By Brett Shweky/Editor
With one game left on the regular season schedule for FIU, the Panthers are set to host the North Texas Mean Green on Saturday at the Ocean Bank Convocation Center before heading into the Conference USA Championship Tournament.
FIU (18-12, 9-8 C-USA) comes into the contest aiming to complete the regular season sweep against North Texas (20-10, 8-9 C-USA). During the teams’ previous matchup on Feb. 16, the Panthers steamrolled the Mean Green 69-59 in Miami behind Brian Beard Jr.’s team-high 22 points.
Tipoff on Saturday is slated for 7 p.m.
Last time out for FIU
The Panthers had their four-game winning streak snapped on Wednesday against the Marshall Thundering Herd as they fell 94-78 at the Cam Henderson Center.
Despite Osasumwen Osaghae’s career-high 19 points, FIU dropped their first C-USA Bonus Play game after earning victories over FAU and Louisiana Tech to begin the stretch.
C.J. Burks scored a team-high 21 points for Marshall while Taevion Kinsey and Jon Elmore each contributed with 18.
With the win, the Thundering Herd completed the regular season sweep against the Panthers.
Beard Jr. finished second in scoring for FIU with 12 points while also collecting six assists and one steal.
The senior point guard’s lone steal helped him reach 91 steals this season which surpassed his previous single-season mark of 90. Beard Jr. ranks fourth in the nation in steals-per-outing with 3.1.
Quick Game Notes
Beard Jr. places second in C-USA in assists-per-game (6.2) and also eighth in the conference in points-per-game (17.2).
Osaghae is fifth in the nation in blocked shots (3.0 ppg) and also ranks fourth in C-USA in rebounds-per-game (8.3).
North Texas averages 70.7 points-per-game which ranks them ninth in C-USA. The Mean Green make up for their below-par offense by limiting opponents to an average of 62.7 points-per-game.
FIU leads the conference in scoring offense with 83.8 points-per-game.
Scouting report for North Texas
For North Texas, the Mean Green enter the outing riding a six-game losing streak with their most recent loss also coming against Marshall.
Marshall defeated North Texas 85-82 on March 3 after orchestrating a 54-39 second-half performance.
Umoja Gibson scored a team-high 21 points during the game, and Jorden Duffy added 20.
Gibson is North Texas’ leading scorer with the redshirt freshman guard averaging 12.6 points-per-game.
The Waco, TX native set the North Texas freshman record for single-season three-pointers which was previously set at 78. He enters Saturday’s contest with 88.
Mean Green point guard Ryan Woolridge is questionable for Saturday’s matchup after missing the last three out of four games due to tendinitis in his knee.
Woolridge is the second-leading scorer on the team (12.1 ppg) and also places fourth in the conference in assists-per-game (5.0).
Next on the schedule for FIU
Following their game against North Texas, the Panthers will head out to Frisco, TX to compete in the Conference USA Championship Tournament. The first round of the bracket is set for March 13.
Seeding for the tournament will be announced after Saturday’s slate of C-USA games
