JACKSONVILLE – Two of the ASUN Conference's three teams tied for 1st place early in the season will clash on Wednesday when FGCU travels to North Florida for a 7 p.m. tipoff at UNF Arena.
 
SETTING THE STAGE
FGCU and North Florida are both 4-1 in the ASUN, tied at the top along with USC Upstate, which will travel to Nashville to face Lipscomb (3-2 and alone in 4th place) on Wednesday.
 
The Eagles were the preseason ASUN favorites, while the Ospreys were picked for a 2nd-place finish. The last time the two sides met was in the ASUN semifinals last March. In that contest, 4th-seeded FGCU routed top-seeded UNF, 89-56, on the road – the largest loss by a No. 1 seed in ASUN Championship history (since 1979).
 
OPENING TIP ITEMS
FGCU was able to win that ASUN semifinal in dominating fashion due largely to an emphatic 42-14 edge in paint scoring. That has been the Eagles' offensive mantra under 4th-year head coach Joe Dooley, and it's continuing again this year as FGCU ranks 2nd in the nation in points in the paint at 42.7 per game, bested only by Kentucky (43.9). FGCU ranks 3rd in the country in field goal percentage at 51.7.
 
Helping fuel that low-post production is a re-emergence of Dunk City as FGCU is averaging 4.7 dunks per game, surpassing the average of 4 per game thrown down by the original Dunk City Sweet Sixteen team in 2012-13. The Eagles already have 98 dunks this year – tied for the most in a single season under Dooley – and just 50 shy of matching that 2012-13 squad (148).
 
TWEETABLES
1) FGCU owns an ASUN-best 6-3 road record this year – including 3-0 in the league – after going just 4-8 away from Alico Arena last season.
2) With a win, FGCU will move to 5-1 in the ASUN and tie its best all-time start through six games of a league season (2013-14, 2014-15).
3) The Eagles' first four ASUN games were decided by a total of 10 points – the smallest differential for a four-game stretch at any point in program history.
4) FGCU is 10-0 this year and a dominant 60-4 under Dooley when leading at the half.
5) Incredibly, all 15 of FGCU's players has a positive plus/minus ratio, and every scholarship player is at least +20 on the year.
 
CONTRASTING STYLES
In their five meetings since the start of the 2014-15 season, FGCU and UNF have put their contrasting offensive styles on display. In those five meetings (UNF leads, 3-2), the Eagles have outscored the Ospreys in the paint four times and by an average of 40.8 to 23.6. In three contests last year, FGCU outscored UNF by an average of 30 per game in the paint (48.7 to 18.7).
 
Conversely, UNF has made more 3-pointers than FGCU in four of the five games. The Ospreys have averaged 10.4 made 3s over that time, while the Eagles have converted just 4.2 per game.
 
DEFENDING THE ARC
To win the ASUN in 2016-17, defending the 3-point line is imperative. Of the league's eight members, five rank in the top 30 in the nation in 3-pointers made, and three are in the top 12. North Florida has made 190 3-pointers (28th-most in the nation).
 
FGCU's strength typically lies in its perimeter defense as the Eagles lead the ASUN in 3-point percentage defense overall, allowing opponents to connect at just a 31.3-percent clip. However, in ASUN games only, FGCU is last.
 
After limiting teams to 28.1 percent from beyond the arc in its challenging non-conference schedule, ASUN opponents are shooting 40.5 percent from 3-point range against the Eagles through the first five games of the campaign. Three of those opponents (Lipscomb, 6th; USC Upstate, 12th; NJIT, 29th) rank in the top 30 in the country in 3-pointers made.
 
SCOUTING NORTH FLORIDA
^ North Florida goes as Dallas Moore goes. The ASUN Preseason Player of the Year has more than lived up to the billing by averaging 23.7 points per game to rank 3rd in the nation. The senior guard has made more field goals (191) than any other player in the country.
^ By himself, Moore is responsible for 30 percent of UNF's total points on the year as he's scored more than 300 points than any other Osprey.
^ UNF has won four of its first five ASUN games after securing just one win over a D-I opponent in its non-conference schedule (76-75 vs. North Dakota). The Ospreys played seven Power-5 schools in its non-league docket.
^ The Ospreys have won at Jacksonville (80-64) and USC Upstate (73-65), and have defeated Kennesaw State (86-84 on a Moore last-second floater) and Lipscomb (90-84) at home. Their lone loss came at NJIT (84-78).
 
SERIES HISTORY: FGCU Leads, 13-10
The series has been a streak of runs by both teams since their first meeting in February of 2003: FGCU W6, UNF W7, FGCU W5, UNF W3, FGCU W2 (current).
 
#DEPTHCITY
Dunk City has morphed into Depth City this year as FGCU incredibly had a different leading scorer in each its six games from Dec. 22-Jan. 14: Antravious Simmons (18, Florida National), Christian Terrell (20, FAU), Demetris Morant (20, Florida Tech), Brandon Goodwin (20, Stetson), Marc-Eddy Norelia (21, Kennesaw State) and Zach Johnson (23, Lipscomb). Six different players have already scored 20 or more points in a game this year for the Eagles.
 
