FGCU MBB @ Ole Miss Preview

The FGCU men's basketball team (5-9) prepare to close out 2018 with a win for their last road game as they travel to Oxford, Miss to face Ole Miss (9-2) at The Pavilion on Saturday, December 29 at 2 p.m. EST/1 p.m. CT. This will be the first ever matchup between the two teams and the last non-conference game before A-SUN Conference play.

Last Time Out:
The Eagles are coming off of a 77-56 loss to Florida in the Metro by T-Mobile Orange Bowl Classic December 22 inside BB&T Center in Sunrise, Florida.

After redshirt senior Hannif Cheatham was shutdown for the rest of the season due to a shoulder injury, the Eagles are now led offensively by redshirt senior Schadrac Casimir. Casimir is averaging 12.1 points per game. The Iona transfer had 10 points against Florida.

Following Casimir with 8.6 points per game each are juniors Christian Carlyle and RaySean Scott Jr. and redshirt senior Dinero Mercurius.

Against UF, Carlyle and Scott Jr. had four points each while Mercurius was held scoreless and played only four minutes. Scott Jr. is also averaging eight rebounds per game.

As far as defensively and rebounding, aside from Scott Jr., redshirt junior Brady Ernst and sophomore Brian Thomas have came in clutch as well.

Now being a starter for most of the season, Ernst is averaging 5.2 points and 4.7 rebounds per game in comparison to last season (2.1 points and 2.2 rebounds per game). Ernst had four points and two rebounds against UF.

After coming back from injury, Thomas is averaging 2.4 points and 4.4 rebounds per game while also pulling away with 1.8 blocks per game. Thomas had four points, seven rebounds and two blocks against UF.

After scoring nine points against UF, freshman Zach Scott came into play from his performance against Keiser that include the game-tying 3-pointer. Scott is averaging 7.6 points per game and was named A-SUN Player of the Week.

Junior Decardo Day has also been on key as far as assist-wise. Day is averaging 5.7 points and 3.3 assists per game. Against UF, the double transfer from Southern Utah and Iowa Western Community College had four points and three assists.

Redshirt sophomore Troy Baxter Jr. led the team in points against UF as he finished with 13. Baxter Jr. is averaging eight points per game.

Ernst, Thomas and Baxter Jr. are in a three-way tie for first in blocks (9 each).

Scouting Ole Miss:
This will be the final Power 5 Conference team that the Eagles play for the season.

The Rebels enter the matchup on a six-game winning streak as they are coming off of a 74-56 road win on Sunday, December 17 against Middle Tennessee (MTSU). Along with that, the Rebels returned to Jackson, Mississippi for the first time in 11 years with a 69-47 win against Southeastern Louisiana at the Mississippi Coliseum.

Leading the Rebels offensively are junior Breein Tyree, senior Terrance Davis and sophomore Devante Shuler.

Tyree is averaging 17.6 points and three assists per game. Tyree had 24 points (10-13 FG, 4-6 3PT) and one assist against MTSU.

Davis is averaging 15.1 points and 5.1 rebounds per game despite being held to eight points, but did have seven rebounds against MTSU.

Shuler is averaging 10.3 points and 3.1 assists per game. Shuler had seven points and two assists against MTSU.

As far as rebounding for the Rebels, freshman KJ Buffen leads the team with 5.4 rebounds while scoring six points per game. Buffen had three points and nine rebounds against MTSU.

How to Keep Up:
Livestats will be available for the game and will air on ESPN SEC+ and on national television. It can also be heard as an audio feature and as a tune-in.

Fans can also keep up on Twitter:
FGCU: @FGCU_MBB

Ole Miss: @OleMissMBB

Links:
Livestats Link: http://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=237999

Livestream Link: http://www.espn.com/watch/_/id/3459989/florida-gulf-coast-vs-ole-miss

Audio Link: https://olemisssports.com/watch/?Live=52&type=Live

Tune-in Link: https://tunein.com/radio/Florida-Gulf-Coast-Eagles-at-Ole-Miss-Rebels-Dec-29-2018-p1166807/

TV Listings:
Direct TV: Ch. 611 (Alt. 611-1*)

Dish Network: Ch. 408 or Hopper Ch. 404 or Alt. 596-597 and Hopper or Alt. 404.1-404.2*

Fios: Ch. 75 / 575 HD or Alt. 332 / 832 HD*†

AT&T U-Verse: Ch. 607 / 1607 HD or Alt. 608 / 1608 HD and 609 / 1609 HD*

*Alternate channels are not available at all times. Please contact your video provider for availability.

†Verizon FiOS alternate channels in FL Only