DUNK CITY, Fla. – Looking to snap its longest losing streak in four years, the FGCU men's basketball team (13-11, 4-4 A-Sun) will host Atlantic Sun Conference leader North Florida (18-7, 7-1 A-Sun) in a showdown Saturday at 7 p.m. inside Alico Arena.
 
OPENING TIP
Saturday will conclude a stretch of four-straight games for 3rd-place FGCU against either 2nd-place Jacksonville (6-2 A-Sun) or 1st-place North Florida. The Eagles lost at home to JU last Wednesday, 78-69, at UNF Saturday, 82-76, and at JU Monday, 83-80. The Eagles are currently tied with NJIT at 4-4 as FGCU travels to Newark next weekend to face the Highlanders.
 
A-SUN STANDINGS
North Florida: 7-1
Jacksonville: 6-2
FGCU: 4-4
NJIT: 4-4
Stetson: 3-5
Kennesaw State: 3-5
Lipscomb: 3-5
USC Upstate: 2-6
 
WHAT TO KNOW
Saturday is a REDOUT will all fans in attendance encouraged to wear red to raise awareness for heart disease and the American Heart Association. FGCU-branded red T-shirts which have been on sale the past several weeks have sold out, with a portion of those proceeds going directly to the American Heart Association. Additionally, FGCU Athletics officials will present representatives from the American Heart Association with a $5,000 check. Finally, prior to the game – presented by Culver's – senior cheerleaders and E'Gals will be honored.
 
TWEETABLES
1) Julian DeBose enters the game five points shy of 1,000 for his career. He would be the 7th player in program history to reach the milestone.
2) FGCU has not lost five-straight games overall since 2010-11 – which is also the last time it dropped four-straight A-Sun contests.
3) Marc-Eddy Norelia's 16.1 point-per-game average is just behind Casey Wohlleb's program Division-I single-season record of 16.5 in 2007-08.
4) Zach Johnson scored a game-high 25 points at Jacksonville and enters the game leading all A-Sun players in 3-point percentage in league games at .636 (14-22).
5) FGCU shot 56.7 percent from the floor and lost at JU Monday night, its best shooting percentage in a loss since a 61.4-percent performance at TCU in 2011-12.
 
HISTORICAL LOW-POST PRODUCTION
FGCU scored 56 points in the paint last Saturday at UNF and followed it up with 50 points in the paint Monday at JU – just the third and fourth times, respectively, the Eagles have ever tallied at least 50 points in the paint in the D-I era (since 2007-08). FGCU out-scored UNF, 56-24 (+32) and JU, 50-32 (+18), representing just the second and third times since late in 2011-12 that the Eagles have finished at least +15 in the paint and lost (38-22 (+16) in the season finale last year versus Texas A&M-Corpus Christi). FGCU is now 34-3 in such games over that time period.
 
The Eagles receive 60.3 percent of their total points from 2-point field goals, ranking as the 5th-highest percentage in the nation. Old Dominion leads the country at 61.9 percent. By comparison, UNF ranks 345th in the nation (out of 351 teams) in that category at 40.7 percent. Similarly, the Ospreys lead the country in total points from 3-point field goals at 44.6 percent, while the Eagles are 325th at 22.2 percent.
 
3-POINT BARRAGE
For the fifth-straight game, FGCU will face a top-11 nationally-ranked 3-point offense as North Florida leads the nation by a wide margin with 313 made 3s on the year. Lipscomb is tied for 2nd with 270 makes, while Jacksonville is 11th in the country with 229.
 
FGCU entered the game against Lipscomb ranked 2nd in the nation in 3-point percentage defense at .272, but is now 30th in the country in that category at .308. Lipscomb went 19-33 (57.6 percent) from beyond the arc, JU went 8-18 (44.4 percent), UNF went 13-32 (40.6 percent) and the Dolphins went 6-28 (33.3 percent) on Monday.
 
SERIES HISTORY: FGCU Leads, 11-10
The series has been a streak of runs by both teams as FGCU opened with six-straight victories before the Ospreys responded with seven triumphs in a row. FGCU had a five-game winning streak in the series snapped at UNF last year as the Ospreys defeated the Eagles twice in the regular season, becoming the first A-Sun foe to beat FGCU twice in the same regular season since Lipscomb in 2012-13 and have now won three in a row over the Eagles.
 
