SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – Coming off a brief Christmas break, the young FGCU men's basketball team (6-6) continues an extremely challenging stretch on Monday night at 8 Eastern and 7 local time when the Eagles return to the Sanford Pentagon for the second-straight year and face their third-consecutive top-110 RPI team in the University of South Dakota (7-6).
 
OPENING TIP
FGCU is coming off a tough three-point loss to RPI 48 Louisiana Tech (66-63) and a four-point loss to RPI 53 South Dakota State (56-52) and will face another stern test as South Dakota enters with an RPI of 109 and has already won at Minnesota this year. The game is the first for the Eagles away from Alico Arena since Dec. 6, and also represents their only contest in a 10-game stretch not at the friendly confines of The Nest as the Green and Blue won't play a true road game again until Jan. 21 at Kennesaw State.
 
HOW TO FOLLOW
The game is available on TV in the Midwest via the Midco Sports Network. That broadcast will also be shown nationwide on ESPN3 by clicking here. Additionally, live stats will be available closer to game time, and a multitude of social media platforms are also available at the top of this release for fans to keep up with the action and behind-the-scenes coverage.
 
SANFORD PENTAGON
This will mark the second time in as many years that FGCU will play at the Sanford Pentagon, a 160,000-square-foot, five-sided facility featuring nine basketball courts, including the 1950s/1960s-inspired Heritage Court where the Eagles and Coyotes will meet. Last year on the same floor against South Dakota State, FGCU started the second half on a 10-0 run en route to a 71-58 victory over the Jackrabbits.
 
The venue combines state-of-the-art amenities – including high-definition video boards and executive suites – with period-specific finishes that are a nod to the nostalgic days of basketball. The 3,200-seat Pentagon is also home to the NBA D-League's Sioux Falls Skyforce and the South Dakota High School Basketball Hall of Fame. The Sanford Pentagon is about one hour north of USD's campus in Vermillion.
 
TWEETABLES
1) Eight of FGCU's first 12 games have been decided by 10 points or less, including five straight for the first time since 2011-12.
2) FGCU averages 42 rebounds per game compared with USD's 34 per outing. The Eagles are +10.5 on the glass in their six wins and -5.5 in their six losses.
3) FGCU has the best 3-point percentage defense in the nation, holding opponents to just .237. The Eagles finished 5th in that category last year (24.6 percent).
4) The Eagles have three players shooting better than 50 percent from the floor: Demetris Morant (56.5), Rayjon Tucker (54.3) and Marc-Eddy Norelia (50.7).
5) FGCU held Louisiana Tech to a season-low 66 points, but dropped its second-consecutive regular-season home game for the first time since 2011-12.
 
SCOUTING SOUTH DAKOTA
^ South Dakota won five-straight games from Nov. 24-Dec. 8, including an 85-81 double-overtime victory at Minnesota. The Coyotes, who will be squaring off against FGCU for the first time, have lost two straight games to Illinois and UNLV.
^ Tre Burnette leads a trio of USD double-figure scorers with 14.2 per game. Casey Kasperbauer averages 13 per outing, while Shy McClelland scores 11.2. Burnette also leads the team in rebounding at 6.2 per game, while Kasperbauer is the Coyotes best 3-point threat at 40.2 percent (33-82).
^ Head coach Craig Smith is in his second season at the helm of the Coyotes after spending two seasons as an assistant at Nebraska – including the Cornhuskers game with FGCU in the 2013-14 season opener. Smith was previously a head coach at NAIA Division-II Mayville State in North Dakota for three years.
 
QUICK HITS
^ Morant (Miami, Fla./UNLV/Bishop Gorman HS) is coming off his second career double-double with a season-high-tying 11 points and season-best 10 rebounds against LA Tech.
^ FGCU held a 36-32 halftime lead on LA Tech, but surrendered its second halftime lead of the year (33-32 at Florida). Under third-year head coach Joe Dooley, FGCU is now 38-3 when leading at the half, with the lone other loss coming last year at FIU.
^ While FGCU has blown two halftime leads this year, it also has already overcome two double-digit second-half deficits (15 vs. Youngstown State; 13 at FIU) for the first time in single-season program history.
 
DOMINATING PERFORMANCES
Redshirt junior Norelia (Orlando, Fla./Tulane/Olympia HS) has five double-doubles on the year and has increased his scoring average by 6.8 from 8.3 per game last year to a team-best 15.1 this season. Norelia has already scored 20 or more points in a game four times this year. Furthermore, five of his seven career double-digit rebounding performances have already come this season as well.
 
FOLLOWING IN THE FOOTSTEPS?
True freshman Reggie Reid (Harlem, Ga./Harlem HS) ranks 20th in the nation in assist rate at 37.9 percent – the percentage of field goals made by a team that a player assists on while he is in the game. Reid is the only freshman in the top 35 in the country on the list. Last year, Brett Comer – who graduated ranking 24th on the all-time NCAA career assist list with 845 – finished the season ranking 2nd in the same category at 45.9 percent.
 
YOUNG, TALENTED AND DEEP
FGCU has just two seniors on its roster, and so far this year 83 percent of its scoring, 86 percent of its rebounding (excluding team rebounds) and 88 percent of its assists have come from non-seniors.
 
Not only are the Eagles young and talented, but they are deep as already this year 10 different players have reached double-figure points in a game. The only team in the nation with more is Georgia Southern with 11. Additionally, FGCU had four different leading scorers through its first six games.
 
Below is a list of players who have already scored 10 or more points in a game, their season high and how many times they've led the team in scoring.
 
R-Jr. Norelia (5): 34
R-Fr. Zach Johnson (1): 26
So. Christian Terrell (5): 24
R-Sr. Filip Cvjeticanin (1): 18
Fr. Reid: 18
R-Sr. Julian DeBose: 16
Fr. Tucker: 15
R-So. Antravious Simmons: 13
R-So. Kevin Mickle: 12
R-Jr. Morant: 11
 
NEXT UP
FGCU will return to action at Alico Arena for a New Year's Eve Day matinee affair with La Salle on Thursday, Dec. 31, at 1:30 p.m. The matchup will feature a pair of Sweet 16 teams from 2013 as the Explorers advanced there as a 13 seed the same season the Eagles became the only 15 seed to reach the round. The Atlantic 10 Conference member is 4-5 on the year, but its last two opponents have been top-15 ranked foes in Villanova and Miami.
 
TICKET INFORMATION
Single-game tickets are currently on sale for all remaining home contests. For the latest ticket information, log on to FGCUAthletics.com or call the Alico Arena Ticket Office at 239-590-7145.

SOCIAL CENTRAL
For up-to-the-minute information and behind-the-scenes access to the men's basketball program, follow @FGCU_MBB on Twitter and Instagram, Like us on Facebook at /FGCUMBB and watch us on Snapchat at FGCU_MBB.
 
COACH DOOLEY 
FGCU is led by head coach Joe Dooley, who is in his third year with the Eagles in 2015-16 and coached six all-conference selections during his first two seasons. He guided FGCU to its first Atlantic Sun Conference Regular-Season Championship and first trip to the NIT in 2014, and in 2015 he led the Eagles to their third-straight 20-win season and third-straight postseason appearance with a berth in the CIT. 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. Dooley is in his seventh season overall as a head coach and has a record of 107-82 (.567), and in his 2+ years with FGCU is 50-30 (.625).
 
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 visit www.fgcu.edu/foodpantry and utilize the hashtag #FeedFGCU to help raise awareness.