DUNK CITY, Fla. – The No. 2-seeded FGCU men's basketball team (21-9, 11-3 A-Sun) opens its 2015 Atlantic Sun Championship at home with a quarterfinal matchup against No. 7-seeded Jacksonville (10-21, 4-10 A-Sun) Tuesday at 7 p.m. inside Alico Arena.
 
SETTING THE STAGE
The two teams will be meeting for the second time in four days as FGCU traveled to Jacksonville and left with a loss on Saturday afternoon, 75-67. North Florida (20-11, 12-2 A-Sun) clinched the No. 1 seed and, like FGCU, will face its opponent from Saturday in the A-Sun quarters when the Ospreys welcome No. 8 Stetson (9-21, 3-11 A-Sun).
 
In the other two quarterfinal matchups, No. 4 Northern Kentucky (13-16, 7-7 A-Sun) will host No. 5 Lipscomb (13-16, 7-7 A-Sun), while No. 3 USC Upstate (21-10, 8-6 A-Sun) welcomes No. 6 Kennesaw State (10-21, 4-10 A-Sun). Click here for the tournament bracket.
 
WHAT TO KNOW
General-admission tickets are still available for $15 and can be purchased online at FGCUAthletics.com/Tickets. If any tickets remain on Tuesday, the Alico Arena Ticket Office will be open at 9 a.m., and fans can also call 239-590-7145 to secure their seats. Like all FGCU home games, the contest 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. All fans are encouraged to wear white to create a WHITEOUT atmosphere.
 
TWEETABLES RELEASE (5 Things To Know In 140 Characters Or Less)
1) FGCU is 7-2 all-time in A-Sun Tournament games, with the two losses coming in title games in 2014 and 2012.
2) The last time FGCU lost consecutive A-Sun games was Feb. 16-22, 2013. The Eagles then won seven games in a row en route to the Sweet 16.
3) FGCU has allowed three-straight A-Sun opponents to score at least 70 points for the first time since the 2012-13 season.
4) The 21 regular-season victories are tied for the most in FGCU Division-I program history (2012-13).
5) FGCU (43.5 percent) shot better than JU (40.7 percent) Saturday, marking the second time this year FGCU lost when out-shooting its opponent.
 
A-SUN TOURNAMENT OVERVIEW
FGCU has only been eligible for the A-Sun Tournament the last three years, and in those three years the Eagles have reached the championship game every time – the only program in the history of D-I men's basketball to accomplish that feat.
 
The Eagles were the No. 6 seed in the 2012 tournament and went 2-0 before losing to Belmont in the title game. In the 2013 tournament, FGCU was seeded No. 2 and went 3-0, beating Mercer in the final game. Last year, the Green and Blue was the No. 1 seed and went 2-1 before suffering a setback to Mercer in the final.
 
FGCU's 7-2 record in A-Sun Tournament games is good for a .778 winning percentage, by far the best among all current A-Sun teams. In fact, FGCU is the only active league member with a better than .500 record in A-Sun Tournament games, with USC Upstate's .400 winning percentage (2-3) ranking second.
 
Furthermore, despite appearing in the A-Sun Tournament only three times, FGCU owns the second-most wins of any conference member:
 
Team: Record (Appearances)
Stetson: 9-21 (21)
FGCU: 7-2 (3)
Jacksonville: 5-15 (15)
Lipscomb: 4-10 (10)
USC Upstate: 2-3 (3)
North Florida: 2-5 (5)
Kennesaw State: 1-2 (2)
Northern Kentucky: 0-0
 
FGCU is the only school in the A-Sun 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 D-I reclassification period remaining.
 
FGCU and Jacksonville have never met in the A-Sun Tournament. All-time, the No. 2 seed is 27-4 against the No. 7 seed. The last time a 7 seed beat a 2 seed was in 2003 when Georgia State defeated Belmont, 76-58.
 
Finally, while FGCU did not earn the No. 1 seed and potential home games throughout the tournament, the Eagles still have history on their side. A home team (or a team hosting an A-Sun Tournament) has not won a league championship since 2001 when Georgia State accomplished the feat.
 