Last year, FGCU had 10 different players reach double-figure points in a game (tied for the 3rd-most in the nation). Already this year, the Eagles have again had 10 players reach double-figure points (Reggie Reid: 9-point game). Below is a list of players who have scored 10 or more points in a game, how many times they have led (or tied) the team in scoring and their season high.
 
Brandon Goodwin (12 – includes 3 ties): 26
Zach Johnson (4 – includes 2 ties): 24
Rayjon Tucker: 23
Marc-Eddy Norelia (1): 21
Christian Terrell (3): 20
Demetris Morant (2): 20
Christian Carlyle: 19
Antravious Simmons (2 – includes 1 tie): 18
RaySean Scott Jr.: 14
Kevin Mickle: 13
 
STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE
FGCU is currently 88 in the RPI – the only ASUN team in the top 175. The Eagles have already played three top-50 RPI opponents (Baylor (1), Florida (12) and Michigan State (41)) and four more ranked from 50-100 (UT Arlington (54), La Salle (66) and twice against Georgia Southern (86)). FGCU is 2-2 against that group with a win over UT Arlington, a narrow road loss to La Salle (84-80), and a win and a loss against Georgia Southern.
 
FGCU was down just one point with under 3 minutes to play at previously #1-ranked Baylor before falling short, 81-72, lost to #25-ranked Florida despite holding a five-point lead with 15 minutes remaining and overcame a double-figure 2nd-half deficit to defeat UT Arlington – one of only two teams (#3 Gonzaga) to have beaten #21-ranked Saint Mary's – convincingly, 85-72. Additionally, FGCU controversially lost, 78-77, at Michigan State (more info later in this release).
 
ASUN RANKINGS
Several FGCU players rank among the top-10 performers in the ASUN:
 
Points Per Game
Brandon Goodwin: 7th, 16.4
 
Rebounds Per Game
Demetris Morant: 5th, 7.7
 
Assists Per Game
Brandon Goodwin: 4th, 4.0
Zach Johnson: 10th, 3.3
 
Blocks Per Game
Demetris Morant: 1st, 1.7
 
Field Goal Percentage
Demetris Morant: 1st, .734
Rayjon Tucker: 5th, .570
Brandon Goodwin: 7th, .534
 
Free Throw Percentage
Brandon Goodwin: 9th, .778
 
3-Point Percentage
Rayjon Tucker: 3rd, .467
Christian Terrell: 6th, .433
 
Assist/Turnover Ratio
Reggie Reid: 5th, 2.3
Christian Terrell: 5th, 2.3
 
MARC-EDDY NORELIA
Redshirt senior Norelia (Orlando, Fla./Tulane/Olympia HS) returned to the FGCU lineup on Jan. 12 after missing the previous six games due to personal reasons. He came off the bench against Kennesaw State, scored a team-high 21 points and grabbed six rebounds in 25 minutes. He followed it up with a 14-point, 8-rebound performance in 30 minutes off the bench two days later at Lipscomb, and has played in every game since.
 
Norelia – who is 34 points shy of becoming the 7th player in program history with 1,000 career points – did not travel with the team or partake in practice from Dec. 14-28, but rejoined practice on Dec. 29. He sat on the bench versus Florida Tech on Dec. 31, but did not dress; did dress at Stetson on Jan. 7. The forward is a Preseason All-ASUN Conference selection and team's leading returning scorer (17.1) and rebounder (9.3) from a season ago.
 
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, Norelia was a unanimous selection to the Preseason All-Conference Team, redshirt sophomore Johnson (Miami, Fla./Norland HS) 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.
 
YOUTHFUL EAGLES
FGCU is getting the job done again this year with a youthful group as 82 percent of its total points, 72 percent of its rebounds and 93 percent of its assists have come from non-seniors.
 
ON RECORD PACE
Through the first 21 games of the season, redshirt junior Goodwin (Norcross, Ga./UCF/Norcross HS) has totaled 345 points – 22 more than what Norelia had at the same juncture last year when he set the program's single-season scoring record with 597 points.
 
Norelia also set the single-season program record with 234 made field goals last year. Through 21 games this year, Goodwin has 125 made field goals – just two fewer than what Norelia had at the same juncture last season.
 
3-POINT IMPROVEMENT
Last year, just 20 percent of FGCU's total points came from 3-pointers – ranking 344th in the nation out of 351 D-I teams – as the Eagles shot 35.3 percent from long range. So far this season, 27 percent of FGCU's total points have come off 3-pointers.
 
The Eagles are shooting 38.8 percent from 3-point range to rank 39th in the nation. The single-season program record for field goal percentage is 37.4 in 2011-12. The team is also nearing a single-season program record as it is averaging 7 made 3s per game (current record: 7.8 in 2011-12).
 
FGCU opened the year with four-straight performances of 40 percent or better from the 3-point line – the first time at any point of a season that has occurred in the program's non-conference history against D-I opponents.
 
