EAST LANSING, Mich. – The FGCU men's basketball team will play its third game in six days in three different states on Sunday when the Eagles clash with #13 Michigan State at 7 p.m. in front of a national TV audience on the Big Ten Network.
 
The second all-time meeting with the Spartans will conclude a challenging opening four-game stretch for FGCU. The Eagles will be playing their fourth-straight opponent which won at least 20 games a season ago and participated in a postseason tournament.
 
FGCU is coming off an 81-72 setback at Baylor on Friday night – a game which was a one-possession contest with less than 2 minutes remaining before the Bears went on a 9-0 run. The Eagles trailed by as much as 12 after halftime, but erased their second-straight double-figure 2nd-half deficit and led by as much as three before the Bears – who destroyed #4 and Final Four favorite Oregon on Tuesday by 17 points – pulled away late.
 
TWEETABLES
1) Leading returning scorer (17.1 PPG) and rebounder (9.3 RPG) Marc-Eddy Norelia will not play as he recovers from a broken left (shooting) hand suffered in practice last month.
2) FGCU has shot 40 percent or better from 3-point range in each of the first three games while attempting at least 15 3s every game (8-20 vs. UF and UTA; 10-19 @ BU).
3) It's the first time against three-straight Division-I non-conference opponents that FGCU has shot at least 40 percent from beyond the arc with 15 or more attempts.
4) Baylor shot 65 percent (13-20) from the floor in the 1st half on Friday – the highest 1st-half field goal shooting percentage FGCU has ever allowed.
5) Since joining D-I in 2007-08, FGCU is 1-7 versus ranked opponents, with the lone win coming against #8 Georgetown (2nd seed) in the NCAA Tournament in 2013 (breakdown later in release).
 
SCOUTING MICHIGAN STATE
^ Michigan State and FGCU have met one previous time, and that was to open the 2009-10 season when the Spartans were ranked #2 in the nation and claimed a 97-58 win.
^ The Spartans won 29 games a season ago but were upset in the NCAA Tournament First Round by No. 15 seed Middle Tennessee State, 90-81.
^ MSU opened its season in Hawaii against #10 Arizona on Nov. 11 as part of the Armed Forces Classic and lost on a last-second shot, 65-63. The Spartans then traversed across the country to New York City to face #2 Kentucky in the Champions Classic and fell to the Wildcats, 69-48. Michigan State destroyed Mississippi Valley State, 100-53, in its home opener on Friday night.
^ Freshman and Preseason First Team All-American member Miles Bridges leads the Spartans with 17 points and 10 rebounds per game, while classmate Nick Ward is the lone other double-figure scorer at 11.7 per outing.
^ All-time, Michigan State is 366-56 at the Breslin Center since it opened in 1989. Under Izzo, the Spartans are 292-41 at Breslin.
 
FGCU vs. TOP 25 TEAMS (Since Joining D-I In 2007-08)
11/18/08: #23 Kansas, 85-45
12/22/08: #24 Michigan, 76-59
11/13/09: #2 Michigan State, 97-58
12/15/10: #2 Ohio State, 83-55
11/18/12: #9 Duke, 88-67
3/22/13: #8 Georgetown, 78-68*
3/29/13: #12 Florida, 62-50*
12/2/15: #18 Texas A&M, 75-65
* Ranking entering the NCAA Tournament; Georgetown seeded 2nd, Florida 3rd
 
NON-CONFERENCE SCHEDULE
Of FGCU's 13 D-I non-conference opponents this season, seven finished last year ranked in the top 130 of the RPI, and three were in the top 50. All seven of those teams won at least 20 games and made postseason appearances in 2015-16.
 
The Eagles are wrapping up their opening daunting stretch of Florida, UT Arlington, Baylor and Michigan State. Below is a closer look at those four opponents based off last season.
 
vs. RV Florida: 21-15; 45 RPI; NIT
UT Arlington: 24-11; 107 RPI; CIT
@ Baylor: 22-12; 27 RPI; NCAA
@ #13 Michigan State: 29-6; 12 RPI; NCAA
Total: 96-44; 48 Avg. RPI; 4 Postseason Appearances
 
FGCU posted its largest comeback in the program's D-I era against UT Arlington on Wednesday as the Eagles erased a 16-point deficit (one shy of matching the all-time mark set in 2005-06) to claim an 85-72 win in front of a sellout crowd. UTA entered the game ranked #5 in the CollegeInsider.com Mid Major Top 25 – the preeminent mid-major poll in the nation.
 
