DUNK CITY, Fla. – Looking to bounce back from just its second loss of the season, the FGCU men's basketball team (8-2) returns to action when it hosts Furman University (2-6) Friday at 7:30 p.m. in the second game of a doubleheader with the women's basketball team.
 
SETTING THE STAGE
FGCU is ranked No. 17 in this week's CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 Poll and begins Friday 76th in the official NCAA RPI rankings following a 69-63 setback at home to FIU on Sunday afternoon. Last year's meeting against Furman was the first between the two schools as the Eagles used a pair of Brett Comer (Winter Park, Fla./Winter Park HS) free throws with 5 seconds left to overcome a six-point deficit with 3:30 remaining and earn a 70-69 road victory (read more about last year's game).
 
WHAT TO KNOW
A limited amount of general-admission tickets remain for Friday's game, which will be the final home contest for FGCU this calendar year. Fans with a ticket to the men's game will receive free admission to the women's (8-2) contest against Northern Colorado (6-4) at 4:30. Fans with just a ticket to the women's game will not be admitted to the men's game as the arena will be cleared in-between contests. Tickets can be purchased by visiting the Alico Arena Ticket Office, calling 239-590-7145 or logging on to FGCUAthletics.com/Tickets.
 
Like all FGCU home games, the contest – presented by Naples Daily News – will be broadcast on ESPN3 and via the Watch ESPN app. David Moulton will handle the play-by-play duties with J. Webb Horton serving as the analyst.
 
Fans are encouraged to bring a new, unwrapped toy to the game as part of the Toys for Tots campaign. Boxes will be available immediately upon entry into Alico Arena at the marketing table. Both the men's and women's basketball programs will deliver the toys – which have been collected at all home December basketball games – to the Children's Hospital of Southwest Florida on Saturday, Dec. 20.
 
Additionally, fans are encouraged to wear their best holiday "ugly sweater" as the FGCU Athletics marketing team will be handing out free candy canes for those wearing an ugly sweater.
 
TWEETABLES (5 Things To Know In 140 Characters Or Less)
1) The Eagles have not lost consecutive regular-season games since Dec. 17 and 19 of last year against USF and Mississippi State.
2) FGCU holds opponents to just 36.6 percent from the floor (22nd nationally), while Furman allows opponents to shoot 48.6 percent (333rd nationally).
3) FGCU allowed FIU to shoot 50 percent from the field (65 percent in the second half) in Sunday's loss.
4) The loss to FIU was the first for FGCU when leading at the half (32-28) in 29 games, dating back to the 2012-13 season.
5) In last year's game at Furman, FGCU overcame a nine-point deficit (61-52) with just 8:30 left in the contest.
 
SCOUTING FURMAN
^ Furman (1-0 in the Southern Conference) is coming off road losses at TCU, 80-69, and Gardner-Webb, 74-68.
^ The Paladins have scored at least 68 points in three-straight games after scoring 55 or less in four of their first five contests. FGCU holds opponents to just 59.7 points per game while Furman scores 62 points an outing.
^ Stephen Croone leads Furman in scoring (18.1 per game), assists (2.6 per game) and steals (2 per game). The junior has scored in double figures 27 straight games and 36 of the last 37, and is 35 points shy of 1,000 for his career (career high: 40).
^ After being suspended the first four games of the season for a violation of team rules, freshman Geoff Beans is the only other Furman player averaging double-figure points (12.8).
 ^ Furman starts three freshmen, a sophomore and a junior as the Paladins have just one senior on the roster, Aaron O'Neill, the son of former New York Yankees and Cincinnati Reds right fielder Paul O'Neill.
^ Former Furman assistant Niko Medved (2000-06) is in his second season at the helm of the Paladins – who are in the same league as former Atlantic Sun Conference members Mercer and ETSU.
 
DID YOU KNOW?
Bernard Thompson (Conyers, Ga./Rockdale County HS) is the only active Division-I player with at least 1,500 career points (1,551), 500 career rebounds (500) and 225 career steals (228). The senior grabbed two early rebounds against FIU Sunday to become the fourth player in FGCU program history with at least 500 career rebounds (Chase Fieler, 714; Sherwood Brown, 589; Adam Liddell, 570).
 
#DUNKCITY MAESTRO
With 75 assists on the year, Comer ranks third in the nation in total assists, while his 7.5 assists-per-game average is tied for third in the country. Furthermore, the 75 assists are nearly more than Furman has as a team (81). Comer leads all active players in the NCAA (any division) with 684 career assists. On Thursday, ESPN named Comer – who leads the nation in assist rate at 53 percent – the country's seventh-best point guard. Assist rate is assists divided by the field goals made by the player's teammates while he is on the court. Read the complete article and rankings by clicking here.
 
#NESTPROTECTED
Despite the loss to FIU, FGCU is 34-4 at Alico Arena since the start of the 2012-13 season. The other three losses have come to Lipscomb, Iona and Mercer, snapping – respectively – a nine-game home-court winning streak, another nine-game streak and a 12-game stretch. FGCU went 15-1 in 2012-13, 15-2 last year and is 4-1 this season.
 
