NEWARK, N.J. – Just one game out of 1st place in the Atlantic Sun Conference standings, the FGCU men's basketball team (15-11, 6-4 A-Sun) faces NJIT (15-11, 6-4 A-Sun) in a pivotal league tilt Saturday at 4 p.m.
 
OPENING TIP
FGCU and NJIT are both tied for 3rd place with their 6-4 A-Sun records, one game behind leaders North Florida and Jacksonville at 7-3. The Eagles currently have the tiebreaker over the Highlanders thanks to an 82-78 victory in overtime last month at Alico Arena, but a win Saturday will ensure FGCU holds the tiebreaker – should it be needed – at the end of the regular season in just two weeks.
 
A-SUN STANDINGS
1) North Florida: 7-3
2) Jacksonville: 7-3
3) FGCU: 6-4
4) NJIT: 6-4*
5) Lipscomb: 5-5*
6) Kennesaw State: 4-6*
7) Stetson: 3-7*
8) USC Upstate: 2-8
* Denotes opponent FGCU will still play.
 
TWEETABLES
1) FGCU's 71-64 win over USC Upstate Thursday represented a season-low point total for the Eagles in a win over a Division-I opponent.
2) After allowing seven-straight opponents to shoot at least 40 percent from the floor for the first time since 2010-11, the Eagles have held the last two to 35 percent or lower.
3) FGCU raced to a 21-point lead late in the first half versus NJIT last month, but had to hold on and win in overtime.
4) Marc-Eddy Norelia's 16.2 point-per-game average is just behind Casey Wohlleb's program D-I single-season record of 16.5 in 2007-08.
5) Zach Johnson was named A-Sun Co-Newcomer of the Week on Monday and leads all A-Sun players in 3-point percentage in league games at .560 (14-25).
 
LOW-POST PRODUCTION
Over the last four games, FGCU is averaging an impressive 49 points in the paint and out-scoring its foes over that span in the paint by an incredible 86 total points. FGCU secured 56 points in the paint at North Florida on Jan. 30, 50 at Jacksonville on Feb. 1, 48 versus UNF last Saturday and 42 at USC Upstate Thursday. In A-Sun contests, FGCU is out-scoring its opponents by an average of 13.5 points per game in the paint.
 
In the first meeting with NJIT this year, the Eagles finished with a +8 edge in the paint, 30-22 – with the 30 points tying a season low. The Eagles receive 61.2 percent of their total points from 2-point field goals, the 4th-highest percentage in the nation. Old Dominion leads the country at 62.7 percent. Conversely, NJIT only receives 44.6 percent of its total points from 2-point field goals, ranking 315th in the country.
 
EARLIER THIS YEAR VS. NJIT
FGCU led by as much as 21 late in the first half, and by eight with 1:30 remaining in regulation before NJIT – which was picked to finish 3rd in the A-Sun preseason poll behind North Florida and FGCU – hit a pair of free throws with .4 seconds left to force overtime. The Highlanders looked poised to win their first-ever A-Sun contest as they built a three-point lead in the extra session, but FGCU closed the game on a 9-2 run, and redshirt freshman Zach Johnson (Miami, Fla./Norland HS) rejected a potential game-tying layup with seven seconds left to ice the victory for the Eagles in the first-ever meeting between the two sides.
 
ABOUT NJIT
New Jersey Institute of Technology began competing at the D-I level across all sports in 2006-07 and became postseason eligible in 2009-10. Also that year, NJIT joined the now-defunct Great West Conference (GWC) until the end of the 2012-13 season. The past two years, NJIT has been competing as an independent with no league, until Northern Kentucky left the A-Sun earlier than expected this past summer and NJIT became the 8th member of the league.
 
