MIAMI – No. 8 FIU men's basketball (15-16, 8-12 CUSA) will aim for its third-straight first round victory in the Conference USA Tournament on Tuesday, battling no. 9 Missouri State (14-17, 8-12) at 6:30 p.m. ET at Propst Arena in Huntsville.

The Inbound

FIU won in a rout in its final regular season game, having five players score 10 or more en route to a 92-67 throttling of Western Kentucky. Hamed Olayinka had his fifth double-double of the season in the game.

Missouri State split its final two games at home, beating Western Kentucky and losing the season finale to Middle Tennessee.

Series History
The Panthers have battled the Bears twice in their first year as Conference USA foes, earning a split with each team taking their home half of the series.

The Bears staved off 18 points from Julian Mackey in the first matchup to win 79-71 in Springfield on Jan. 10, and Corey Stephenson's game-winning three sealed a 70-67 win in Miami on Feb. 21.

Notable Storylines
- Corey Stephenson was named to the All-CUSA Second Team after his sensational season. 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, also scoring 18 points to end the year.
- Eric Dibami 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, being named to the All-Freshman and All-Defense teams.
- Zawdie Jackson has been one of the Panthers' best players down the stretch in conference play. He had 11 points against Western Kentucky, going 5-5 from the field. He surpassed 500 career assists in the final game as well.
- Mackey added another double-digit effort in the last game with 17, continuing to be one of the best scorers on the Panthers this year. Julian was named HoopsHD.com's CUSA Sixth Man of the Year.
- Olayinka is second on the team with five double-doubles this season and second in the conference in blocks.

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.