Furthermore, against non-conference opponents during the regular season, FGCU is now 22-2 at The Nest since 2011-12. The Green and Blue went 5-0 in 2011-12, 7-0 in 2012-13, 6-1 in 2013-14 and is 4-1 so far this season. The loss last year to Iona snapped a 15-game winning streak at Alico against non-conference opponents.
 
ODDS & ENDS
The Eagles grabbed a season-low 27 rebounds against FIU (previous low: 33) … both of FGCU's losses this year have come when the opponent has out-rebounded the Eagles and shot 40 percent or better from the field … Thompson recorded three steals against FIU, marking his seventh multi-steal game of the season and the fourth this year already in which he's had three or more pilfers.
 
A-SUN STATISTICAL RANKINGS
Marc-Eddy Norelia (Orlando, Fla./Olympia HS/Tulane) leads the A-Sun with 7.6 rebounds per game … Thompson ranks third in the league in scoring (15.6 per game) … Comer has 27 more assists than anyone else in the conference … Thompson is tied for the league lead with 27 made 3-pointers … Nate Hicks (Panama City Beach, Fla./J.R. Arnold HS/Georgia Tech) is third in the A-Sun with 1.1 blocks per game … FGCU leads the A-Sun in field-goal percentage defense (36.6), rebounds per game (40.3), 3-point percentage (39.4) and 3-point percentage defense (23.4) – which is third in the nation.
 
CHALLENING NON-CONFERENCE SLATE
FGCU has already defeated four 20-win teams from a season ago (UC Santa Barbara, Ohio, San Francisco, Massachusetts) and another (South Dakota State) which won 19 contests. The Eagles have played two teams in the top 55 of the current RPI (Green Bay (14) and UMass (53)), and will start a stretch of three in a row on the road against Iona (70), Xavier (48) and Pittsburgh (103) following Friday's game. In total, FGCU will play eight non-conference games against teams currently ranked in the top-115 of the RPI (FIU (93) and twice versus UC Santa Barbara (112)). FGCU (76), is the highest-ranked A-Sun team in the RPI, with the next-closest being North Florida (151).
 
#DEPTHCITY
FGCU had five different leading scorers in the first eight games this year. The team has 10 players averaging at least 10 minutes per game and boasts five double-figure scorers and seven players who are averaging at least three rebounds per game.
 
RETWEETS
1) FGCU has five opponents this year which are ranked or receiving votes in this week's CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 Poll.
2) The 43 and 47 points FGCU held Marist and San Francisco to earlier this year, respectively, were the second and third fewest in non-conference D-I program history.
3) Thompson has been named to the Lou Henson Player of the Year Watch List, awarded annually to the nation's top mid-major player.
4) FGCU's shooting percentage of 27.3 from the field against Green Bay was the worst since a 25.4-percent outing at Arkansas on Nov. 22, 2010.
5) ESPN has named Thompson as the nation's No. 8 best returning dunker in college basketball.
 
THE MOST PROLIFIC BACKCOURT IN COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Thompson and Comer are not only the best backcourt in the A-Sun but also one of the best in the nation, and based on the following numbers the best senior backcourt duo in all of D-I basketball. No other senior backcourt duo has combined to produce more stats than the following:
 
Points: 2,721
Next closest: 2,676 by Saah Nimley & Arlon Harper (Charleston Southern)
Assists: 888
Next closest: 790 by Raheem Appleby & Kenneth Smith (Louisiana Tech)
Games Played: 226
Next closest: 220 by Traevon Jackson & Josh Gasser (Wisconsin)
Games Started: 219
Next closest: 191 by Traevon Jackson & Josh Gasser (Wisconsin)
Minutes: 6,596
Next closest: 6,225 by Traevon Jackson & Josh Gasser (Wisconsin)
 
A-SUN FAVORITES
For the second-straight season, FGCU is the preseason league favorite to win the A-Sun, and the Eagles were a near-unanimous selection. FGCU garnered seven of the eight first-place votes in the coaches' poll (63 points), while it received 25 of 26 first-place votes in the media poll (207 points).
 
Thompson was named the A-Sun Preseason Player of the Year and the A-Sun Preseason Defensive Player of the Year – the first time in at least five years the same player has been recognized with both awards. Comer and Jamail Jones (Atlanta, Ga./Montverde Academy/Marquette) join Thompson on the A-Sun Preseason All-Conference Team as FGCU is the only school with two unanimous selections (Comer and Thompson), and is tied with the University of North Florida for the most all-league selections with three.
 
GROWING UP QUICKLY
Despite only becoming D-I postseason eligible in the 2011-12 season, FGCU has already claimed an impressive nine wins in the postseason.
 
7-2: Atlantic Sun Conference Tournament
FGCU is the only school in D-I history to reach the championship game of its conference tournament in each of its first three seasons of eligibility. The Eagles went 2-1 in 2012 (lost to Belmont), 3-0 in 2013 (defeated Mercer) and 2-1 in 2014 (lost to Mercer).
 
