FORT MYERS, Fla. – It's a quick turn around for the FGCU men's basketball team as the Eagles head to USF on Wednesday evening in a match-up that was officially announced just 72 hours prior. The game at the Yuengling Center is set for a 5 PM tip and will be streamed live on ESPN+.There will be no fans in attendance per USF policy.
FGCU (1-0) enter the match-up after last Wednesday's 65-56 win over Florida A&M to open the year. Before the addition of USF, the Eagles were not scheduled to have played again until this Saturday's home contest against Florida National (7 PM) after the cancellations of the UC Santa Barbara and Robert Morris games due to COVID logistical issues.
In the win over FAMU, junior
Caleb Catto (Cape Coral, Fla./Southwest Florida Christian Academy) led FGCU with 13 points, while sophomore
Dakota Rivers (Windermere, Fla./Windermere HS) added 11 points. Overall nine of the 12 players who saw action contributed in the scoring column in a balanced opening act.
The game at USF will mark just the second time the two programs have played. The first meeting came on Dec. 17, 2013 in Tampa as part of the Continental Tire Las Vegas Classic with the Bulls holding off the Eagles, 68-66, in double overtime.
South Florida (1-2) kicks off a three-game home stand after dropping games against Rhode Island and Virginia Tech in Uncasville, Conn. The lone win for the Bulls came in the season opener against Florida College, 94-84.
David Collins leads USF with 14.3 points per game, while Caleb Murphy and Michael Durr are each averaging 10.3 points through three games.
The meeting will be the ninth game or series this year against a Sunshine State foe as teams have worked to keep schedules more regional in nature. The lone non-conference match-up against a non-Florida school will be the Georgia Southern game on Dec. 22 at Alico Arena.
UPCOMING ASUN SCHEDULE:
Wednesday, Dec. 2
Lipscomb at Cincinnati – 5 PM
FGCU at South Florida – 5 PM
Presbyterian at Jacksonville – 7 PM
Kennesaw State at UAB – 7:30 PM
North Florida at Florida State – 8 PM
Thursday, Dec. 3
St. Francis (Pa.) at Liberty – 7 PM
Friday, Dec. 4
Stetson at Miami – 2 PM
Kennesaw State at Creighton – 5 PM
Jacksonville at Georgia – 7 PM
Bellarmine at Duke – 7 PM
For complete coverage of FGCU men's basketball, follow the Eagles on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook at @FGCU_MBB and online at
www.FGCUAthletics.com. You can also sign-up to have news on FGCU men's basketball and other programs delivered directly to your inbox by visiting
www.fgcuathletics.com/email.
SUSTAINING FLIGHT
To help offset the financial impact of COVID-19, FGCU Athletics has launched the Sustaining Flight Fundraiser and Auction. The fundraising campaign will help mitigate operational revenue loss and the additional expenses incurred as a result of COVID-19 protocols. All funds raised during the campaign will go to support areas that directly impact student-athletes.
In lieu of hosting the annual Night at the Nest gala this year, one of FGCU's most successful fundraising events, the department will be hosting a virtual, online auction from Monday, Nov. 30 through Friday, Dec. 4. Fans and supporters will be able to bid on exclusive memorabilia, trip packages, unique event experiences and more. For more information, visit www.fgcuathletics.com/sustainingflight.
E.A.G.L.E. CAMPAIGN
IT TAKES A TEAM to achieve our newest goal - a $10 million campaign to address student-athlete needs in continued academic success, life skills, mental health, nutrition, and strength and conditioning as well as departmental needs in facility expansion and improvement as well as mentoring and leadership training for coaches and staff. The name embodies our mission and the purpose of the E.A.G.L.E. Campaign - Eagle Athletics Generating Lifetime Excellence.
Join Our Team and pledge your gift today to help the Eagles of tomorrow!
COACH FLY
Michael Fly was introduced as the fourth FGCU men's basketball head coach on April 5, 2018. He had spent the previous seven years as an assistant coach on the Eagles' staff. In his time with the Eagles, he helped FGCU to a 165-108 record (.618 winning percentage), including six ASUN Tournament Final appearances, three NCAA Tournament victories, three ASUN Tournament titles and three ASUN Regular Season Championships, two berths in the NIT, a CIT appearance and a run to the Sweet 16. He has coached 13 all-conference selections while with the Green and Blue, including two ASUN Player of the Year honors in Sherwood Brown and Brandon Goodwin, two ASUN Defensive Player of the Year selections in Bernard Thompson and Demetris Morant and one ASUN Newcomer of the Year in
Schadrac Casimir. Of the top-10 players in career points at FGCU, Fly has helped develop eight of them, including all-time leading scorer Thompson (1,835). Additionally, the Kentucky alumnus has coached both the ASUN all-time assists leader Brett Comer (845; 24th in NCAA history) and FGCU all-time leading rebounder Chase Fieler (714).
#FEEDFGCU
FGCU Athletics sponsors events in November and April 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.
ABOUT FGCU
FGCU teams have combined to win an incredible 82 conference regular season and tournament titles in just 13 seasons at the Division I level. Additionally, in just nine seasons of D-I postseason eligibility, the Eagles have had a combined 38 teams or individuals compete in NCAA championships. Seven FGCU programs have earned a top-25 national ranking in their respective sport – including women's basketball (No. 24, 2019-20) and both men's soccer (2018, 2019) and women's soccer (2018) as three of the most recent. In 2016-17, the Green and Blue posted a department-best sixth-place finish in the DI-AAA Learfield Directors' Cup and top-100 showing nationally, ahead of several Power-5 and FBS institutions. In 2018-19, the Eagles had an ASUN and state of Florida best seven teams earn the NCAA's Public Recognition Award for their Academic Progress Rate (APR) in their sport and have had the highest percentage of teams so honored from these two groups over each of the past three years. FGCU also collectively earned a record 3.46 GPA in the classroom in the spring 2020 semester and has outperformed the general University undergraduate population for 22 consecutive semesters. The 2019 Fall and 2020 Spring semesters each saw another milestone reached as all 15 programs achieved a 3.0-or-higher team GPA. The Eagles also served an all-time high 7,200 volunteer hours in 2017 – being recognized as one of two runners-up for the inaugural NACDA Community Service Award presented by the Fiesta Bowl.
--FGCUATHLETICS.COM--
