The FIU Men’s Basketball team is spending Thanksgiving week in the Caribbean for the Cayman Islands Classic.
Their first matchup in this eight-team in-season tournament is against the Akron Zips at 7pm on Sunday, November 19th
In addition to the Panthers – Oakland, Drake, Loyola Marymount, Stephen F. Austin, Marshall, and Utah State are also competing in the Cayman Islands Classic, which features a winner’s bracket and consolation bracket.
The winner of the FIU/Akron matchup will play the winner of the Marshall and Utah State contests. Regardless of the outcome, FIU is guaranteed at least three games in the tourney.
The FIU Panthers
FIU (1-3) finally got their first win of the season with an 83-74 victory over Houston Christian on Wednesday.
Guards Arturo Dean and Dashon Gittens combined for 38 points against the Huskies, with Dean putting up 20 points, two rebounds, and six assists, while Gittens recorded 20 points on four three-pointers.
FIU is being out-rebounded this season by 6.8 boards per game. Their 30.5 rebounds per game are 328th in the country, while Akron is 98th in the nation with 40.7 per game.
The Akron Zips
The Zips (3-0) will make their third trip to the Cayman Islands with a little bit of momentum.
After winning their first three games of the season – including wins against South Dakota State and Southern Miss, Akron is No. 2 in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Poll, which is their highest ranking in program history. Their 3-0 record is tied for their best start to a season as DI.
Senior guard Mikel Dawson leads Akron scorers with 17.3 points per game and is shooting 48.1 percent from three. Three other Zips – Enrique Freeman, Sammy Hunter, and Nate Johnson – are averaging double-digit points per game.
As a team, Akron is shooting 49.2 percent from the field and 40 percent from three.
After the tournament, FIU will finally head back home to begin a three-game stretch, starting against the Kennesaw State Owls on Sunday, November 26th at 6pm.
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