SCOUTING JACKSONVILLE
^ After opening its A-Sun schedule with a 1-8 record, Jacksonville has won three of its last five games, including victories over the No. 2 (FGCU), No. 3 (USC Upstate) and No. 4 (Northern Kentucky) seeds in the A-Sun Tournament.
^ Junior Kori Babineaux was named the A-Sun Newcomer of the Year on Monday. Babineaux leads JU in scoring (14.6 per game), assists (4 per game), steals (1.6 per game) and field-goal percentage (49.1).
^ Andris Misters is the only other double-figure scorer for JU at 12.2 per outing. Antwon Clayton, who was named to the A-Sun All-Freshman Team, leads the team in rebounding (5.2 per game) and blocks (1.2 per contest).
 
SERIES HISTORY (Jacksonville Leads, 9-7)
The two sides first met in January 2008 in FGCU's first season in the A-Sun, and Jacksonville welcomed the Eagles to the league by handing them seven-straight losses. However, beginning with the second meeting of the 2010-11 campaign, the tide began to shift in favor of FGCU, which has won seven of the last nine meetings, including a stretch of five in a row which was snapped at JU last year. However, over the past four contests the series is tied, 2-2.
 
3-POINT EMPHASIS
Jacksonville's 3-point shooting ranked second in A-Sun games as the Dolphins connected at 36.7 percent. Meanwhile, FGCU led the A-Sun and ranks fifth nationally in 3-point percentage defense as opponents connect against the Eagles at just a 28-percent clip.
 
REBOUNDING EDGE
FGCU led the A-Sun in league games by grabbing 39.3 per outing, while Jacksonville ranked last by corralling 31.3 per contest. The Eagles' +4.1 rebound margin in league contests also led the conference, while JU's -5.2 rebound differential in A-Sun tilts was the worst.
 
SECOND-CHANCE OPPORTUNTIES
In the two meetings this year, FGCU has posted season highs in second chance points against Jacksonville both times. In the first meeting on Jan. 17, FGCU had a season-high 26 second-chance points off 14 offensive rebounds. In the second meeting on Saturday, FGCU secured 21 second-chance points off 16 offensive rebounds. The two 20-point outings are the only such occurrences of the year for the Eagles.
 
YOUNGSTERS DOWN LOW
Tuesday's game will feature two of the A-Sun's best young low-post players in JU freshman Antwon Clayton and FGCU redshirt sophomore Demetris Morant (Miami, Fla./Bishop Gorman HS). Morant, who only played in 13 games last year as a redshirt freshman at UNLV, and Clayton both finished at the top of the A-Sun in league contests for blocks and offensive rebounds. Both grabbed 42 offensive rebounds in conference games to tie for second in the A-Sun, while each also blocked 25 shots in conference contests to tie for second in the A-Sun.
 
RE-TWEETS (5 More Things To Know In 140 Characters Or Less)
1) With an appearance in Tuesday's game, Brett Comer will surpass 2014 graduate Chase Fieler on the FGCU career games played list (135).
2) Bernard Thompson broke the A-Sun career record for steals with three thefts on Saturday and now has 260.
3) Julian DeBose scored a season-high 19 points against JU, one off tying his career high of 20 set when he was at Rice.
4) Since 2012-13, FGCU is 38-1 when leading at halftime, with the lone loss coming to FIU this year (32-28 halftime score).
5) FGCU has posted 12 single-digit turnover games in the last two years. Prior to that (since 2002), there were only 10 such games in program history.
 
A-SUN HONOREES
Comer (Winter Park, Fla./Winter Park HS) was named to the A-Sun All-Conference First Team on Monday, while Jamail Jones (Atlanta, Ga./Montverde Academy/Marquette) landed on the A-Sun All-Conference Second Team and Christian Terrell (Jacksonville, Fla./Providence HS) garnered A-Sun All-Freshman Team recognition.
 
ODDS & ENDS
FGCU has tied a single-season program record (2012-13 Sweet Sixteen team) by holding 13 opponents to 60 points or less … Comer and Thompson (Conyers, Ga./Rockdale County HS) have played nearly the exact same amount of minutes over their careers, with Comer having logged 3,948 and Thompson having logged 3,936 … FGCU's 10-game winning streak earlier this year was the longest in D-I program history and third-longest all-time behind only a pair of 14-game runs.
 
BEST REGULAR SEASON
Despite finishing with two losses, FGCU's 11-3 mark in A-Sun action gave the Eagles a record .786 winning percentage in conference games. The percentage surpassed last year's .778 (14-4 record) as the best in program history.
 
