Bury the Burrow in Red! FAU vs. FIU

Jan. 14, 2009

FIU (6-12) @ FLORIDA ATLANTIC (4-13)
Thursday, Jan. 15, 2009 - FAU Arena (5,000)
Boca Raton, FL - 7:00 p.m. ET

GAME #18: For the first time this season FAU (4-13; 0-5 SBC) is playing back-to-back home games. The second-leg of the `homestand' is Thursday night when the Owls host local rival FlU (6-12; 1-4 SBC) at 7 p.m. ET at the FAU Arena.

BURY THE BURROW IN RED: Fans are encouraged to wear red Thursday night. The game is part of the NCAA/Sun Belt "Pack the House" challenge. The first 100 fans through the door will get free bandanas, megaphones and the first 150 will get free t-shirts. It will also be "Faculty/Staff Appreciation Night." Any FAU faculty or staff member who brings an Owl card to the game can buy one ticket and get another one free.

THE SERIES: FIU leads the all-time series 12-9, but FAU has knocked the Golden Panthers out of the Sun Belt Conference tournament in each of the last two seasons. The consecutive postseason wins have come on the Owls' home floor in at the FAU Arena in Boca Raton. FIU snapped a three-game losing streak to FAU by winning both regular season games a year ago, including a 72-66 win at the FAU Arena on February 20, 2008. FAU responded by winning a lopsided 91-64 decision in the SBC tournament's first round to end FIU's 2007-08 season on March 5, 2008.

TV/RADIO/INTERNET: All of FAU's regular season games (home and away) will air on live commercial radio WFTL - 640 AM with audio links available via FAUSPORTS.com. Evan Cohen (play-by-play) will call the game for WFTL on Thursday. Live scoring via GAMETRACKER and an additional video feed can also be accessed on FAUSPORTS.com.

GAME NOTES:
# Mike Jarvis (367-215 all-time) is in his 1st year as FAU head coach
# FAU is attempting to break an eight-game losing streak
# FIU is 2-2 in their last four, including a 81-79 upset win over Western Kentucky at home last Thursday
# Both schools are winless on the road (FIU 0-8) | (FAU 0-10)
# FIU's season has ended at the FAU Arena in each of the past two years, losing first-round SBC tournament games to the Owls (91-64 in '08) and (91-88 in overtime in '07)
# FAU is coming off a 78-57 home loss to Western Kentucky
# The Owls had started the season 3-1 for the first time in its 15-year Division I history but have since lost 12 of 13 and eight-straight
# FAU is playing its first back-to-back home games of the season
# The Owls are beginning their 3rd season in the Sun Belt Conference, FIU is in its 11th year in the SBC, posting a program-best 7-11 SBC record in 2006-07
# FAU boasts an experienced backcourt in seniors Paul Graham III (16.8 ppg) and PG Carderro Nwoji (22 points last time out)
# Graham leads the team in scoring (16.8 ppg), ranks 3rd in the league
# FAU was limited to just 8 available scholarship players last time out
# FAU freshmen G Shavar Richardson (10.6 ppg) and G Alex Tucker (4.2 apg) are each averaging nearly 30 minutes per game.
# FIU was 9-20 last season and 6-12 in SBC play
# FIU - who has been playing without 7-foot center Russell Hicks - welcomed the return of all-conference senior forward Alex Galindo (16.8 ppg) four games ago
# FIU rookie forward Freddy Asprilla (13.0 ppg/8.5 rpg) was named the Sun Belt Conference co-Player of the Week after scoring 21 vs. WKU and 28 at MTSU
# FAU is 35-9 at the FAU Arena over the past three years including going 7-3 vs. the SBC at home last season.
# UP NEXT: at North Texas (9-7) Saturday, Jan. 17 at 8 p.m. ET

FLORIDA ATLANTIC: The Owls (4-13) just finished up a stretch of playing five tournament teams from a year ago [UAB (NIT), Kentucky (NCAA), South Alabama (NCAA), Miami (NCAA) and Western Kentucky (NCAA)] and the preseason favorites to win the Sun Belt, Middle Tennessee State. FAU has lost eight-straight and is off to an 0-5 start versus the Sun Belt. It marks the second-straight year FAU has lost its first five league games - but the team rallied to finish 8-10 in SBC play last season. "Some people think the winning column defines whether you are having a good season or not," said first-year head coach Mike Jarvis after Saturday's loss to Western Kentucky. "That's not true if you're a coach. As a coach you know it is much more than how many games you win as to determine if a season is a success or not. We are not here for the season, we are here for the reason, to build a program." Jarvis' Owls played extremely shorthanded Saturday night against WKU, starting walk-on forward Chris Coleman in the absence of the USA Today's preseason Sun Belt Conference "Player of the Year" Carlos Monroe, who missed the game due to injury. Just eight scholarship players are expected to be available Thursday night when FAU hosts local rival FIU.

FIU: Fifth-year head coach Sergio Rouco - one of only two foreign-born Hispanic head coaches in Division I - has FIU (6-12) looking to improve on its 1-4 Sun Belt Conference record. The Golden Panthers upset Western Kentucky last week in Miami 81-79 before traveling to Middle Tennessee State and dropping a close game to the Blue Raiders 68-63 Saturday. Similar to FAU, the Golden Panthers have played a difficult non-conference schedule, losing to perennial powers UCLA (89-54) and Georgetown (76-38) on the road and at ACC member Miami (76-50) and versus PAC-10 member Washington (74-51). FIU ranks last in the league in scoring offense (58.8 ppg). 6-foot-10 freshman Freddy Asprilla (13.0 ppg/8.5 rpg) is the Sun Belt's top rebounder. And junior college transfer Michael Dominguez (11.5 ppg) has made 48 of the team's 95 3-pointers. FIU has played the majority of the season without senior all-conference players C Russell Hicks and F Alex Galindo, but Galindo has returned for each of the past four games - providing FIU with a huge lift, scoring 16.8 points per game.

NEXT UP: at North Texas Saturday, Jan. 17 at 8 p.m. ET at the Super Pit in Denton. North Texas (9-7; 2-3 Sun Belt) began the year 8-2 but have since lost 5 of 6. The Mean Green beat Arkansas State 86-83 at home in triple overtime on Saturday. They will host Denver (7-9; 2-3 Sun Belt) Thursday before entertaining FAU Saturday night.

Calendar

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Players Mentioned

Chris Coleman

Paul Graham III

Carlos Monroe

Carderro Nwoji

Shavar Richardson

Alex Tucker

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Upcoming Event: Men's Basketball versus Temple on March 11, 2026 at 9 p.m. ET

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