BATTLE 4 ATLANTIS MAINLAND
FGCU's game against Michigan State is part of the Battle 4 Atlantis Mainland tournament. The Battle 4 Atlantis is a tournament which has taken place in the Bahamas Thanksgiving week every year since 2011. In addition to that eight-team tournament at the Atlantis Resort – which Baylor and Michigan State will be competing in – there is a U.S. mainland component. The outcomes of those games do not have any impact on the tournament games in the Bahamas.
 
Six teams will be playing a "non-bracketed" home game against one of three Battle 4 Atlantis Mainland schools (FGCU plays Michigan State and Baylor, Binghamton plays St. John's and VCU and Long Beach State plays Wichita State and Louisville) before the tournament. In addition, the three schools will play games against each other in the Battle 4 Atlantis Mainland from Nov. 23–25 at Alico Arena (FGCU vs. Binghamton; Binghamton vs. Long Beach State; FGCU vs. Long Beach State).
 
BAYLOR RECAP
With 2:41 left on Friday night against Baylor, FGCU was down just 68-67, however, BU then went on the aforementioned 9-0 run to open up a 10-point lead with 37 seconds remaining and put the game out of reach.
 
Redshirt junior transfer Brandon Goodwin (Norcross, Ga./UCF/Norcross HS) once again led the Eagles with 22 points, pacing a quartet of FGCU double-figure scorers. Zach Johnson (Miami, Fla./Norland HS) finished with 17 points, one ahead of Christian Terrell (Jacksonville, Fla./Providence HS), who made six of his nine field goals en route to a 16-point evening. Antravious Simmons (Miami, Fla./VCU/South Miami HS) rounded out the double-figure scorers for the Green and Blue with 10 points on 5-7 from the field.
 
The Eagles – plagued by foul trouble all night and once again without Norelia (Orlando, Fla./Tulane/Oympia HS) – trailed by 10 at the half, but took their first lead of the night when Johnson knocked down a 3-pointer from the top of the arc to make it 58-55 midway through the 2nd half. Baylor responded just over a minute later with an and-1 finish – a foul which was forward Demetris Morant's fourth and sent the lengthy 6-9 paint presence to the bench.
 
Baylor took advantage and scored the game's next six points either in the paint or at the free throw line and looked to be pulling away with a 64-58 lead and just more than 5 minutes to play. However, FGCU once again displayed its moxie and crawled back within one, 64-63, on a Goodwin jumper. The teams then traded baskets until Johnson's tip-in made it a one-point game and subsequent Baylor run which iced the contest.
 
OPENING TIP ITEMS
^ FGCU is installed as the preseason ASUN favorites, predicted to return to the NCAA Tournament where it posted a record 31-point win, 96-65, in the First Four this past March over fellow 16 seed Fairleigh Dickinson.
^ The Eagles will be looking for their fifth postseason appearance in only six years of D-I eligibility: 2013 NCAA, 2014 NIT, 2015 CIT, 2016 NCAA. FGCU is believed to be the only D-I team in NCAA history to make four postseason appearances in its first five years of eligibility.
 
LOADED RETURNING GROUP
FGCU returns 83 percent of its points, 87 percent of its rebounds and 86 percent of its assists this season after losing just two players to graduation last year.
 
ASUN PRESEASON FAVORITES | Complete Poll And Teams
The Eagles received six of eight 1st-place votes in the ASUN Preseason Coaches Poll and garnered 62 points to finish 12 ahead of 2nd-place North Florida, which collected the other two 1st-place votes. NJIT was picked 3rd, just three points behind the Ospreys, while Lipscomb was slotted 4th. Stetson, Jacksonville, Kennesaw State and USC Upstate rounded out the poll in spots 5-8, respectively.
 
