Preview: Missouri State Bears at Florida International Golden Panthers WESTCHESTER, Fla. (Interstat) — Two teams hovering near .500 will meet Saturday when the Missouri State Bears visit the Florida International Golden Panthers in a Conference USA men’s basketball matchup. The game, scheduled for Feb. 21, 2026, at the Ocean Bank Convocation Center, features teams with nearly identical records. Missouri State (13-13 overall) holds a slight edge over Florida International (12-13). The Bears will look to snap a four-game skid, most recently a 91-87 home loss to Kennesaw State on Wednesday. Guard Keith Palek has been a consistent bright spot during the slide, averaging 18.6 points over his last seven games. He scored 20 points with seven assists in the loss to Kennesaw State. Florida International enters with momentum from a 77-64 home victory over Louisiana Tech on Feb. 14. The Golden Panthers were anchored in that win by forward Hamed Olayinka, who delivered a dominant defensive performance with 17 rebounds and five blocks to go with 11 points. The season’s first meeting resulted in a 79-71 victory for Missouri State at home on Jan. 10. Both teams are jockeying for position in the Conference USA standings with the regular season winding down. The outcome could provide a critical boost for either squad’s seeding ahead of the conference tournament. After this contest, Missouri State travels to face Louisiana Tech on Feb. 26. Florida International will hit the road for a game at Sam Houston on the same date.