FIU men’s basketball is preparing for its final regular season game, facing Western Kentucky in what will be the 57th matchup between the two teams. The Panthers currently hold a 14-16 overall record and are 7-12 in Conference USA play. Their position in the upcoming conference tournament remains uncertain as they enter this last game.
In their most recent contest, FIU was defeated by Middle Tennessee with a score of 73-67. Julian Mackey led the team with 16 points during that loss, despite FIU holding a halftime lead.
Western Kentucky comes into this meeting after having a six-game winning streak ended by Missouri State on the road. Historically, Western Kentucky has dominated this rivalry, winning 42 out of the previous 56 games since both teams began playing each other regularly in the 1998-99 season.
The last time these two teams met was on February 7, when Western Kentucky mounted a strong second-half comeback to defeat FIU 80-70 in Bowling Green. Zawdie Jackson scored 17 points for FIU in that game.
FIU has seen more success at home against WKU recently, winning four straight matchups in Miami. Their most recent home win came last season with an 85-66 victory led by Asim Jones’ 17 points.
Several players have achieved personal milestones as the regular season concludes. Zawdie Jackson recorded 11 points and six assists against Middle Tennessee and is one assist away from reaching 500 career assists. Julian Mackey surpassed the milestone of scoring over 1,000 career points and again led his team offensively in their latest outing. Corey Stephenson became just the eleventh player at FIU to score at least 500 points in a single season and has reached double digits in all but one game this year.
Freshman Eric Dibami contributed significantly against Middle Tennessee with 13 points, seven rebounds, and four blocks—his best defensive performance so far this year. Dibami now ranks third all-time among freshmen at FIU for double-doubles in a single season and is tied for fourth place within Conference USA for double-doubles this year; he trails only Ruben Colon (1989-90) by one double-double in program history.
If FIU secures another win before postseason play begins, it will tie their highest win total since the conclusion of the 2021-22 campaign.
For ticket information regarding FIU men’s basketball games, interested individuals can call or visit the university’s athletics ticket office online.
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