HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — FIU's 10th-seeded men's basketball program opens up the 2025 Conference USA (CUSA) Championships against 7th-seeded Western Kentucky on Tuesday evening.
The Panthers play the Hilltoppers in the nightcap inside Propst Arena at 9 p.m ET | 8 p.m. CT Tuesday night, of which will also be aired on ESPN+. Matt Warner and Paul Nazigian will be on the call.
Coverage for the first round and quarterfinal games will be available through ESPN+ with the Semifinals and Championship Final aired on CBS Sports Network.
Tuesday, March 11 vs. Western Kentucky
Time/Site: 9 p.m. ET | Propst Arena
Series History: WKU leads 41-13
CUSA Tournament History: FIU 3-7 All-Time
2024 CUSA Tournament
First Round: FIU def. Jax State, 76-67
Quarterfinals: Sam Houston def. FIU, 78-59
TV: ESPN+
FIU and WKU split their two regular season meetings as each team won their home contest. Additionally, the teams just played each other on Thursday, March 6 in Bowling Green, Ky., of which was a 76-67 win for the Hilltoppers. The Panthers downed WKU 85-66 on Saturday, Jan. 4 in Miami.
CUSA announced its postseason awards on Monday, recognizing FIU's Jayden Brewer and Vianney Salatchoum. Brewer earned an Honorable Mention All-CUSA Selection while Salatchoum was named to the All-Defensive team. Salatchoum is a newcomer this season from Panola Junior College while Brewer is in his third season as a Panther. Brewer chipped in nine points in 21 minutes in last season's first round win over Jax State. Brewer then had 12 points in the loss to Sam Houston in the quarterfinals.
SCOUTING WKU
The Hilltoppers were last season's Conference USA Tournament Champions, earning CUSA's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. WKU was picked second in the preseason poll this season, but finished 8-10 in CUSA play, sitting in seventh place.
WKU's primary scorer Don McHenry earned second team All-CUSA status, averaging 17.2 ppg, fifth-most in CUSA. Khristian Lander and Tyrone Marshall were also inside the top-25 in the conference in scoring. In last week's game, McHenry scored 20 points and Lander added 19. Marshall was also in double-digits with 11 points as was Braxton Bayless with 10.
For more information on the 2025 CUSA Men's and Women's Basketball Championships, visit www.ConferenceUSA.com/RocketCityHoops.
