Liam Rooney / Contributing Writer
The FIU Men’s Basketball team returns to South Florida this weekend for a doubleheader against the Southern Miss Golden Eagles with hopes of snapping their 11-game losing streak before it’s too late.
This will be the final home series of the season. Game one will be on Friday, February 19th at 7pm, and game two will be on Saturday, February 20th at 2pm.
FIU is coming back from a last week’s road trip when they faced the Texas-El Paso Miners, and lost by scores of 59-75 and 68-77. The Panthers are currently on an 11-game losing streak against Conference USA opponents that started on Jan. 9th with their loss against the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders.
The Panthers hold an overall 9-14 record and a 2-12 record in Conference USA. They’re currently dead last out of the seven teams in the Eastern Division, likely taking the Panthers out of tournament contention. Southern Miss has a record of 7-14 and a conference record of 3-11, with all but one of their victories made at home in Hattiesburg, Mississippi.
Heading into the matchup, FIU holds a 2-6 record against Southern Miss, last winning February 1st, 2018 by a score of 76-70. The Panthers have lost their last three games against the Golden Eagles including a 75-67 defeat on February 15th, 2020.
Despite the overwhelming losses this season, FIU enters this weekend as the fifth best scoring offense out of all 14 team in C-USA with an average of 76 points per game. Guard Antonio Daye, Jr. continues to lead the Panthers offense with a team high 17 points per game and 5 assists per game. Forward Radshad Davis and forward Eric Lovett round out the Panther’s top scorers with Davis averaging 13 a game and Lovett with 11.
In contrast to the offensive firepower, FIU’s defense has struggled this season, allowing opposing offenses to score 75 points a game,the worst defensive record in Conference USA. There is one defensive area, however, that FIU has excelled in, steals. The Panthers lead all teams in C-USA with 8 steals per game.
Southern Miss enters the game with the third worst offense in Conference USA, averaging 65 points per game. Southern Miss will hope to get top scoring forward Tyler Stevenson going, who is averaging 14 points per game. The Golden Eagles currently have the sixth best defense in C-USA, only allowing opponents to score an average of 65 points per game.
FIU offense will be challenged this weekend, so scoring points early will be the key for success. If the offense is clicking and FIU can force turnovers, the Panthers will have an opportunity to finally get back on the win column.
Both games can be seen on ESPN+. The Panthers will close out their season with a trip to Bowling Green, Kentucky against the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers on Friday, February 26th at 8pm, and Saturday, February 27th at 5pm.
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