Sam Houston faces Florida International following Barnes' 21-point performance

Sat, Feb 3, 2024
NCAAB News (AP)

Sam Houston Bearkats (13-9, 6-1 CUSA) at Florida International Panthers (7-15, 2-5 CUSA)

Miami; Saturday, 2 p.m. EST

FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK LINE: Bearkats -2.5; over/under is 148.5

BOTTOM LINE: Sam Houston visits the Florida International Panthers after Davon Barnes scored 21 points in Sam Houston's 79-77 win against the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers.

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The Panthers are 6-4 in home games. Florida International ranks third in the CUSA with 34.3 points per game in the paint led by Arturo Dean averaging 6.2.

The Bearkats are 6-1 in conference games. Sam Houston leads the CUSA with 10.5 offensive rebounds per game led by Damon Nicholas Jr. averaging 2.5.

Florida International averages 8.7 made 3-pointers per game, 1.7 more made shots than the 7.0 per game Sam Houston gives up. Sam Houston's 41.2% shooting percentage from the field this season is 7.5 percentage points lower than Florida International has given up to its opponents (48.7%).

The matchup Saturday is the first meeting of the season between the two teams in conference play.

TOP PERFORMERS: Javaunte Hawkins averages 2.8 made 3-pointers per game for the Panthers, scoring 12.5 points while shooting 42.4% from beyond the arc. Dean is averaging 12.4 points, 4.2 assists and 3.6 steals over the last 10 games for Florida International.

Lamar Wilkerson is shooting 42.4% and averaging 14.6 points for the Bearkats. Barnes is averaging 14.2 points over the last 10 games for Sam Houston.

LAST 10 GAMES: Panthers: 3-7, averaging 72.8 points, 30.4 rebounds, 13.5 assists, 9.2 steals and 2.8 blocks per game while shooting 42.6% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 81.0 points per game.

Bearkats: 7-3, averaging 72.0 points, 39.9 rebounds, 12.4 assists, 6.3 steals and 3.0 blocks per game while shooting 42.9% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 70.9 points.

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.