FGCU MBB vs. Upstate Preview

After a strong start to open conference, the FGCU men's basketball team (10-8, 1-0 A-SUN) prepare for their next game in A-SUN Conference play. The Eagles take on USC Upstate for their next game.

Last Time Out:
The Eagles opened conference at home against Stetson defeating the Hatters 90-52. The Eagles enter the game with a three-game winning streak after defeating not only the Hatters, but have also defeated NAIA Florida Memorial and NCAA DII Florida Tech.

Key Player(s):
The duo of redshirt senior Brandon Goodwin and redshirt junior Zach Johnson lead the fray.

Goodwin leads the team with 17.6 points per game. In the game against Stetson, Goodwin finished with 18 points, seven rebounds, four assists and three steals. Goodwin is 55 points away from being the 10th player in program history to reach 1,000 career points.

Johnson averages 13.5 points per game. Johnson finished with a game-leading 19 points, four rebounds, three assists and two steals against Stetson. Johnson was recognized as the ninth player in program history to reach 1,000 career points.

Senior Christian Terrell has also been a key factor to the fray as well. Terrell was the eighth player in program history to reach 1,000 points during his game against Webber. The Jacksonville product is averaging 12.6 points per game and in the game against Stetson, he had nine points, five rebounds and six assists

Bench Role:
The main factors off the bench included sophomore RaySean Scott Jr, redshirt junior Dinero Mercurius, sophomore Christian Carlyle and redshirt senior Antravious Simmons.

Scott, who missed a previous game against Florida Tech due to personal reasons has been on and off between being a starter and playing the bench role. the Compton, California native is averaging 5.7 points and 4.9 rebounds per game. Scott had four points and five rebounds against Stetson.

Mercurius is averaging 8.7 points per game. Mercurius, a triple transfer from USF, Texas-Rio Grande Valley and Daytona State College started in the game against Stetson scoring 13 points with nine of them being behind the 3-point line.

Carlyle is averaging 6.6 points per game after recently returning from a concussion. Carlyle scored 10 points in the game against Stetson.

Simmons did not play in the game against Stetson due to a foot injury, so his timetable of return is not yet announced. Simmons is averaging 6.8 points per game and 4.7 rebounds per game.

Home Debut:
Freshman Brian Thomas recently came back to play after being unable in 15 straight games due to a broken hand. Thomas, whose last game was against Bowling Green, made his home game debut where he had four points, eight rebounds, one block and one steal.

Scouting Upstate:
The Spartans (5-13, 0-1 A-SUN) opened their conference game on the road against NJIT where they would lose to the Highlanders 87-98. The Spartans ended 2017 with a 77-79 loss to the University of Missouri-Kansas City before starting conference.

Key Player(s):
Junior Malik Moore leads the team offensively with 15 points per game. Moore scored 15 points in the game against NJIT.

Junior Jure Span is averaging 10.9 points and 4.7 assists per game. Span had 16 points and five points against NJIT.

Series History:
Overall, The Eagles are 15-6 against the Spartans. The last series both teams met, they had a win a piece. The Spartans beat the Eagles 62-60 at FGCU before the Eagles countered with a 97-89 overtime win at Upstate.

The game will be on Thursday, January 11 at 7 PM where it is dubbed a Blue Out and fans are encouraged to wear blue for the game.