JACKSONVILLE – With the flip of the calendar year, the page also turns to a new season for Jax State men's basketball as they get set to host FIU in the first-ever Conference USA clash at Pete Mathews Coliseum.
Saturday's conference opener tips at 4 p.m. and streams live on ESPN+. Jax State Hall of Famer Mike Parris will call the action live over the Gamecock Sports Network and its affiliated radio network stations.
Single game tickets for Jax State basketball begin at $8 for general admission seats purchased online prior to game day. Reserved seats are available for $12.50 with early purchase. On the day of the game, tickets are available at the coliseum ticket office window beginning at $10.
The Gamecocks (8-7) are winners of their last four games, including a pair of road games at Tarleton State and Little Rock just before Christmas. Jax State then closed out the non-conference slate with wins over Fort Valley State and Trevecca Narazene at The Pete leading into the new year.
Graduate guard
KyKy Tandy is averaging over 18 points to lead all CUSA scorers entering conference play, but the Gamecocks are armed with more than one weapon. Junior
Quincy Clark (8.9) and senior
Juwan Perdue (8.4) are nearing double-digit scoring, while inside threats
Mason Nicholson and
Andres Burney are both shooting above 63 percent from the field.
Even with nine different Gamecocks having scored 10-or-more in a game this season, Jax State continues to hang its hat on the defensive end with the 14th ranked scoring defense in Division I basketball. In its last 12 games, only No. 21 Wisconsin has scored more than 67 as an opposing offense.
The FIU Panthers enter with a 5-10 overall mark as they embark on the 16-game league slate. Although the Panthers own a 4-1 series lead since the first meeting in 1996, Jax State won the most recent matchup on Dec. 15, 2021 in Jacksonville.
Pete Mathews Coliseum has served as the home to Gamecocks basketball since opening in 1974. The men's program has amassed 499 wins on Bill Jones Court, with the next marking a historic 500th.