In addition to the team honor, redshirt senior Norelia was a unanimous selection to the Preseason All-Conference Team, redshirt sophomore Johnson was also a preseason team pick and redshirt senior Morant (Miami, Fla./UNLV/Bishop Gorman HS) was tabbed as the Preseason Defensive Player of the Year.
 
MID-MAJOR POLL | Complete Poll
In addition to FGCU ranking #23 in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Poll, the ASUN has another representative as North Florida is receiving votes. The Eagles also have home games remaining against a pair of other teams ranked in the poll (#15 Long Beach State, Nov. 25; #22 Siena, Dec. 9), in addition to a home-and-home series this year with Georgia Southern (Dec. 13 at home) which is receiving votes in the poll.
 
MOST WINS IN FLORIDA
Since the start of the 2013-14 season, FGCU has the 3rd-most wins among D-I schools in the state of Florida:
 
1) Florida: 76
2) Miami: 71
3) FGCU: 66
4) North Florida: 64
5) Florida State: 61
6) FIU: 45
7) Jacksonville: 41
8) UCF: 40
9) Bethune-Cookman: 35
10) Stetson: 32
11) USF: 31
12) FAU: 27
13) Florida A&M: 25
 
As FGCU has moved among some of the preeminent teams in the state, it has done so with Florida talent. Of returning team members from last year's squad, Florida natives were responsible for 68 percent of FGCU's points and 70 percent of the Green and Blue's rebounds.
 
RECAPPING 2015-16: 21-15 Overall; 8-6 ASUN, T-2nd
^ FGCU finished tied for 2nd in the ASUN with Jacksonville and NJIT at 8-6, but earned the 4th seed in the conference tournament.
^ The Eagles defeated 5th-seeded Kennesaw State at home in the quarterfinals, 74-64, went on the road and destroyed top-seeded North Florida, 89-56, and won the title at home against 7th-seeded Stetson in overtime, 80-78.
^ The ASUN Championship was the second for FGCU in four years. The Eagles have played in the title game in four of the five seasons they've been D-I postseason eligible.
^ FGCU received a 16 seed in the NCAA Tournament and played the opening game of March Madness in the First Four against Fairleigh Dickinson, posting the aforementioned record 31-point win, 96-65.
^ The Eagles went on to face top seed and eventual national-runner up North Carolina and trailed by just one point at halftime before falling, 83-67, in Raleigh. The one-point halftime margin was the smallest lead the Tar Heels had at intermission all NCAA Tournament.
 
POSTSEASON NUMBERS
With the win over FDU, FGCU secured its third NCAA Tournament victory in four years. The Eagles are the only current ASUN member which has won an NCAA Tournament game, and are responsible for three of the league's seven all-time NCAA Tournament victories, dating back to the ASUN's initial appearance in March Madness in 1981.
 
Additionally, FGCU is one of only two teams all-time with three wins in just five NCAA Tournament contests, with the other being Cleveland State. The only schools with more than three NCAA victories all-time have played at least nine games to get those four wins.
 
IN THE TOP 10 PERCENT
FGCU is one of just 31 teams in the nation to have won at least 20 games and played in the postseason each of the last four years, ranking the Eagles among the top-10 percent of clubs in the nation.
 
Furthermore, FGCU is one of just eight schools in the country to have its men's and women's teams win at least 20 games in four-straight seasons: Duke, Louisville, Kentucky, BYU, Baylor, UConn and Saint Mary's.
 
BAHAMIAN SUMMER
FGCU spent Aug. 5-10 at the Atlantis Resort in the Bahamas, playing three exhibition games and bonding as a team off the court. The Eagles won their three games by scores of 92-89, 113-58 and 87-69. In their first game, because of foul trouble and an injury-shortened bench, the Green and Blue finished the contest with just three players (watch).
 
PAINT EMPHASIS
Since Dooley has taken over the FGCU program, the Eagles have had a big emphasis on scoring in the paint. In addition to finishing last year ranked 4th in the nation by having 61.1 percent of its total points last year coming off 2-point baskets, the Eagles scored 50 paint points or more on four occasions last year. In FGCU's entire pre-D-I era (2002-07), that happened just two times. FGCU out-scored its opponent in the paint 26 times last year, including 19 of its final 22 games.
 
