FRISCO, Texas – The seventh-seeded FIU men's basketball teams prepares to open the 2023 Conference USA Men's Basketball Championnship presented by TotalCare, as the Panthers face off with 10^th-seeded Louisiana Tech in the first round on Wednesday, Mar. 8, at the Ford Center at The Star. The matchup marks the first between the two programs in the C-USA Tournament.
 
Wednesday, Mar. 8 vs. No. 10 Louisiana Tech (14-17, 7-13 C-USA)

• Time / Site: 9 p.m. ET at The Ford Center at The Star
• TV: ESPN+ (Ron Thulin and Colin Boddicker)
• Radio: FIU Radio (AJ Ricketts)
• Live Stats
• Game Notes: FIU | LA Tech

 
FIU concluded the regular season 14-17 overall and 8-12 in the Conference USA after dropping Rice in Houston, 90-83, on Saturday to snap a five-game skid and carry momentum into this week's C-USA Tournament.
 
Sophomore Denver Jones led all scorers with a career-high 30 points, exceeding his career high in scoring for the fourth time this season while marking his 25^th contest in double figures through 27 games played. The guard was named First Team All-Conference USA after finishing second in the league in scoring (20.0), field goal percentage (48.1%) and free-throw percentage (85.5%).
 
Seth Pinkney recorded a season-highs of 15 points and three blocks, while freshman Jayden Brewer tallied third double-figure performance of 14 points with a career-high nine rebounds.
 
Arturo Dean recorded his first career double-double in the win with 10 points and 10 assists, along with three steals, leading all freshmen in the C-USA in scoring (11.6 ppg) while pacing FIU in assists (3.7) and steals (2.5). Dean was named the C-USA Freshman of the Year, along with earning All-Conference Honorable Mention, All-Defensive Team and All-Freshman honors. The first-year marks FIU's first freshman of the year recipient since 2009, while marking the first-ever in the C-USA era.
 
Dashon Gittens also received All-Freshman Team honors on Tuesday, averaging 7.0 points and 2.4 rebounds through 18 starts, as Gittens and Dean mark FIU's first All-Freshman Team honorees in program history.
 
LAST TIME OUT VS. THE BULLDOGS
FIU and Louisiana Tech split the season series, seeing the Panthers win in Miami, 66-62, on Feb. 9, while the Bulldogs came away with a win in Ruston, La., last week in overtime, 77-76, on Mar. 2.
 
The Bulldogs overcame a 16-point deficit to storm back for the overtime win last Thursday, as FIU was led by Petar Krivokapic with a career-best 25 points on 7-of-9 shooting from 3-point range, followed by Denver Jones with 19 points. The two have strived against LA Tech this season, seeing Jones average 20.0 points and 4.0 rebounds, while Krivokapic averages 18.5 points against the Bulldogs.
 
Additionally, the Panthers have forced an average of 22.0 turnovers when facing LA Tech. The Panthers are 15^th in the nation for the category (16.5 forced turnovers/g) while ranking 12^th in steals per game (9.0).

FIU's 2-5 all-time in the Conference USA Tournament. 
 
Series History: LA Tech leads 10-8
 
UP NEXT
The winner of Wednesday's first round matchup advances to face No. 2 seed North Texas in Thursday's (Mar. 9) quarterfinals at 9 p.m. ET at the Ford Center at The Star. The game is to be televised on ESPN+.
 
SOCIAL MEDIA
Fans are encouraged to follow the Panthers on Instagram (@FIUHoops), Twitter (@FIUHoops), and Facebook (Facebook.com/FIUMensBball) for all the latest Men's Basketball news.
 
General athletic news can also be found at @FIUSports on Facebook and @FIUAthletics on Twitter and Instagram.