MIAMI– Year eight of the
Jeremy Ballard era commences with a revamped roster on Monday night as men's basketball kicks off its 2025-26 season against local opponent Florida National. Tip-off is at 7:00 p.m. at the Ocean Bank Convocation Center and will be televised on ESPN+.
Monday, Nov. 3 vs. Florida National
ESPN+
Live Stats
FIU Game Notes
2025-26 Media Assets
The Inbound
Coach Ballard enters this matchup sitting two wins from 100 in his career and would become the second coach in program history to do so. In addition, he is 11 wins from surpassing Rich Walker as the all-time winningest coach in school history, having already recorded the most Division I wins at the school.
The Panthers have 15 newcomers, using the transfer portal and bringing in a pair of strong freshmen to bolster the roster.
Series History
The Panthers have battled the Conquistadors three times in program history, winning all three of the previous meetings by 18 points or more. The two teams met last season early in November with FIU walloping FNU by a final of 110-55.
The first meeting between these two teams was in 2017, also at the OBCC, with FIU winning 79-61.
Notable Storylines
- Florida National head coach Daniel Pressman was a part of the FIU staff from 2016-2023, first as a manager and then as a graduate assistant.
- The Panthers have one rotation returner, accounting for nearly all of the team's returning points in Ashton Williamson. Williamson averaged 7.3 points per game and led the squad with 89 assists in 2024-25.
- Guard Zawdie Jackson may be familiar to Panthers fans. The Georgia native transferred from CUSA foe New Mexico State and bolsters the guard room with some scoring punch, having recorded over 1,500 collegiate points across two schools. Last season with the Aggies, Jackson started and played in all 32 games, averaging 10.5 points, 3.1 assists and 2.3 rebounds while shooting 39.9% from the field. He averaged nearly 20 points per game in his two bouts against FIU.
- Corey Stephenson is another strong transfer who averaged double figures at his previous school in CSU Bakersfield. In addition to leading the Roadrunners with 181 rebounds and three double-doubles, he averaged 11.4 points per game during the season. He did not appear in the matchup against FIU during last year's MTE.
- Two freshmen with Miami ties figure to have a large impact on the team this season. Eric Dibami and Thiago Sucatzky, who both played at local Miami Prep, are some of the most talented freshmen in the conference.
FIU will head to Nebraska for a big-time matchup on Saturday following this game.
TICKETS
For more information on FIU men's basketball tickets, call 305-FIU-GAME or visit the FIU Athletics Online Ticket Office.
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.