SCOUTING NJIT
^ NJIT went 21-12 last year and advanced to the semifinals of the CIT. The Highlanders biggest win last season came at then-No. 17 Michigan.
^ NJIT is riding a four-game winning streak – the longest in the A-Sun – and is coming off a come-from-behind home victory over Stetson, 74-70, on Thursday.
^ The Highlanders return four starters and nine letterwinners from last year's team as Damon Lynn and Winfield Willis were both tabbed as A-Sun preseason all-league selections.
^ Lynn leads the team and ranks 4th in the league with 18.5 points per game. Tim Coleman averages 13.9 points per outing for the Highlanders, while Ky Howard adds 13.2 points per contest and ranks 3rd in the league at 4.6 assists per contest. Willis, meanwhile, sustained an injury in early December and hasn't played since, but was averaging 10.3 points per game over the first nine games of the year.
^ NJIT boasts the league's best free-throw percentage as it connects at a 74.7-percent clip from the line. The Highlanders also rank 2nd in the A-Sun behind FGCU in points allowed (74.3), and field-goal percentage defense (.434).
^ Head coach Jim Engles is in his 8th season at the helm of the Highlanders, and on Jan. 2 he claimed his 100th career win with an 86-83 triumph over UMBC. Engles is 106-135 in his career.
 
A-SUN RANKS
In addition to leading the A-Sun in rebounding (40.9), FGCU also paces the league in points allowed (71.1), field goal percentage defense (.413) and 3-point percentage defense (.303).
 
PROTECTING THE ROCK
With just four turnovers against UNF Saturday night, FGCU recorded its seventh single-digit turnover contest of the year and moved within one of tying the all-time single-season record of eight set last year. Eight single-digit turnover games is exactly how many the Eagles had in their entire pre-D-I history, spanning five seasons from 2002-07. In 2013-14, FGCU had six single-digit turnover games, as through head coach Joe Dooley's 2+ seasons in charge of the Eagles they have posted 21 of the program's 27 single-digit turnovers games in the D-I era (since 2007-08).
 
NOT UNCOMMON WATERS
While FGCU has already lost four A-Sun games – more than all of last year (3) – the Eagles have been successful in recent years when losing four or five conference contests. FGCU went 14-4 in 2013-14 and won the A-Sun regular-season title before playing in its first NIT, and in 2012-13 it finished 13-5 but went on to win the tournament and become the only 15 seed in NCAA Tournament history to advance to the Sweet Sixteen.
 
PLAYER QUICK HITS
^ Reggie Reid (Harlem, Ga./Harlem HS) ranks 2nd among all freshmen nationally in assist rate at 33.7 percent – the percentage of field goals made by a team that a player assists on while in the game.
^ Redshirt junior Demetris Morant (Miami, Fla./UNLV/Bishop Gorman HS) has 68 career blocks, just 12 shy of moving into 2nd place on the program's all-time list. Chase Fieler (2010-14) owns the all-time record with 134 rejections. Morant returned to the FGCU lineup on Saturday after missing the previous seven games with a muscle bruise in his right leg and recorded a season-high 12 points before following it up with 10 points at USC Upstate.
^ Redshirt senior Julian DeBose (Washington, D.C./Rice/St. John College HS) became the 7th player in program history to reach 1,000 career points on Saturday. He entered the game against the Ospreys needing just five points to reach the mark and now has 1,019 for his career.
^ Redshirt senior Filip Cvjeticanin (Zagreb, Croatia/American School of Madrid) is tied for 3rd on the program's all-time 3-pointers made list with 178, and is tied for 2nd among all D-I players. The D-I record is held by 2014 graduate Bernard Thompson with 219. Ryan Hopkins (2002-05) holds the all-time record with 355.
 
BREAKOUT SEASONS
Norelia (Orlando, Fla./Tulane/Olympia HS) is 2nd in the A-Sun in rebounding at 8.8 per outing, 4th in field-goal percentage (.537) and 8th in scoring with 16.2 points per game. With 13 points and 11 rebounds against UNF on Saturday, the redshirt junior tied the all-time single-season program record for double-doubles with nine, now shared with Robinson Tisme from the program's first season in 2002-03. Norelia has been named A-Sun Player of the Week and A-Sun Co-Player of the Week this year.
 
After averaging just 3.3 points per game last year, sophomore Christian Terrell (Jacksonville, Fla./Providence HS) has catapulted to 12.8 per game this year – an increase of 9.5 – and has led the Eagles in scoring seven times. Not only is the 6-5 Terrell getting the job done on the offensive end, he also enters Saturday's contest with the 2nd-most rebounds on the team this year with 126.
 
RE-TWEETS
1) FGCU has already played four overtime games, setting a single-season program record. In its entire pre-D-I history (2002-06), FGCU played three total OT contests.
2) Eight times this year FGCU has had a game decided by five points or less. The Eagles are 4-4 in such games, and 7-9 in games decided by 10 points or less.
3) Johnson has reached double-figure points 11 of the last 13 games, and is 2nd on FGCU in scoring in A-Sun games at 14.5 per contest.
 
