FIU Men’s Basketball is hot, as they are winners of three straight games for the first time since the 2022-23 season. They are coming off a big win over the Jacksonville Dolphins, defeating them by a final score of 88-65, and will now take “the road” for the first time since November 13, as they take on new head coach Jai Lucas and the University of Miami.
“We were taking the right shots,” head coach Jeremy Ballard said. “Aside from one questionable three, we were unselfish, getting into the paint, passing up good shots for great ones, and making the extra pass. I’m proud of our guys. The only stat that matters is winning, and it showed with our team-high of just seven shot attempts. When no one cares who gets the credit, a lot can be accomplished.”
FIU Panthers (5-3, 0-0 Conference USA) vs. Miami Hurricanes (9-2, 0-0 ACC)
Date: Tuesday, Dec. 16
Time: 7:00 pm ET
Location: Watsco Center, Coral Gables, Florida
TV: ACC Network Extra with Kyle Sielaf (PxP) and Jack McClinton (Analyst)
Radio: fiusports.com/listen with Corey Brooks (PxP) and Alejandro Solana (Analyst)
ESPN Matchup Predictor: 97.4% UM
Jacksonville Recap
The Panthers closed out the five-game homestand on a high note, defeating Jacksonville. Leading the way were forward Corey Stephenson and center Eric Dibami, both scoring 14 points.
Dibami, a freshman from Miami Prep, had himself a career day, with 14 points, six rebounds, three blocks, and three steals. After a slow start to the season, Dibami has now scored double-digit points in back-to-back contests. As for Stephenson, his magical season continued with 14 points, five rebounds, two assists, three steals, and he went 2-3 from beyond the arc.
A fun one at the Bank 🏦
Presented by @Nicklaus4Kids pic.twitter.com/fLUazHVHlD
— FIU Men's Basketball (@FIUHoops) December 7, 2025
Stephenson, who leads Conference USA in offensive rebounds, is sixth in points per game and is ninth in field goal percentage. He was named player of the week following his performance. He averaged 16.0 points, 6.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and 2.0 steals in the wins over Florida Gulf Coast and Jacksonville. That makes Stephenson the first Panther to win the award since the 2023-24 season.
As a team, they shot 11-16 (68.6%) from the three-point line, which marked the highest three-point percentage in a single game since January 2020 against UAB.
Last time in Coral Gables…
These two teams are no strangers to each other, having last faced off against each other during the 2023-24 season, where Jim Larrañaga’s Canes defeated the Panthers, 86-80, in what was one of the more thrilling games of the season.
Arturo Dean, who led the team with 19 points, transferred to Oklahoma State. As for the Hurricanes, Matthew Cleveland, who dropped 23 points, graduated and is no longer playing college basketball. The only player remaining from both teams is FIU guard Renato Ruiz, who did not play in that game.
Although the result of the last matchup between the two teams provides some hope for the upcoming matchup for FIU, the last game is totally irrelevant, given the amount of turnover for both programs.
step-back three for A2⃣, all net pic.twitter.com/bvIYzueH2W
— FIU Men's Basketball (@FIUHoops) November 14, 2023
FIU has only one win in program history over the Canes, last coming in 1992, with the Panthers defeating Miami by a final score of 72-64. That FIU team went on to win the TAAC regular season, posting a 20-10 record.
One interesting connection is that Miami assistant coach Andrew Moran was heavily involved in Eric Dibami’s transition from international basketball to playing in the United States.
Preparing For The Canes
Under the leadership of Jai Lucas, the Miami Hurricanes are currently 9-2. They’re riding a four-game winning streak and have last defeated Louisiana-Monroe by a final score of 104-79. Their two losses this season were against No. 10 Florida and No. 9 BYU.
As a team, the Hurricanes have the fourth-best scoring offense in the ACC, averaging 87.3 points per game, while also leading the conference in field-goal percentage at 50.8%. From beyond the arc, Miami ranks fifth. On the boards, the Canes average 40.8 rebounds per game, but are great at making their opponents work for their rebounds, as opponents average 27.8 rebounds per game.
Where they struggle is from the charity stripe, ranking 16th in free-throw percentage. Miami leads the conference in total assists (216) and averages the second-most assists in the conference, just behind the Duke Blue Devils.
Defensively, the Hurricanes allow 66.5 points per game, which ranks sixth in the conference. Miami averages 3.73 blocked shots per game, ranking 13th in the conference, and 8.64 steals per game, which is third in the ACC.
Get Ready For A Storm
The Canes’ leading scorer is Indiana transfer Malik Reneau, who is averaging 20.9 points, 6.9 rebounds, 2.2 assists, and is shooting 56.9% from the field. Standing at 6-9, Reneau is currently third in the ACC in points and fourth in field goal percentage.
Behind Reneau is Michigan transfer Tre Donaldson, who is averaging 15.2 points per game, 3.7 rebounds, 6.3 assists, and is shooting 47.3% from the field. He ranks third in the ACC in assists per game
Noteworthy start to the year for Malik Reneau in Miami. Averaging 20 with 7 3s thru 9. Visually looks like Murray-Boyles with his frame/physicality and expanding face-up game/passing. Already 22 but potentially key early improvements to shooting and defense. pic.twitter.com/sOXYBGbV0B
— Jonathan Wasserman (@NBADraftWass) December 5, 2025
One sleeper name is Tru Washington, a transfer from New Mexico who leads the ACC in steals per game (2.6). He is the third amongst the team in scoring, averaging 14.0 points per game. He also averages 4.5 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game. The team’s best three-point shooter is Timotej Malovec, a freshman from Slovakia who has a 44.2 3FG%.
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