Game 16 - Missouri State (9-6, 3-1 CUSA) vs. FIU Panthers (9-6, 2-2 CUSA)
Date and Time	Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026 | 4:02 p.m.
Location	Great Southern Bank Arena (11,000) | Springfield, Missouri
Tickets	Tickets | (417) 836-7678 | Great Southern Bank Arena Box Office
Promos & Specials	Spirit Day | Promo Calendar
Fan Info	Flip Card | Digital Program | Gates open one hour before tipoff
Radio	KWTO (FM 93.3 / AM 560) (Corey Riggs, Mike Keltner) | Listen Live |  Bears Radio Network | Varsity Network App
Television	ESPN+ (Scott Warmann, Jim Middleton) | Watch
Series	First Meeting
Live Stats	StatBroadcast
Game Notes	Missouri State | FIU | CUSA Notebook | MSU Media Guide
Follow	Facebook | Athletics Twitter | Basketball Twitter | Instagram | #WeAreMoState | #ItAllCounts
Bears Mobile App	App Store (Apple Devices) | Google Play Store (Android Devices)
Up Next	Wednesday, Jan. 14 at Western Kentucky | 6:30 p.m. Next Home Game: Wednesday, Jan. 28 vs. Sam Houston | 7:00 p.m. | Tickets

Accessibility
Missouri State University is committed to providing an accessible and supportive environment for those with disabilities. To request reasonable disability accommodations, contact the Deputy Compliance Officer at (417) 836-6755 or DeputyComplianceOfficer@MissouriState.edu. 

The Ten Count

• Missouri State returns to Great Southern Bank Arena on Saturday afternoon when the Bears host Florida International (FIU) for the first time ever in a 4 p.m. CUSA matchup. The game is part of a MoState hoops doubleheader, following the Lady Bears game vs. Jax State at Noon.
• The Bears boasted two double-doubles in Wednesday's game at Kennesaw State with Michael Osei-Bonsu (Sr., Bolingbrook, Ill.) logging 20 points and a game-high 11 rebounds, while Keith Palek III (Sr., Woodbine, N.J.) racked up 17 points and 10 rebounds. It marked the first time two MoState players had a double-double in the same game was Jan. 27, 2021 by Isaiah Mosley (23 pts., 11 reb.) and Gaige Prim (20 pts., 14 reb.) vs. Drake.
• Trey Williams Jr. (G, Centralia, Ill.) was named Conference USA Freshman of the Week on Monday. He averaged 12.7 points over MSU's first three conference games while logging 3.0 assists and 2.3 threes per game.
• The Bears, who are tied for second place in CUSA, are coming off a season-high 13 steals at Kennesaw State while forcing 18 turnovers (also a season best).
• KenPom ranks the Bears No. 11 nationally in FTRate (47.2), a "Four Factor" metric that represents a team's ability to get to the line (=FTA/FGA). The Bears also rank 56th nationally (4th in CUSA) in FT attempts per game (24.5) and have had more FT attempts than their opponents in 11-of-15 games, while ranking 28th nationally in FT scoring point distribution (24.5%).
• Forward Keith Palek III (Woodbine, N.J.) has scored in double figures in 14-of-15 games this season and is coming off his third double-double of the year. He leads CUSA in FG attempts (205) and ranks 49th nationally (2nd in CUSA) in defensive rebounds per game (5.87). He is the only CUSA player to rank in the top 12 in the league in scoring (6th, 17.2), rebounding (9th, 7.3) and assists (12th, 3.4).
• Forward Michael Osei-Bonsu (Sr., Bolingbrook, Ill.) leads CUSA in FG percentage (.600), which ranks 29th nationally (min. 5 FG per game). He is also No. 17 nationally in fouls drawn per 40 minutes (7.6) and 39th nationally (2nd in CUSA) in offensive rebounds per game (3.33).
• Under Cuonzo Martin, the Bears are 58-13 (8-2 this season) when shooting a higher FG% than their opponents.
• Antwan Burnett (Sr., Montgomery, Ala.) needs 2 assists for 100 in his career (70 games). He is coming off a 12-point effort at Kennesaw State in which he made 4-of-5 three-point attempts.
• Kobi Williams (Jr., St. Louis, Mo.) needs 17 points to reach 1,00 for his career (73 games). He is averaging 18.5 points in league play and ranks 5th overall in CUSA in free throw pct. (.833) and 4th in minutes per game (33:47).

Coach Cuonzo Martin

• After an extensive national search, Missouri State University announced Cuonzo Martin as its men's basketball head coach on March 27, 2024. The man who orchestrated Missouri State's only MVC regular-season championship run during his first tenure in Springfield originally coached at Missouri State from 2008 to 2011.
• Martin has a 282-227 (.554) career record in his 16th seasons as a Division I head coach with experience at MSU, Tennessee, California and Missouri. His teams have made 9 postseason appearances in that span, including 4 trips to the NCAA Tournament, 4 appearances in the NIT, and a CIT title with the Bears in 2010. 
• Coach Martin is 79-70 (.530) in his fifth season (and second stint) at Missouri State, including 59-21 at home, 15-43 on the road and 5-6 at neutral sites.
• Martin also  boasts 59 college graduates during his career with stints at MoState, Tennessee (2011-14), California (2014-17) and Missouri (2017-22).
• A native of East St. Louis, Ill., Martin was a star player at Purdue from 1991-95 for coach Gene Keady and then played four years professionally. He was on the coaching staff at Purdue for eight years under Keady and Matt Painter before accepting his first head coaching position at MSU on March 26, 2008.
• In Martin's first stint in Springfield (2008-11), he was named Missouri State's 16th head coach in time for the program's 100th anniversary season and its inaugural campaign at Great Southern Bank Arena. In his second season (2009-10), Martin guided MoState to a 24-12 overall ledger, a 19-2 home record, and an impressive run to the CIT Postseason Tournament title.
• His third season at MSU (2010-11) was one of the program's most memorable, as the Bears finished 26-9 overall on the way to its first-ever MVC regular-season title with a 15-3 league record. The Bears fell to Indiana State in the finals of the MVC Tournament in St. Louis and capped an unforgettable campaign by advancing to the second round of the NIT. Martin was named 2011 MVC Coach of the Year and recipient of the Ben Jobe Award as the nation's top minority head coach. Over Martin's last two years at MoState, the Bears were 35-3 at home and did not lose a non-conference home game.
• Martin's return to MoState in 2024-25 featured a roster packed with 15 newcomers for the Bears' final season in the Missouri Valley. MSU's 9-23 overall record was not a fair representation of the club's season performance which included 14 single-digit losses -- which was tied for the fourth-most in the nation.