DUNK CITY, Fla. – The 4th-seeded FGCU men's basketball team (17-13, 8-6 A-Sun) opens its 2016 Atlantic Sun Conference Championship Tuesday at Alico Arena at 7:05 p.m. as the Eagles host a quarterfinal matchup against 5th-seeded Kennesaw State (11-19, 7-7 A-Sun).
 
OPENING TIP
The two teams will be meeting for the second time in 10 days as FGCU entertained Kennesaw State for its Senior Night on Feb. 20. The Eagles finished in a three-way tie for 2nd place in the A-Sun at 8-6 along with NJIT and Jacksonville, but received the 4th seed due to tiebreakers. North Florida won the regular-season title with a 10-4 record and subsequent top seed. Below are the rest of Tuesday's matchups:

1 North Florida vs. 8 USC Upstate: 7:30 PM
2 NJIT vs. 7 Stetson: 7:30 PM
3 Jacksonville vs. 6 Lipscomb: 7:00 PM
4 FGCU vs. 5 Kennesaw State: 7:05 PM
 
If FGCU wins, the Eagles will face the winner of UNF-USC Upstate on Thursday, Mar. 3, at a time not yet determined. The game will be at UNF if the Ospreys win, but if USC Upstate – which lost at UNF on Feb. 20 by just an 81-78 margin – wins, the Eagles will host the Spartans.
 
The highest-remaining seed hosts the championship final on Sunday, Mar. 6, at 7 p.m. The final will air live on ESPN2, while the quarterfinal and semifinal rounds will be broadcast on ESPN3.
 
TICKET INFO
Tickets are still available and range from $15-25 for general admission and reserved seating. Fans can secure their tickets by logging on to FGCUTickets.com, calling 239-590-7145 or stopping by the Alico Arena Ticket Office during regular business hours. FGCU students with a valid Eagle ID are admitted free of charge, while students from other A-Sun institutions are $5.
 
TWEETABLES
1) FGCU leads the A-Sun in rebounding at 40 per game, while Kennesaw State is last in the league at 33.8 per contest.
2) The Eagles were out-rebounded by the Owls in their meeting on Feb. 20, 36-27, representing just the second time all year FGCU has won when being out-rebounded.
3) FGCU has had 19 games this year decided by 10 points or less (8-11 in those games), one shy of matching the D-I program record of 20 in 2011-12.
4) The Green and Blue has scored 80 or more points in a game 13 times this year after reaching that mark 12 total times in the previous two years combined.
5)  By holding its opponents to just 30.3 percent from 3-point range, FGCU ranks 11th in the nation in that category.
 
A-SUN TOURNAMENT OVERVIEW
FGCU has only been eligible for the A-Sun Tournament the last four years, and in the first three years the Eagles reached the championship game each year – 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. In 2014, the Green and Blue was the No. 1 seed and went 2-1, suffering a setback to Mercer in the final. Last year, FGCU was the No. 2 seed and went 1-1, falling at home in the semifinals to No. 3 seed USC Upstate, 63-62.
 
FGCU's 8-3 record in A-Sun Tournament games is good for a .727 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 (4-4) and North Florida (5-5) ranking 2nd.
 
Furthermore, despite appearing in the A-Sun Tournament only four times, FGCU owns the 2nd-most wins of any current conference member:
 
Team: Record (Appearances)
Stetson: 9-22 (22)
FGCU: 8-3 (4)
North Florida: 5-5 (6)
Jacksonville: 5-16 (16)
Lipscomb: 5-11 (11)
USC Upstate: 4-4 (4)
Kennesaw State: 1-3 (3)
NJIT: 0-0 (0)
 
FGCU and North Florida are the only schools currently in the A-Sun which have won an A-Sun Men's Basketball Championship. FGCU won its tournament championship in 2013, while UNF claimed its last year. The Eagles joined the league in 2007-08 with USC Upstate, and prior to that UNF 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. NJIT is in its 1st year in the A-Sun.
 
SERIES HISTORY
FGCU owns a 12-6 lead in the all-time series with Kennesaw State. The Owls held a 6-2 lead in the series until the Eagles started their current 10-game win streak in 2011-12. It is the longest current streak by FGCU over an A-Sun opponent. While FGCU has won 10 in a row over KSU, each of the last five games between the two teams has been decided by 10 points or less.
 
FGCU and Kennesaw State will be meeting for the first time in the A-Sun Championship. Excluding league newcomer NJIT, the only other team the Eagles have not played in the tournament is Lipscomb.
 
