GEORGE TOWN, Cayman Islands — FIU's men's basketball program takes on Marshall in the second game of the Cayman Islands Classic on Monday evening at 5 p.m. ET.
The winner of the Marshall/FIU contest will advance to the fifth-place game against the winner of Loyola Marymount (CA) and Oakland on Tuesday. Additionally, the defeated teams will face off with one another.
The Panthers enter this tilt looking for their first win in the Cayman Islands after falling to Akron 77-71 in a tightly-contested game on Sunday, Nov. 19.
FIU continues to improve, despite the result, as the Panthers have held late leads against No. 12 Miami and Akron, the second-rank mid-major team in the nation, in their last two defeats.
The Panthers will need use their high pressure style, which they can convert into easy offense, to gain control of this matchup. FIU is currently ranked seventh-nationally in steals per game and sixth-nationally in overall turnovers forced.
Individually, Arturo Dean's 19 steals are the second-most in all of Division I. Additionally, Dean's 29 assists are 11th in the nation and 33rd on a per game average.
SCOUTING MARSHALL
The Thundering Herd, coached by Dan D'Antoni, also fell in their opening matchup in the Cayman Islands, suffering a setback to Utah State.
Marshall has been excellent defensively with 5.7 blocks per game and limiting its opponents to just 30.3 percent shooting from the three-point line.
Marshall's Starting Five vs. Utah State: Voyles, Crawford, Martin, Curfman, Conner
