MIAMI – FIU men's basketball (14-16, 7-12 CUSA) closes out the regular season with its 57th meeting with Western Kentucky (18-12, 11-8) all-time. FIU's conference tournament fate is still to be determined heading into the final day.

The Inbound

FIU lost a tough one on 305 Day to Middle Tennessee despite 16 from Julian Mackey, falling 73-67 to the Blue Raiders after leading at halftime.

Western Kentucky was rolling heading into its matchup with Missouri State on the road, but the Bears snapped their six-game winning streak.

Series History
FIU and WKU's rivalry extends back to the early Sun Belt days, having played every year since the 1998-99 season. However, WKU has dominated the all-time series, going 42-14 in 56 meetings.

Despite 17 points from Zawdie Jackson in Bowling Green, WKU had an insane second-half rally to stun the Panthers 80-70 on Feb. 7 in the last meeting.

FIU has won four straight meetings in Miami, including a dominant 85-66 win on 1/4/25 last season. Asim Jones led the Panthers with 17 points in that meeting.

Notable Storylines
- Zawdie Jackson has been one of the Panthers' best players down the stretch in conference play. He had 11 points against MTSU and a season-high six assists. He is one assist away from 500 in his career.
- Mackey added another double-digit effort in the last game with 16, surpassing 1,000 career points to lead the Panthers in the loss.
- Corey Stephenson continues to roll for the Panthers. He is now the 11th player to record 500 points in a single season at FIU, and has double digits in all but one game this year.
- Eric Dibami had 13 points and seven rebounds against MTSU, also swatting a season-high four blocks. He has been one of the best freshmen in the conference this year, and in program history, moving into third all-time for double-doubles in a season by a freshman. He is tied for fourth in the conference in double-doubles, and one behind Ruben Colon (1989-90) in program history.
- FIU's next win will be tied for their most since the 2021-22 season.

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), X (@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.