HEAD OF THE STATE
FGCU's 21 victories are the most among D-I teams in the state of Florida, one win ahead of fellow A-Sun member UNF (20).
 
DID YOU KNOW?
Thompson is the only active player (any division) with at least 1,700 career points (1,788), 600 career rebounds (611) and 250 career steals (260). Earlier this year the guard posted a D-I program-record 34-point performance in a victory over Ohio.
 
#DUNKCITY MAESTRO
With 211 assists on the year, Comer – who has 87 more assists than anyone else in the A-Sun – ranks fourth in the nation in total assists. Comer leads all active players in the NCAA (any division) with 820 career assists as the Dunk City orchestrator is already the program and A-Sun career assist leader. Comer – who earlier this year was tabbed by ESPN as the country's seventh-best point guard – is second in the nation in assist rate at 46 percent (assists divided by the field goals made by the player's teammates while he is on the court).
 
CHALLENING NON-CONFERENCE SLATE
FGCU completed a challenging non-conference schedule in which it defeated four 20-win opponents from a season ago (UC Santa Barbara, Ohio, San Francisco, Massachusetts) and another (South Dakota State) which won 19 contests. Four of FGCU's six losses came to teams ranked in the top 65 of the current RPI (five in the top 100). After getting off to 8-1 and 9-2 starts, FGCU lost four of its final five games in the 16-game non-league docket. However, due to injuries and suspensions, the Eagles only had a full roster for four non-conference games (South Dakota State, Florida Tech, UMass, FIU). FGCU's current RPI of 125 is still y far the best in the A-Sun, with UNF (170) being the next-closest team.

THE MOST PROLIFIC SENIOR 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 (with the exception of points):
 
Points: 3,225
Leaders: 3,439 by Saah Nimley & Arlon Harper (Charleston Southern)
Assists: 1,062
Next closest: 992 by Raheem Appleby & Kenneth Smith (Louisiana Tech)
Games Played: 265
Next closest: 244 by Traevon Jackson & Josh Gasser (Wisconsin)
Games Started: 258
Next closest: 215 by Traevon Jackson & Josh Gasser (Wisconsin)
Minutes: 7,884
Next closest: 7,017 by Traevon Jackson & Josh Gasser (Wisconsin)
 
THOMPSON
Points: 1,788 – A-Sun active career leader, 15th on the all-time conference scoring list and tops on the FGCU program career scoring record. 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 15th among all active D-I players for career points. He needs 29 points to surpass Jonathan Pixley (Samford 1992-97) and Kerry Blackshear (Stetson 1992-96) for 13th place on the A-Sun all-time scoring list (1,826).
 
Steals: 260 – Fourth among all active D-I players, Thompson is already FGCU's program career leader, and broke the former league record held by Vaughn Williams on Saturday at Jacksonville. Williams played at former league member Arkansas-Little Rock from 1980-83.
 
COMER
Assists: 820 – Comer is six assists ahead of his next-closest competitor (Louisiana Tech's Kenneth Smith, 814). Of the 134 career games he has played in, Comer has led FGCU in assists 122 times. Comer needs just 13 helpers to crack the top 25 all-time career assists list in NCAA history (833 T-25th).
 
A-STUN CONFERENCE
The A-Sun 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
 
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. In addition to FGCU's 7-2 mark in the A-Sun Tournament:
 
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.
 
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.
 
NEXT UP
With a victory, FGCU will host the winner of USC Upstate and Kennesaw State. The Eagles went 4-0 combined against the two teams during the regular season, and they own an eight-game winning streak against the Owls and a seven-game winning streak against the Spartans. The semifinal would tip off at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Mar. 5, from Alico Arena, and $15 general-admission tickets would be available for purchase at the Alico Arena Ticket Office immediately following the conclusion of Tuesday's contest.
 
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, 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.
 
IT'S AWESOME, BABY
Dick Vitale held a book signing in the Alico Arena Auxiliary Gym on Feb. 25, but it's not too late for fans to still purchase autographed copies of his latest book: "It's Awesome Baby! 75 Years of Memories and a Lifetime of Opinions on the Game I Love" by clicking here or by calling 239-590-7060. All proceeds from the book will be donated to The V Foundation for children battling pediatric cancer.
 
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.