BY THE NUMBERS
FGCU has the following records under the direction of Dooley:
 
Leading At The Half: 60-4 (.938)
Holding Opponent Below 40% FG: 45-4 (.918)
Grabbing More Rebounds: 66-13 (.835)
Scoring Between 70-79 Points: 49-11 (.817)
Scoring At Least 80 Points: 34-4 (.895)
 
RE-TWEETS
1) FGCU posted its largest comeback in the program's D-I era against UT Arlington on Nov. 16 as the Eagles erased a 16-point deficit (one shy of matching the all-time mark set in 2005-06).
2) The Eagles posted D-I program records in points (120), field goals made (47), field goal percentage (67.1), assists (29) and win margin (60) in its 120-60 victory over NAIA member Ave Maria on Nov. 29.
3) Morant pulled down the 4th-most rebounds in single-game D-I program history (most in a regulation game) with 17 against Georgia Southern on Dec. 13.
4) The 11 non-conference wins were the most in program history, and the three 100+ point games already marks the first time in single-season D-I history that has occurred.
5) FGCU had two separate 4+ game winning streaks in D-I non-conference history for the first time.
6) FGCU has already won three games by one point for the first time in a single season, and it has had a record four games decided by a single point already this year.
7) The Eagles had nine steals on Saturday against NJIT, the most against a Division-I opponent this year.
 
FLORIDA NATIONAL PERFORMANCE
During its game against Florida National on Dec. 22, FGCU set a single-game D-I program record with 30 assists (tied again a game later versus Florida Tech), and matched a record with 68 points in the paint set earlier this year versus Ave Maria. Additionally, FGCU's 107 points were the 3rd-most in the program's D-I era and 2nd-most in a regulation game. The Eagles also connected at a 66.7-percent clip (44-66) from the floor, the 2nd-best performance in a game in D-I program history.
 
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 (entering games on Jan. 20):
 
1) Florida: 87
2) Miami: 81
3) FGCU: 80
4) Florida State: 76
5) North Florida: 71
T-6) Jacksonville: 51
T-6) UCF: 51
8) FIU: 49
9) Stetson: 38
10) Bethune-Cookman: 37
11) USF: 36
12) FAU: 32
13) Florida A&M: 27
 
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). 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.
 
GAME-WINNERS THIS YEAR
FGCU has already hit three game-winning shots this year. The first came on Nov. 25 when Terrell (Jacksonville, Fla./Providence HS) hit a contested layup with 2.4 seconds left in overtime to give the Eagles a 68-67 win against Long Beach State.
 
The second came on Dec. 20 when Goodwin hit a floater in the paint with 12 seconds remaining to hand FGCU a 79-78 win at Louisiana Tech. LA Tech entered the contest with a dominant record of 71-2 at home since February of 2012 – with the .973 winning percentage over that time being the best in the nation.
 
The final one came on Jan. 7 when Goodwin hit three free throws with .6 of a second left to give the Eagles an 89-88 win at Stetson. FGCU trailed by eight points with just under 70 seconds remaining before mounting an incredible comeback.
 
LOCKING IN ON D
Since Dooley took over FGCU in 2013-14, FGCU has held 33 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. This year, the Eagles are again leading the ASUN, holding opponents to just 70.3 points per game.
 
RECAPPING MICHIGAN STATE
With 1.6 seconds remaining in a 78-77 game on Nov. 20 at Michigan State, Terrell threw an in-bounds pass from under the Spartans' basket to Simmons (Miami, Fla./VCU/South Miami HS) at the FGCU free throw line. However, despite the ball not being touched by any player, the game clock hit zero just as Simmons touched the ball.
 
The play was designed for him to take a dribble and attempt a game-winning layup, but when he heard the horn as soon as he caught the ball – after time had already expired – he threw the ball toward the basket and did not make the shot.
 
The head referee Bo Boroski, Big Ten officials, ASUN officials and FGCU Athletics officials all issued statements regarding the incident, with the Big Ten acknowledging an on-court official started the clock too early; however, the final score of 78-77 would remain.
 
View all statements by clicking here.
 
ANOTHER DANCE?
^ FGCU posted a record 31-point win, 96-65, in the First Four last March over fellow 16 seed Fairleigh Dickinson.
^ The Eagles will be looking for their 5th 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.
 
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 (351 D-I teams).
 
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. With the men's team having 15 wins and the women's team with 16 victories already this year, the Eagles are positioned to make that five-straight seasons.
 
BAHAMIAN SUMMER
FGCU spent Aug. 5-10 of last summer 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).
 
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: 21-14, 8-6 ASUN (T-2nd)
2016-17: 15-6, 4-1 ASUN
D-I Total: 160-154, 83-80 ASUN
Last 4+ Years: 106-55, 50-19 ASUN
 
NEXT UP
FGCU will return home to face Jacksonville (13-9, 1-4 ASUN entering a home game against Stetson Wednesday) on Saturday at 7 p.m. The contest will be the backend of a doubleheader with the FGCU women's team in an ASUN title game rematch with the Dolphins at 4 p.m. Tickets are still available and can be secured by logging on to FGCUTickets.com, by calling the Alico Arena Ticket Office at 239-590-7145 or by visiting the box office during regular business hours.

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 137-96 (.588), and in his 3+ years with FGCU is 80-44 (.645).
 
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.