SEASON REVIEW vs. KENNESAW STATE
First Game: On the strength of a career-high 19 points from freshman Rayjon Tucker (Charlotte, N.C./Northside Christian Academy), FGCU staked itself to a double-figure first-half lead and held on for a 79-74 win. The Eagles had 70 of their 79 points come from non-seniors and 60 of their 79 come from either freshmen or sophomores. FGCU built a 42-32 halftime lead, extended the advantage to as much as 14 on multiple occasions early in the second half and didn't allow Kennesaw State to get closer than four the rest of the night.
 
Second Game: Facing a three-point halftime deficit, FGCU shot 56.5 percent from the floor in the second half to win, 68-63. FGCU trailed at the break, 29-26, as both teams struggled to get their offenses going. But in the second half, the Eagles out-scored the Owls, 42-34. Marc-Eddy Norelia (Orlando, Fla./Tulane/Olympia HS) led FGCU with 22 points and grabbed a team-best seven rebounds.
 
SCOUTING KENNESAW STATE
^ Kennesaw State finished last year 10-22 overall and 4-10 in the A-Sun en route to a 6th-place finish in the league. In the A-Sun Preseason Poll this year, the Owls were predicted for a last-place finish along with Stetson as both teams collected 13 points, but finished tied for 5th.
^ On the year, KSU is averaging 72.5 points per game (7th in the A-Sun), but in league games the Owls averaged 78.6 points per contest (3rd in the A-Sun). The Owls' non-conference strength of schedule is ranked 41st in the country as they played six BCS teams.
^ Yonel Brown and Kendrick Ray are the highest-scoring duo in the A-Sun, combining to average 37.5 points per game. Ray is 2nd in the league at 18.9 per outing, while Brown is 4th at 18.6. Both players were named to the A-Sun Second Team on Monday.
^ Head coach Al Skinner is in his 1st season at the helm of Kennesaw State. The long-time head coach at Boston College, Skinner – a former National Coach of the Year – has a career record of 396-310 in his 23rd season and has made nine NCAA Tournament appearances.
 
SIMILAR APPROACHES
FGCU receives 60.7 percent of its total points from 2-point field goals, ranking as the 5th-highest percentage in the nation, while Kennesaw State ranks 29th in the country at 56 percent. Old Dominion leads the country at 64.6 percent. However, the Eagles receive most of their 2-point buckets in the low post, while the Owls rely heavily on the mid-range game.
 
ALL-CONFERENCE SELECTIONS
Norelia (Orlando, Fla./Tulane/Olympia HS) and Zach Johnson (Miami, Fla./Norland HS) were recognized for standout seasons earlier on Monday as Norelia was named to the A-Sun First Team, while Johnson was tabbed as an A-Sun All-Freshmen Team member in voting conducted by the league's eight head coaches.
 
Norelia leads FGCU in nearly every offensive category as he ranks 6th in the A-Sun in scoring at 17.1 points per game, 2nd in rebounding at 9 per game and 5th in field-goal percentage at .535. The redshirt junior has been named A-Sun Player of the Week on three occasions this year, and it marks the 4th-straight year FGCU has had at least one representative on the A-Sun First Team – the longest such streak in the conference.
 
Johnson came on strong in league action as he finished the year by reaching double-figure points in 14 of the last 17 games, closing the campaign by averaging 10.7 points per game en route to being a unanimous selection to the team. The redshirt point guard finished the year tied with his fellow freshman backcourt mate Reggie Reid (Harlem, Ga./Harlem HS) for the most assists in the A-Sun by a freshman with 97.
 
For more information about Norelia and Johnson's awards, click here.
 
HOME-COURT DOMINANCE
FGCU is 57-11 (.838) at Alico Arena since 2012-13. Eight of those 11 losses have come since the start of the 2014-15 season. FGCU is 14-4 at home this year – with the 14 wins being the most among A-Sun schools – was 13-4 last year, went 15-2 in 2013-14 and 15-1 in 2012-13.
 
Versus A-Sun foes during the regular season since 2012-13, FGCU is 29-3 (.906) at The Nest. The Eagles had won 21 straight regular-season games at Alico against A-Sun competition before losing to North Florida in the home regular-season finale last year (other losses: Lipscomb in overtime during the 2012-13 season and earlier this season versus Jacksonville).
 
A-SUN RANKS
FGCU leads the A-Sun in rebounding (40 per game), points allowed (70.9 per game), field goal percentage defense (.417) and 3-point percentage defense (.303).
 
PROTECTING THE ROCK
FGCU has set the single-season program record with nine games of single-digit turnovers this year, surpassing the previous record of eight from 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 Joe Dooley's nearly three seasons in charge of the Eagles they have posted 23 of the program's 29 single-digit turnovers games in the D-I era (since 2007-08).
 
