Panthers look to end skid at home against Marshall

Panthers Seek Win Against Struggling Marshall

By David Drucker/Contributing Writer

The men’s basketball team will make their first home appearance since Dec. 2 when they host the Marshall University Thundering Herd on Thursday. Dennis Mavin and the Panthers (8-8) will look to improve to above .500 again as Marshall (4-12) seeks its fifth win of the season.

The Panthers are currently riding a two-game losing streak, having lost contests against the University of Alabama-Birmingham and Middle Tennessee State University. A win Thursday will improve their conference record to 2-2. Marshall University is 0-3 in Conference USA and will be looking to snap a six-game losing slide.

Senior guard Dennis Mavin and junior forward Adrian Diaz will likely lead the charge again for the Panthers, as they have for most of the season. One spectacular game from one of them, however, may not be enough to carry the team to victory. Last year, forward Tymell Murphy scored a career-high 29 points against the Thundering Herd, but his team still fell by a score of 80-68. A winning effort will likely require Mavin, who is averaging 16.8 points per game this season, to lead the way once again in scoring. Diaz has been efficient on the boards all season long (6.3 rebounds per game) and should be again on Thursday.

The Thundering Herd will count on the talents of sophomore forward Ryan Taylor once again on Thursday. Taylor is averaging 13.9 points and 8.0 rebounds per game and also owns a team-leading 15 blocks on the season. Another game-changer for the Thundering Herd is sophomore guard Austin Loop, who is shooting 43% on three-pointers this season and has made 46 total shots from downtown.

Marshall has a rich basketball history that dates back to 1907. Over the years, Marshall has produced professional talent from Hal Greer, a 10-time all-star who made his NBA debut in 1958, to Hassan Whiteside, a center who currently plays for the Miami Heat. Despite their long tenure as a team, they have only met the Panthers on the basketball court twice in school history. FIU is winless in these two contests.

Before the game, FIU will be hosting a pre-game tailgate at 5 p.m. for the Panthers, who are playing at home for the first time in 44 days. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m.