Christopher Rodriguez | Staff Writer
As they look to improve their conference record, the FIU Panthers men’s basketball team will face off against the Sam Houston Bearkats at the Ocean Bank Convocation Center on Saturday, Jan. 17, at 2 p.m..
FIU is currently 2-4 against Conference USA rivals and are ranked #12 in the Conference standings.
Despite their recent three game losing streak, the Panthers are 2-1 against conference rivals at home. The team has defended their home court all season as they are 9-2 at home during the regular season.
FIU has faced Sam Houston State University eight times and currently holds a 3-5 record against the Bearkats. In the last matchup between these two Conference USA rivals, FIU defeated Sam Houston 85-82 on February 6, 2025.
One mystery to note is to see if senior Corey Stephenson is going to play considering that he was unable to suit up last game against Kennesaw State. Senior Zawdie Jackson made a statement heading back to his home state of Georgia, as he faced Kennesaw State Owls and scored 25 points, scoring mostly from the free throw line as he went 9-10.
Senior Brit Harris was the top scorer in the long-range shooting as he went 4-5 from the 3-point line. Freshman Eric Dibami had a dominant presence under the rim as he was able to secure 12 total rebounds against the Owls.
Finals Thoughts:
FIU is looking to bring back their spirits after losing three games in a row on the road as they still look for their first win away from home.
Even if Corey Stephenson does not play Saturday, which is still unknown, the Panthers can still perform well just as if he was still on the floor based on how FIU’s ball movement is shared through all the other players that are on the court.
The team is trying to get out of their longest losing streak of the season as they head back home for just one game before going out for another two game road trip. The team is one win away from matching their total from last season with 14 games to go, showing the team’s improvement from last year.
Score Prediction
FIU:
93
SHSU:
85
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