taveion Hollingsworth is second on the team in scoring and assists as the guard posts 14.1 points and 2.3 assists per game.
UP NEXT
FIU travels to Frisco, Texas, for The Air Force Reserve C-USA Basketball Championships presented by Baylor Scott & White Medical Center Frisco. The tournament is slated to begin Tuesday, March 9, and run through Saturday, March 13.
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.