SCOUTING NORTH FLORIDA
^ UNF won the A-Sun regular season championship and tournament title last year and is the preseason league favorite this year as the Ospreys return four starters from that club.
^ In addition to being the most prolific 3-point shooting team in the nation, UNF – which only has seven players averaging double-figure minutes – commits the 12th-fewest fouls in the country at 16 per game, ranks 5th in the nation in total blocks with 138, 5th in total assists with 425 and 5th in points per game at 85.5.
^ Leading the offensive attack for the Ospreys is junior guard Dallas Moore, who averages 20.3 points per game and 5.8 assists per contest. Beau Beech adds 15.9 points per game, Demarcus Daniels tallies 12.4, Trent Mackey contributes 12.1 and Chris Davenport rounds out five double-figure scorers at 11.7 as the Ospreys are one of eight teams nationally that has five players averaging double figures.
^ The Ospreys – ranked No. 14 in the latest CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 Poll – were stunned at home by Stetson (9-15, 3-5 A-Sun) on Monday night, 86-82, as Beech fouled out, Davenport and Daniels had four fouls and the Ospreys went just 3-15 from 3-point range in the second half and finished 10-35 (28.6 percent) from deep for the game.
 
UNCHARATERISTIC NUMBERS
FGCU has allowed opponents to shoot 40 percent or better from the floor for seven-straight games, the longest such streak since 2010-11. Additionally, Monday night marked just the third time in 3rd-year head coach Joe Dooley's tenure overseeing the Eagles that FGCU has scored 80 points and lost (20-3 overall).
 
HOME-COURT DOMINANCE
FGCU is 54-11 (.831) at Alico Arena since 2012-13. Eight of those 11 losses have come since the start of the 2014-15 season. FGCU is 11-4 at home this year, 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 26-3 (.900) 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 last Wednesday versus Jacksonville).
 
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
^ Freshman Reggie Reid (Harlem, Ga./Harlem HS) ranks 2nd among all freshmen nationally in assist rate at 33.4 percent – the percentage of field goals made by a team that a player assists on while in the game.
^ 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.
^ Redshirt junior Demetris Morant (Miami, Fla./UNLV/Bishop Gorman HS) has 66 career blocks, just 14 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.
 
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 6-9 in games decided by 10 points or less.
3) FGCU has posted six single-digit turnover games this year. The single-season program record is eight set last year.
4) Morant has been upgraded from doubtful to questionable for Saturday as he has missed the last seven games with a muscle bruise in his right leg.
5) As a result of his recent scoring surge, Zach Johnson is 2nd on FGCU in scoring in A-Sun games at 16 per contest.
 
A-SUN SUCCESS
Since the start of the 2012-13 season, FGCU boasts a 42-16 (.724) record in A-Sun games – five 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 head coach Joe Dooley:
 
Leading At The Half: 45-3 (.938)
Scoring At Least 80 Points: 20-3 (.870)
Grabbing More Rebounds: 47-8 (.855)
Holding Opponent Below 40% FG: 34-4 (.895)
Scoring At Least 70 Points: 37-8 (.822)
 
ON RECORD PACE
FGCU is on pace for several D-I and all-time program records this year:
 
Points Per Game: 77.6 – Would shatter the D-I record of 72.9 set by the Sweet Sixteen team in 2012-13.
Rebounds Per Game: 40.8 – 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: 46.9 – Would be the best all-time, just ahead of the record of 46.7 percent in 2013-14.
Blocks Per Game: 4.2 – Would shatter the best mark all-time as no team has ever even averaged 4 blocks per game in a season.
Scoring Margin: +6.0 – Would be the 2nd-best in D-I history, just behind the +6.1 differential in 2012-13.
 
BREAKOUT SEASONS
Norelia (Orlando, Fla./Tulane/Olympia HS) is 2nd in the A-Sun in rebounding at 8.7 per outing, 4th in field-goal percentage (.539) and 7th in scoring with 16.1 points per game. In addition to his D-I single-season record eight double-doubles, Norelia has come one rebound short of a double-double on four other occasions already this season as well. The all-time single-season program record for double-doubles is nine, held by Robinson Tisme in 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, Terrell (Jacksonville, Fla./Providence HS) has catapulted to 13 per game this year – an increase of 9.7 – 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 tied for the 2nd-most rebounds on the team this year with 116.
 
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 (11 – includes a tie): 34
R-Fr. Johnson (5 – includes two ties): 26
So. Terrell (7 – includes a tie): 25
R-Sr. DeBose (1): 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: 11
 
In a further testament to the youthful and talented group, Reid leads all A-Sun freshmen in assists per game (3.7), Terrell leads all A-Sun sophomores in points per game (13), Simmons leads all A-Sun sophomores in rebounds per game (5) and Norelia is second among all A-Sun juniors in rebounds per game (8.7).
 
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 on Jan. 16 with an 85-56 decision over USC Upstate. The Eagles enter Saturday's game with an all-time record (since 2002-03) of 251-184 (.577).
 
GOLDEN SUMMER
DeBose (Washington, D.C./Rice/St. John College HS) 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 hits the road for a weekend trip which will have them first play at USC Upstate (8-17, 2-6 A-Sun) on Thursday, Feb. 11, at 7 p.m. The Eagles will then travel to New Jersey to face NJIT on Saturday, Feb. 13, at 4 p.m.
 
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 114-87 (.567), and in his 2+ years with FGCU is 57-35 (.620).
 
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.