MIAMI — I’m planning to do a feature story in lieu of a traditional preview for Western Kentucky’s game Saturday at Florida International, so I thought I’d provide a little info on the Panthers here.

FIU (9-8 overall, 2-2 Conference USA) rallied from an 18-point deficit Thursday to beat Marshall at home, 66-62. It pulled out a win earlier this month at Florida Atlantic, as WKU did Thursday in overtime.

Dennis Mavin, a transfer guard from FAU, leads the Panthers in scoring at 16.9 points per game. Adrian Diaz, a 6-foot-11 transfer forward from Kansas State, averages 13.1 points and 6.4 rebounds.

FIU has already played 13 games away from home, going 5-8. It’s 4-0 on its home court this season.

“Talented basketball team,” WKU coach Ray Harper said Thursday. “Obviously, they came in here and won at FAU. They’ve got a big kid in the middle from Diaz who’s terrific, and Mavin has put up big numbers. We’ve got about 48 hours to try to get ready.”

WKU will be trying to start 5-0 in conference play for the first time since 1992-93. As the school noted, just three Hilltoppers were born then.

The Tops are one of two remaining undefeated teams in Conference USA, along with Louisiana Tech, which knocked off previously unbeaten UAB on Thursday.

WKU hasn’t faced FIU since beating the Panthers – then coached by Minnesota’s Richard Pitino – in the championship game of the 2013 Sun Belt Conference Tournament.

The Toppers haven’t beaten FIU in Miami since 2012.

“We’ve got to come back ready,” senior guard T.J. Price said Thursday. “FIU came up in here (at FAU) and did the same thing we did tonight. We know they’re going to be pretty good, so we can’t come out flat. We have to come out ready and play our basketball.”

— Zach Greenwell