RECORD-SETTING SEASON
Norelia has set the FGCU record for double-doubles in a season with 12. The previous single-season program record for double-doubles was nine by Robinson Tisme in the program's first season in 2002-03. Additionally, Norelia has missed a double-double on five other occasions by just a single rebound each time.
 
The southpaw is also closing in on several D-I and all-time program single-season records:
 
Points Per Game: 17.1 – Would be the best in D-I history and 3rd-best all-time (Leighton Bowie (19.5 in 2003-04).
Field Goals Made: 197 – Currently 3rd all-time, with the record of 210 held by Sherwood Brown in 2012-13 (37 games).
Rebounds Per Game: 9 – Would be the best in program history, well ahead of Adam Liddell's 8.3 mark in 2006-07.
Total Rebounds: 270 – Currently the 2nd-most in program history, closing in on the record of 274 held by Liddell in 2006-07.
 
PLAYER QUICK HITS
^ Reid ranks 4th among all freshmen nationally in assist rate at 32.3 percent – the percentage of field goals made by a team that a player assists on while in the game.
^ With 322 points, Johnson is 4th on the all-time freshman scoring list at FGCU, behind only Christophe Varidel (345 in 2010-11), Bernard Thompson (368 in 2011-12) and Anthony Banks (374 in 2009-10).
^ Redshirt junior Demetris Morant (Miami, Fla./UNLV/Bishop Gorman HS) has 72 career blocks, just eight 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 six games ago after missing the previous seven contests with a muscle bruise in his right leg. ^ 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 Feb. 6 against North Florida. He entered the game against the Ospreys needing just five points to reach the mark and now has 1,047 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 2015 graduate Thompson with 219. Ryan Hopkins (2002-05) holds the all-time record with 355. Cvjeticanin missed the final two games of the regular season with concussion symptoms after hitting his head on the floor following a Lipscomb illegal screen on Feb. 18, but is expected to play on Tuesday.
 
BREAKOUT SEASON
After averaging just 3.3 points per game last year, sophomore Christian Terrell (Jacksonville, Fla./Providence HS) has catapulted to 12.4 per game this year – an increase of 9.1 – 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 Tuesday's contest with the 2nd-most rebounds on the team this year with 145.
 
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) Nine times this year FGCU has had a game decided by five points or less. The Eagles are 5-4 in such games.
 
A-SUN SUCCESS
Since the start of the 2012-13 season, FGCU boasts a 46-18 (.719) record in A-Sun games – six more wins than any other team in the league (North Florida, 40).
 
BY THE NUMBERS
FGCU has the following records under the direction of Dooley:

Leading At The Half: 47-4 (.921)
Holding Opponent Below 40% FG: 36-4 (.900)
Scoring At Least 80 Points: 22-3 (.880)
Grabbing More Rebounds: 50-9 (.847)
Scoring At Least 70 Points: 40-9 (.816)
 
ON RECORD PACE
FGCU is on pace for several D-I and all-time program records this year:
 
Points Per Game: 76.6 – Would shatter the D-I record of 72.9 set by the Sweet Sixteen team in 2012-13.
Rebounds Per Game: 40 – 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: 47.1 – Would be the best all-time, just ahead of the record of 46.7 percent in 2013-14.
Blocks Per Game: 3.9 – Would be tied for the best mark all-time with the 2011-12 club.
Scoring Margin: +5.7 – Would be the 2nd-best in D-I history, just behind the +6.1 margin by the 2012-13 team.
 
YOUNG, TALENTED AND DEEP
FGCU has just two seniors on its roster, and so far this year 83 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 (16 – 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. 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 (3.3), Johnson is 3rd among all A-Sun freshmen in scoring (10.7), Terrell is 2nd among all A-Sun sophomores in points per game (12.4), Simmons is 2nd among A-Sun sophomores in rebounds per game (4.5) and Norelia is 2nd among A-Sun juniors in rebounds per contest (9).
 
CHALLENGING NON-CONFERENCE SCHEDULE
FGCU played a challenging non-conference schedule as all but two of its seven non-league losses came against top-125 RPI teams, including three losses to top-50 teams (#21 Texas A&M, 75-65; #41 South Dakota State, 56-52 and #45 Florida, 70-50) – and two of those three setbacks came by 10 points or less. FGCU also dropped an 85-75 decision at #78 Ohio, and a 66-63 contest to #123 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 Tuesday's game with an all-time record (since 2002-03) of 255-186 (.578).
 
GOLDEN SUMMER
DeBose won a gold medal as part of Team USA at the World University Games (WUG) last 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.

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 3rd year with the Eagles in 2015-16 and has coached eight all-conference selections. 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 3rd-straight 20-win season and 3rd-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 7th season overall as a head coach and has a record of 118-89 (.570), and in his 2+ years with FGCU is 61-37 (.622).
 
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.