2-1: NCAA Tournament
FGCU became the first school in NCAA history to reach the Sweet Sixteen as a No. 15 seed in 2013 when the Eagles defeated No. 2 Georgetown and No. 7 San Diego State en route to captivating the nation and earning the #DunkCity moniker. The Green and Blue lost to No. 3 Florida in the next round.
 
0-1: NIT
FGCU won the program's first A-Sun regular-season championship in 2014 courtesy of a 14-4 league mark. The Eagles received a No. 8 seed in the NIT and traveled to No. 1 Florida State, falling just short (58-53) to the eventual NIT semifinalists.
 
THE ONLY ONE
FGCU is the only school in the Atlantic Sun Conference which has won an A-Sun Men's Basketball Championship. Conference re-alignment has drastically altered the landscape of collegiate athletics, and the A-Sun is no different. The Eagles joined the league in 2007-08 with USC Upstate, and prior to that North Florida and Kennesaw State both joined for the 2005-06 season. Lipscomb has been a member since 2003-04, Jacksonville since 1998-99 and Stetson since 1986-87. Northern Kentucky is in its third year in the A-Sun after joining in 2012-13 and has two years (including this season) of its NCAA-mandated Division-I reclassification period remaining.
 
A-STUN CONFERENCE
The Atlantic Sun Conference has been the talk of the college basketball world the last two postseasons as FGCU and Mercer (now a Southern Conference member) have both been responsible for three major upsets in the NCAA Tournament, affectionately turning the A-Sun into the A-Stun.
 
2013 NCAA Tournament: No. 15 FGCU 78 No. 2 Georgetown 68
2013 NCAA Tournament: No. 15 FGCU 81 No. 7 San Diego State 71
2014 NCAA Tournament: No. 14 Mercer 78 No. 3 Duke 71
 
AMONG THE NATION'S ELITE
For the second-consecutive year FGCU was selected by ESPN for inclusion in the worldwide leader's Midnight Madness coverage when the Eagles hosted Dunk City After Dark on Oct. 17. With that honor, FGCU joined only four other extremely tradition-rich programs which can boast that claim: Kansas, Kentucky, Syracuse and UConn.
 
MORE BT & BC
BERNARD THOMPSON
Points: 1,551 – A-Sun active career leader, 33rd on the all-time conference scoring list and tops on the FGCU program career scoring record. If Thompson scores 605 points (20 points per game over the regular season), he would become only the eighth player in A-Sun history (first season: 1978-79) to reach 2,000 career points. The A-Sun career scoring record is held by Willie Jackson (2,535) who played for former league member Centenary from 1980-84. Thompson is currently 12th among all active D-I players for career points. With 14 more points he will move into 30th place on the all-time A-Sun career scoring list.
 
Steals: 228 – Fourth among all active D-I players, Thompson is already FGCU's program career leader, and needs just 32 more thefts this year to own the A-Sun career record (259), currently held by Vaughn Williams who played at former league member Arkansas-Little Rock from 1980-83.
 
BRETT COMER
Assists: 684 – Comer is 21 assists ahead of his next closest active competitor (Louisiana Tech's Kenneth Smith, 663). Of the 114 career games he has played in, Comer has led FGCU in assists 103 times.
 
NEXT UP
FGCU will tip off a long, challenging road trip which will bridge Christmas. The Eagles start the trip at Iona (6-3) on Tuesday, Dec. 23, at 2 p.m. before continuing it at Xavier (8-2) on Sunday, Dec. 28, at 4 p.m. on FOX Sports 1 and concluding the swing at Pittsburgh (6-3) on Tuesday, Dec. 30, at 7:30 p.m. All three of the teams are in the top-105 of the RPI with an average of 74. The Eagles will be back in action at home on Friday, Jan. 2, against Ave Maria at 7 p.m.
 
FOLLOW ALONG
General-admission tickets for all FGCU men's basketball games at Alico Arena are still available and can be purchased by logging on to FGCUAthletics.com/Tickets, in person at the Alico Arena Ticket Office or over the phone at 239-590-7145. For up-to-the-minute information and behind-the-scenes access to the men's basketball program, follow @FGCU_MBB on Twitter and Instagram, and "Like" us on Facebook at /FGCUMBB.
 
COACH DOOLEY 
FGCU is led by second-year head coach Joe Dooley, who coached three all-conference selections during his first season and guided FGCU to its first Atlantic Sun Conference Regular-Season Championship and first trip to the NIT. Prior to arriving in SWFL, Dooley spent 10 seasons as an assistant at Kansas under head coach Bill Self. During those 10 seasons, Kansas produced 300 wins, nine straight Big 12 regular-season titles, six Big 12 Tournament championships, six NCAA Sweet 16s, five NCAA Elite Eight appearances and two Final Fours, including the 2008 National Championship.
 
SUPPORT THE CAUSE 
FGCU Athletics sponsors events throughout the year to benefit the FGCU Campus Food Pantry (www.fgcu.edu/foodpantry) and the Harry Chapin Food Bank (www.harrychapinfoodbank.org), FGCU Athletics' charities of choice. For more information, including how to make a contribution, please visitwww.fgcu.edu/foodpantry and utilize the hashtag #FeedFGCU to help raise awareness.