Paws Up Preview – FIU Men’s Basketball vs. Houston Christian

Date: Wednesday, November 15th

Time: 8PM EST

TV: ESPN+

Radio: Univision WQBA 1140 with AJ Ricketts

Location: Houston, Texas

Betting Line: FIU -13.5

Following a tough 86-80 loss to the Miami Hurricanes, the FIU Panthers traveled the next day to Texas to take on the Houston Christian Huskies tonight at 8pm, who are 0-1 on the season after losing to BYU.

Houston Christian Huskies

Notable performers for the Huskies include junior Marcus Greene who had 18 points, two rebounds, and one assist in their opening game. This is Greene’s first season with Houston Christian and quickly made an impact.

Jay Alvarez followed Greene with 11 points, six rebounds, and two assists against. The 6’5″, 210-pound junior is in his first season with the Huskies and has brought some size to height starting five.

Forward Michael Imariagbe also had 11 points in the opening night loss, but his stature at 6’7″ stands out as they will be able to go head to head with the Panthers’ height.

FIU Panthers

Despite dealing with cramps throughout the majority of the second half, sophomore guard Arturo Dean finished the night with 19 points, five rebounds, and six assists along with going 3-5 from the three-point line.

After struggling heavily in the first two games of the season, Dashon Gittens found himself with 14 points, two rebounds, and one assist against Miami.

“He’s got great ability and is a versatile player,” said FIU head coach Jeremy Ballard following the loss against the Hurricanes. “He’s built to play in these high-level games. He’s as athletic as those guys. He’s as talented as those guys and he’s still young.

“He’s still just learning, but the young man’s got a lot of special in him, so I was proud of him. He stuck with the process. He’s trusted the process.”

George Pridgett Jr. has been a pleasant surprise for the Panthers through the first three games but made his biggest impact against Miami. Going 3-4 from the three-point line and ending the night with nine points is exactly what the Panthers are looking for off the bench.

The Panthers look to get their first win of the season on Wednesday, at 8:00 pm EST. The game will be streamed on ESPN+ and you can also follow along with the live stats that can be found on the FIU Men’s Basketball Website.