Lee Today

The FGCU men's basketball team (13-4, 3-1 ASUN Conference) aim to continue the program's best start in its Division I history Thursday night with another road test, taking on the Eastern Kentucky Colonels in Richmond, Ky. Tip-off from Baptist Health Arena is set for 7 p.m., and the game is available for viewing on ESPN+.

The Eagles have won six of their last seven games, including a 3-1 stretch during the marathon first week of ASUN play. The Green & Blue earned home victories against Jacksonville (72-65) and North Florida (82-57) and an overtime road triumph at Central Arkansas (84-79). A 61-59 setback at Austin Peay is the only blemish that kept FGCU from an undefeated ASUN start. FGCU is currently No. 46 in the College Basketball RPI ratings, and checks in at No. 87 in the NCAA NET rankings.

Eastern Kentucky (10-7) is in a similar situation, sitting at 3-1 and just a game behind Stetson in the conference standings. The Colonels handed Liberty its first conference loss Sunday, beating the visiting Flames 62-59. EKU has won two straight and five of its last six games.

Junior wing Devontae Blanton has scored in double figures in each of Eastern Kentucky's last five games. During that span, he is averaging 17.8 points, 6.8 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game while shooting 47 percent from the field and 42 percent from 3-point range. Blanton finished with 16 points, eight rebounds and four assists against Liberty.

Eastern Kentucky leads the ASUN in scoring, popping for 79.7 points per game. But EKY is 12th out of 14 in scoring defense, allowing 73.5 points per game. Blanton leads the Colonels with 16.2 points per game, while junior forward Michael Moreno adds 12.6 per outing. Senior forward Isiaiah Cozart pulls down a team-best 6.8 rebounds per game, with Blanton adding 6.2 boards per outing.

FGCU defeated Eastern Kentucky in its only previous meeting, downing the Colonels 77-73 on Jan. 27, 2022, at Alico Arena. EKU moved from the Ohio Valley Conference to the ASUN for the 2021-22 season. Graduate center Kevin Samuel and fifth-year guard Austin Richie (Glenwood, Ill./Bloom HS/Northern Illinois/Triton College/Tulsa) each scored 18 points in the victory, with Samuel scoring 16 in the first half and Richie delivering all of his in the game's final 13 minutes. Jomaru Brown led Eastern Kentucky with 20 points, and Curt Lewis added seven points and 12 rebounds.

Eagles sophomore center Andre Weir (Hollywood, Fla./Chaminade-Madonna College Prep/Richmond) is coming off a stellar week, recording a career-high 22 points against Central Arkansas and the notching his first career double-double – dropping a game-high 18 points and grabbing a career-high 15 rebounds – against North Florida. Weir's nine offensive rebounds were two more than any Ospreys player recorded.

The victory was FGCU's 12th straight at home dating to last season, and sixth straight in The Nest in 2022-23.

Senior guard Isaiah Thompson (Zionsville, Ind./Zionsville HS/Purdue) leads the Green & Blue with 13.6 points per game, while junior forward Zach Anderson (Apopka, Fla./Apopka HS) – who has earned two ASUN Player of the Week honors this season – delivers 12.5 points and a team-best 7.7 rebounds per game. Junior guard Chase Johnston (Boca Raton, Fla./Westminster Academy/Stetson) adds 11.9 points per game and has nicked a team-best 32 steals this season.

FGCU is ninth in the ASUN in scoring offense at 72.9 points per game, and the Eagles are fourth defensively by allowing just 66.3 points per outing.

FGCU remains in the Bluegrass State after taking on Eastern Kentucky, heading to Lexington for a road game vs. Bellarmine at 4 p.m. Saturday. The Green & Blue's next home game is Jan. 19 at 7 p.m. against Jacksonville State.

Original source can be found here.