BY THE NUMBERS
FGCU has the following records under the direction of Dooley:
 
Leading At The Half: 50-4 (.926)
Holding Opponent Below 40% FG: 38-4 (.905)
Grabbing More Rebounds: 55-10 (.846)
Scoring At Least 70 Points: 45-10 (.818)
Scoring At Least 80 Points: 26-3 (.897)
 
MORE NUMBERS
The Eagles scored 80 or more points last year 16 times. In Dooley's first two years at the helm, FGCU reached that mark just 12 times total. They overcame two 2nd-half double-digit deficits in the same season for the first time in program history. Additionally, the 58 points scored off the bench on Nov. 23 against Bowling Green were the most in the program's D-I history.
 
RE-TWEETS
1) FGCU is the only D-I team in the state of Florida which has posted three-straight 20-win seasons (four-consecutive for the Eagles).
2) FGCU set D-I single-season program records last year in points per game (77.2), rebounds per game (40.6) and field-goal percentage (47.9).
3) The Eagles played five overtime games last year, setting a single-season program record. In its entire pre-D-I history, FGCU played three total OT contests.
4) Ten times last season FGCU had a game decided by five points or less. The Eagles were 6-4 in such games.
 
THE GROWTH OF FGCU
After starting their D-I transition with five-straight losing seasons, the Eagles have now posted four-consecutive 20-win seasons. After not finishing higher than 6th place in the ASUN the first five years, FGCU has finished no worse than a tie for 2nd each of the past four seasons.
 
2007-08: 10-21, 6-10 ASUN (T-8th)
2008-09: 11-20, 7-13 ASUN (9th)
2009-10: 8-21, 5-15 ASUN (T-10th)
2010-11: 10-20, 7-13 ASUN (7th)
2011-12: 15-17, 8-10 ASUN (T-6th)
2012-13: 26-11, 13-5 ASUN (2nd)
2013-14: 22-13, 14-4 ASUN (T-1st)
2014-15: 22-11, 11-3 ASUN (2nd)
2015-16: 21-13, 8-6 ASUN (T-2nd)
2016-17: 1-2, 0-0 ASUN
D-I Total: 146-150, 79-79 ASUN
Last 4 Years: 92-51, 46-18 ASUN
 
NATIONAL RANKS
FGCU finished in the top 25 in the nation in a trio of key categories last year: 3-point percentage defense (12th, 30.4), rebounds per game (14th, 40.6) and field-goal percentage (23rd, 47.9).
 
RECORD-SETTING SEASONS
Norelia broke the program's single-season double-double record last year with 16. He established program single-season records in points (597), rebounds (325) and field goals made (234). Norelia led FGCU in scoring and rebounding, ranking 6th in the ASUN in points per game, 2nd in rebounds per game and 4th in field-goal percentage (54.5).
 
Johnson established the program's single-season record for points by a freshman with 387. He came on strong after the turn of the calendar to 2016 as the scoring point guard totaled 65 percent (252 of 387) of his points after conference play began.
 
