HUNTSVILLE, Ala. —  FIU's men's basketball program will take on Jacksonville State in the opening round of the Conference USA (CUSA) Championships on Tuesday evening inside Propst Arena. 

Ninth-seeded FIU faces off with eighth-seeded Jacksonville State at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN+ to open the 2024 CUSA Men's Basketball Championships. The winner of this tilt will then take on top-seeded Sam Houston at 6:30 p.m. ET on Wednesday, March 13. 

The Panthers and Gamecocks played two highly-competitive games when they met during the regular season with FIU losing both games to Jax State by a combined nine points. 

This will be the first-ever meeting between the two teams in the Conference USA Tournament. FIU is 2-6 all-time in the C-USA Tournament.

For the Panthers, Arturo Dean and Javaunte Hawkins, whom both were recognized as All-CUSA performers, lead the way. Dean and Hawkins both average 13 ppg as the one-two punch for the FIU attack. 

SCOUTING JAX STATE

KyKy Tandy, a first team All-CUSA selection, is the primary scoring option for the Gamecocks with a CUSA-best average of 18.3 ppg. In FIU's two matchups with Jax State, Tandy has averaged 27.5 ppg including a 35-point performance in Jacksonville, Ala. on Jan. 6. 

As a team, Jax State has lost three-straight and is just 6-10 away from its home arena.

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.