A-SUN SUCCESS
Since the start of the 2012-13 season, FGCU boasts a 44-16 (.733) record in A-Sun games – seven more wins than any other team in the league (North Florida, 37).
 
BY THE NUMBERS
FGCU has the following records in 2+ years under the direction of Dooley:
 
Leading At The Half: 46-3 (.939)
Scoring At Least 80 Points: 21-3 (.875)
Grabbing More Rebounds: 49-8 (.860)
Holding Opponent Below 40% FG: 36-4 (.900)
Scoring At Least 70 Points: 39-8 (.830)
 
ON RECORD PACE
FGCU is on pace for several D-I and all-time program records this year:
 
Points Per Game: 77.5 – Would shatter the D-I record of 72.9 set by the Sweet Sixteen team in 2012-13.
Rebounds Per Game: 40.9 – Would set the D-I record, besting each of the previous two years (38.1 in 2014-15 and 36.6 in 2013-14).
Field-Goal Percentage: 47.3 – Would be the best all-time, just ahead of the record of 46.7 percent in 2013-14.
Blocks Per Game: 4 – Would break the best mark all-time as no team has ever even averaged 4 blocks per game in a season.
Scoring Margin: +6.4 – Would be the best in D-I history, just ahead of the +6.1 differential in 2012-13.
 
YOUNG, TALENTED AND DEEP
FGCU has just two seniors on its roster, and so far this year 82 percent of its scoring, 87 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 this year 10 different players have reached double-figure points in a game. The only teams in the nation with more are Boston University (12) and Georgia Southern (11). 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 (or tied) the team in scoring.
 
R-Jr. Norelia (12 – includes a tie): 34
R-Fr. Johnson (5 – includes two ties): 26
So. Terrell (7 – includes a tie): 25
R-Sr. DeBose (2): 20
Fr. Rayjon Tucker (1): 19
R-Sr. Cvjeticanin (1): 18
Fr. Reid: 18
R-So. Antravious Simmons: 17
R-So. Kevin Mickle: 14
R-Jr. Morant: 12
 
In a further testament to the youthful and talented group, Reid leads all A-Sun freshmen in assists per game (3.5), Johnson is 3rd among all A-Sun freshmen in scoring (10.8), Terrell is 2nd among all A-Sun sophomores in points per game (12.8), Simmons leads all A-Sun sophomores in rebounds per game (4.9) and Norelia is 2nd among all A-Sun juniors in rebounds per contest (8.8).
 
CHALLENGING NON-CONFERENCE SCHEDULE
FGCU played a challenging non-conference schedule as all but two of FGCU's seven non-league losses came against top-150 RPI teams, including two losses to top-25 teams (#11 Texas A&M, 75-65; #21 Florida, 70-50) and three to top-50 teams (#43 South Dakota State, 56-52) – and two of those three losses came by 10 points or less. FGCU also dropped an 85-75 decision at #108 Ohio, and a 66-63 contest to #129 Louisiana Tech.
 
MILESTONE MARK
FGCU won its 250th all-time game with an 85-56 decision over USC Upstate on Jan. 16. The Eagles enter Saturday's game with an all-time record (since 2002-03) of 253-184 (.579).
 
GOLDEN SUMMER
DeBose won a gold medal as part of Team USA at the World University Games (WUG) this summer in South Korea ... was one of only two players (SMU's Nic Moore) on the team not from Kansas University ... finished the tournament averaging 4 points, 2.3 rebounds and 10.8 minutes per contest ... scored a team-high 18 points in the USA's final group-round game against Switzerland ... connected on 50 percent (13-26) of his shots from the floor during the WUG, including 3-8 from 3-point range ... added nine offensive and nine defensive rebounds, with the nine offensive boards representing the second-most by any guard on the roster  ... also contributed six steals and a block as Team USA won its games by an average of 20.3 points.
 
NEXT UP
FGCU returns home for its final homestand of the regular season next week. The Eagles will first face Lipscomb (9-18, 5-5 A-Sun) on Thursday at 7 p.m. before Kennesaw State (8-18, 4-6 A-Sun) visits for Senior Night on Saturday at 7.
 
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 116-87 (.571), and in his 2+ years with FGCU is 59-35 (.628).
 
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.