MIAMI– FIU men's basketball (3-3) hosts a familiar opponent in the non-conference as FGCU (5-3) comes to town Wednesday. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.

The Inbound
The Panthers split the FIU MTE, dropping a back-and-forth affair to James Madison in game one and handling Omaha 74-61 in game two on Wednesday. The Panthers used a strong late 1H run to gain control over the Mavericks and never looked back.

FGCU is 5-3 and their offense has been flying, averaging 87.4 points per game in the early goings. The team's previous game was a 102-100 thriller of a defeat to CUSA foe Kennesaw State which sasw Jordan Ellerbee score 42 points. The Eagles enter this matchup having played just two road games, sitting at 1-1.

Series History
The Panthers and Eagles have met 17 times dating back to 2002-03 with FIU holding a 9-8 edge in the series. FGCU took last year's meeting 60-59 in Fort Myers despite 18 points from former Panther Jayden Brewer.

Jeremy Ballard is 4-3 all-time against the Eagles, but has lost three in a row. FIU's last win was on 12/1/21, a 77-61 win at the Ocean Bank Convocation Center. Tevin Brewer put up 24 points in that win.

The teams have met yearly since the 2012-13 season, and FIU is 6-3 all-time against the Eagles at home.

Notable Storylines

- Corey Stephenson, still third in the nation in offensive rebounds per game (5.3), had a monster week in the MTE, averaging 20 ppg, 8.5 rpg and shooting around 44 percent from the field. He tied his career-high with 25 against JMU and leads the team with 18.0 ppg.
- Brit Harris broke out in a big way against the Mavericks, going 7-10 from the field in the first half en route to a sensational 24-point performance, a D1-high in points for the senior. After that game, he sits 43 points from 1,000 in his career.
- Julian Mackey continues to quietly excel off the bench. He's scored double digits in all but one game this season after 12 against the Mavericks.
- Hamed Olayinka leads CUSA with 1.83 blocks per game. He had three against Omaha.
- Ballard sits eight wins from setting the all-time FIU record and surpassing Rich Walker.

UP NEXT

FIU hosts another in-state opponent in Jacksonville on Saturday. It'll be the teams' first matchup since 2016-17.

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.