PLAYER QUICK HITS
0 Brandon Goodwin: Averaged 10.2 points and a team-high 4.2 assists per game at UCF as a sophomore in 2014-15 … started all 30 games, with his scoring average ranking 22nd in the American Athletic Conference and his assist average ranking 4th in the league.
1 Reggie Reid: ASUN Newcomer of the Week (Nov. 23) … played in 34 games, making 14 starts … 106 assists were the 2nd-most among all ASUN freshmen (Johnson, 115) … 2.6 assist-to-turnover ratio was the 3rd-highest in the league and best by a freshman.
3 Rayjon Tucker: ASUN Newcomer of the Week (Dec. 14) … appeared in all 35 games, making one start (Stetson, Jan. 9) … reached double-figure points eight times.
10 Kevin Mickle: Averaged 2.1 points and 2 rebounds per game … appeared in 31 games and logged a total of 323 minutes … emerged as a valuable defensive presence … grabbed five or more rebounds on four occasions.
11 Christian Terrell: FGCU's 2nd-leading scorer and 3rd-leading rebounder in terms of total boards (177) … led the team in steals (1.2) ... increased his scoring by 9.4 points per game from 3.3 as a freshman … grabbed a career-high 18 rebounds against Youngstown State (Nov. 21), one shy of matching the D-I program single-game record.
13 RaySean Scott Jr.: Ranked as the nation's 22nd-best small forward in his high school class by ESPN, which also tabbed him as a 3-star recruit ... as a senior he averaged team highs of 18 points and 12 rebounds per game … Second Team All-State selection and First Team All-Conference pick.
21 Demetris Morant: Injury-plagued season which saw him miss 12 games early in the year and again at the beginning of the conference slate … played in 23 games, making 18 starts … rebound average was the 2nd-best on the team.
23 Christian Carlyle: Finished his high school career with 2,112 points … as a senior he was named Florida Class 5A Player of the Year and Florida Times Union Player of the Year … averaged 23.3 points, 4.8 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game in leading his team to the state championship final and a 27-5 record.
32 Antravious Simmons: His 178 total rebounds were the 2nd-most on the team … posted a pair of double-doubles … nearly averaged a double-double with 12 points and 9.7 rebounds in three ASUN Championship games … posted career highs with 21 points and 12 rebounds in the ASUN Final in only 23 minutes against Stetson (Mar. 6).
 
LOCKING IN ON D
Since Dooley took over FGCU in 2013-14, FGCU has held 29 teams to 60 points or fewer. The Sweet Sixteen team in 2012-13 held 13 opponents to 60 points or fewer, but prior to that – in five seasons of D-I history – FGCU teams had only held opponents to 60 points or fewer 20 times.
 
The Eagles have led the ASUN in scoring defense in two of Dooley's three years with FGCU and finished 2nd in the other season.
 
PROTECTING THE ROCK
FGCU set the single-season program record with nine games of single-digit turnovers last year, surpassing the previous record of eight from 2014-15. Eight single-digit turnover games is exactly how many the Eagles had in their entire pre-D-I history. In 2013-14, FGCU had six single-digit turnover games. Under Dooley, the Eagles have posted 23 of the program's 29 single-digit turnover games in the D-I era.
 
#DEPTHCITY
FGCU had 10 different players reach double-figure points in a game last year. The only teams in the nation with more were Boston University (12) and Georgia Southern (11) – which FGCU will play on Dec. 4 and 13. Below is a list of returning players who scored 10 or more points in a game, their season high and how many times they led (or tied) the team in scoring.
 
Norelia (18 – includes a tie): 34
Johnson (5 – includes two ties): 26
Terrell (9 – includes a tie): 25
Simmons (1): 21
Rayjon Tucker (1): 19
Reggie Reid: 18
Mickle: 14
Morant: 12
 
In a further testament to the youthful and talented group, Johnson led ASUN freshmen in assists per game (3.3) and finished 3rd among league freshmen in scoring (11.1), Terrell was 2nd among ASUN sophomores in points per game (12.7), Simmons paced ASUN sophomores in rebounds per game (5.2) and Norelia was 2nd among conference juniors in rebounds per contest (9.3).
 
ASUN SUCCESS
Since the start of the 2012-13 season, FGCU boasts a 46-18 (.719) record in ASUN regular-season games – six more wins than any other team in the league (North Florida, 40).
 
NEXT UP
FGCU will return home to host Binghamton on Wednesday, Nov. 23, at 7 p.m., and Long Beach State on Friday, Nov. 25, at 8 p.m. The Bearcats are 2-2 on the year and will face Ave Maria on Tuesday before facing the Eagles Wednesday and then Long Beach State on Thursday at 7 p.m., also at Alico Arena.

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 4th season with the Eagles in 2016-17 and has coached eight all-conference selections over his first three campaigns. Dooley guided FGCU to a 4th-straight 20-win season and 4th-consecutive postseason appearance in 2015-16 as the Eagles claimed the ASUN Tournament Championship and won their First Four NCAA Tournament game in 31-point record-setting fashion. He led FGCU to its first ASUN Regular-Season Championship and first trip to the NIT in 2014, and in 2015 he led the Eagles to 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 8th season overall as a head coach and has a record of 123-92 (.572), and in his 3+ years with FGCU is 66-40 (.623).
 
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.