FIU Looks For Bounce Back Game Against LSU

Following a tough 96-66 loss to the Nebraska Cornhuskers, head coach Jeremy Ballard and his team will continue the road trip in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and take on the LSU Tigers on Thursday, November 13, at 8:00 pm ET.

Nebraska Recap

Despite losing by 30 to Nebraska, many need to remember that this is a power conference team that went 21-14, going undefeated in the College Basketball Crown Tournament. The Cornhuskers were led by forward Pryce Sandfort, who dropped 20 points and went 7-11 from the field, along with 6-9 from the three-point line.

Rienk Mast also had a big game, with 18 points, 12 rebounds, 10 assists, and shot 8-10 from the field (2-3 3PT). As a team, Nebraska shot 55.2% from the field and 50.0% from beyond the arc.

Leading the way for this FIU team was guard Julian Mackey, who came off the bench and scored 12 points, going 4-7 from the field and 3-4 from beyond the arc. Hamed “Larry” Olayinka also had 12 points, but with seven rebounds, one steal, and went 6-7 from the field.

Larry legendary 🙌 pic.twitter.com/xyuuPigQws

— FIU Men's Basketball (@FIUHoops) November 10, 2025

One of the more impressive performances came from freshman center Eric Dibami, who scored 10 points, grabbed seven rebounds, and blocked three shots, becoming the first FIU freshman since Freddy Asprilla had 16, 11 & 3 against South Alabama on 12/20/08. In addition, he’s just the fourth Panther freshman since 2004-05 to do so. This performance comes after a rough college debut game against Florida National.

As a team, they outrebounded the Cornhuskers, 40-36, with 17 of those as offensive rebounds. The last time FIU had 17 or more rebounds against a Division I opponent was on January 11 of last season against Sam Houston State with 18, and they are currently 23rd in the country. FIU finished the game with 14 second-chance points. It also led to 38 points in the paint. The Panthers also had eight fast-break points, more than the Cornhuskers.

“We knew from film that Nebraska is a very good team. They’re old, they’re big, they’re physical, they’re extremely skilled,” head coach Jeremy Ballard said following the game. “They’re extremely well-coached, and they played well tonight. I’m disappointed that we didn’t give them a better game, because we’re a lot better than what we showed tonight.”

Eric Dibami is the first FIU freshman to record at least 10 points, seven rebounds and three blocks in a game since Freddy Asprilla had 16, 11 & 3 against South Alabama on 12/20/08.

In addition, he’s just the fourth Panther freshman since 2004-05 to do so. pic.twitter.com/rqdnqr9fFd

— FIUSportsInfo (@FIUSportsInfo) November 8, 2025

Looking Ahead To the Tigers

The Tigers are currently 2-0 with wins over Tarleton State and New Orleans. Last season, LSU went 14-18 and 3-15 in SEC play. In their 93-58 win over New Orleans, starting center Michael Nwoko led the team with 22 points, five rebounds, and went 9-13 from the field.

The Tigers had 56 rebounds in the game, with 18 of them coming on the offensive side of the ball, and they put up 16 second-chance points. Defensively, they forced only nine turnovers and scored eight points off those turnovers. They shot 43.7% from the field and 37.0% from beyond the arc.

Last year’s top two leading scorers, Cam Carter (16.4 PPG) and Jordan Sears (12.3 PPG), are both gone as they ran out of eligibility. Third on that list is 6’10 forward Jalen Reed, who averaged 11.1 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 1.3 assists per game. In the New Orleans win, he had 15 points, seven rebounds, one assist, one steal, and shot 64.3% from the field. He will be a name to watch on Thursday.

Reed with the Range 🎯@jayreedd | SECN+ pic.twitter.com/l6IzTK4M6d

— LSU Basketball (@LSUBasketball) November 11, 2025

This will mark the first matchup in program history between the Panthers and Tigers. The last time FIU played an SEC team was in 2021 against the Georgia Bulldogs, losing 58-51. Their last win against a power conference opponent was against Florida State in 2004.

The last win against an SEC opponent was against Alabama in 1997. Jeremy Ballard still sits at win 99 of his career, so win 100 would be the first of his career against a power conference opponent. FIU has six all-time wins against power conference opponents.

About Post Author

Kevin Barral

Hello, my name is Kevin Barral. I am currently covering FIU Football for Lemon City, but have been covering Miami Marlins baseball since the 2021 season with Fish Stripes and that has been my main forte so far in my young sports media career. I am excited to cover FIU Football this season and moving forward. I love to travel, play sports, and go out with my friends to Flanigans when not covering or writing.

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