MIAMI, FL – The next time FIU will get on a plane to leave the state of Florida is in 2026. Following a tough two-game road trip to Nebraska and LSU, the Panthers welcome their second of three non-DI opponents, the University of Fort Lauderdale (4-1).
“We’re so fortunate to have this kind of scheduling anomaly,” said head coach Jeremy Ballard during the team’s shootaround period. “Shoutout to Coach (Jesse) Bopp and our sports supervisor, Heath Glick, for really spearheading this stretch for us to be home this long… This is an unbelievable opportunity to stay home and take advantage of our own facilities — getting extra work in the gym, in our weight room, and on our field, and being able to sleep in our own beds.”
Recapping The Road Trip
The Nebraska game was a tough one, but still outrebounded the Cornhuskers 40-36, with 17 of those as offensive rebounds. Leading the way for the Panthers was
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.
“I was disappointed in Nebraska,” said Ballard. “I just felt like we didn’t give ourselves a chance. That was nowhere near the best version of us. I thought the moment, the atmosphere, and the environment got to us a little, and it really hurt us. Like I said, we didn’t give ourselves a chance. We turned it over too much and played slow, almost like we were in the mud.”
As for the LSU game, the first half of action was great, only trailing 43-38 going into the half. The Tigers got off to a hot start in the second half, pulling away and defeating FIU 98-81. Leading the way was Corey Stephenson, who became the first player in the program since 2004 to have a stat line of 25 points, 10 rebounds, and six assists.
“We were completely different,” said Ballard. “We were locked in and played to our identity. I think the results showed that. It was a five-point game at the half, and we cut it to two in the second half. And with all that, we still could have played a lot better. We missed a ton of free throws and a ton of layups; otherwise, we’re right there at the end. I’m proud we gave ourselves a chance and encouraged, knowing we could’ve played much better. We learned a lot playing on the road against two very good teams.”
Injury Report
Starting center Eric Dibami and guard Zawdie Jackson will both be OUT against Fort Lauderdale. Dibami suffered an ankle injury during the first half against LSU, but did return. Jackson’s injury is a back injury. Both are out as a precaution. In place of Dibami, Ibrahim Olajuwon will get the start at center, while Julian Mackey will start in place of Jackson.
“We have a lot of depth on this team, and we’ll have a next-man-up mentality,” said Ballard. “We have a lot of guys we’re confident in who can come in and help us be successful. I’m excited for those guys to have this opportunity to start, but what we’re working toward is making sure it doesn’t matter who starts. Whenever your name is called, you do what you need to do to help the team and contribute.”
Olajuwon, who will be making his first career start, dropped eight points and three rebounds in 23 minutes played. Mackey, who has been coming off the bench, posted a season-high 24 points along with three assists and went 3-4 from beyond the arc.
Looking At The Eagles
This will mark the first matchup in program history between the Panthers and the Eagles. With a 4-1 record, along with an exhibition game against Stetson, this will mark the second exhibition game for them. Tip-off is set for 7:00 pm on ESPN+.
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