FIU begins its Conference USA Championship play Wednesday afternoon, when the Panthers take on UTEP in round one of the single-elimination opening day, starting at 3:30 p.m. Eastern. The game, the second of the day, takes place at Lovelace Stadium, hosted by the University of North Texas.
By virtue of their three-game weekend sweep of Middle Tennessee last weekend, the Panthers finished 12-12 in league games and took a tournament spot by finishing in the top three in the East Division of the league standings. Three teams from each division automatically earned a spot, while the next two best teams by league record, regardless of division affiliation, received Wild Card selections.