Florida International (9-12, 2-10) vs. UTEP (8-10, 4-8)
Don Haskins Center, El Paso, Texas; Friday, 9 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: UTEP looks for its fourth straight win over Florida International at Don Haskins Center. The last victory for the Panthers at UTEP was a 79-69 win on Jan. 23, 2016.
VETERAN PRESENCE: Senior leadership could play a big role in the outcome of this game. Souley Boum, Bryson Williams and Tydus Verhoeven have combined to score 55 percent of UTEP’s points this season and 61 percent of the team’s points over its last five games. For Florida International, Tevin Brewer, Dimon Carrigan, Radshad Davis and Eric Lovett have collectively accounted for 41 percent of all Florida International scoring.
KEY CONTRIBUTOR: Antonio Daye, Jr. has made or assisted on 47 percent of all Florida International field goals over the last three games. The junior guard has accounted for 25 field goals and 12 assists in those games.
YET TO WIN: The Panthers are 0-7 when they score 66 points or fewer and 9-5 when they exceed 66 points. The Miners are 0-9 when they fail to score more than 68 points and 8-1 on the season, otherwise.
COLD SPELL: Florida International has lost its last four road games, scoring 59.8 points, while allowing 76.3 per game.
DID YOU KNOW: The disruptive Florida International defense has forced opponents to turn the ball over on 23 percent of all possessions, the 29th-best rate in the country. UTEP has a forced-turnover percentage of only 18.2 percent through 18 games (ranking the Miners 255th among Division I teams).
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