2023 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament Capsule
PowerOwl said
FAU fans in section 115 and 116 lower bowl - this was through ticket office. I believe some 200 level sections also. Depended on donation level for priorityPosted On: Mar 21st 2023, 10:33 PM #413411
its my understanding players families and those close to the team got the lower section seats, which is how it should be. Other donors (like me) got upstairs seats. The seats should still be really really good.
IM JUST EXCITED THE OWLS WILL BE THERE!
-Dwight D. Eisenhower
What: #9 FAU (33-3) vs. #4 Tennessee (25-10)
When: Thur. March 23rd, @ 9:00 PM
Where: Madison Square Garden
Series: The Volunteers lead 1-0 against the Owls. First meeting since 2015 (81-62 Tennessee)
TV : TBS
Radio : FoxSports 640
Live Stats Here
Line: FAU +5.5
Owl Notables
Florida Atlantic advanced to the Sweet 16 after holding off the 16-seed Fairleigh Dickinson Knights 78-70 Sunday night. This continues their historic season as they made their way to New York earlier this week to play in Madison Square Garden for Thursday's matchup.
Two players enjoyed making history against FDU Sunday night: Giancarlo Rosado and Johnell Davis. Rosado came out the gates on fire to start the NCAA Tournament by scoring over 15 points without missing a field goal, which made him the first player to do so. He is shooting so well that he ranks second among eligible players in the NCAA Tournament with a true-shooting percentage of 84% only behind Princeton's Blake Peters who has 87.2%.
On the other hand, Davis put himself in a class of his own by pulling off a spectacular performance against the Knights. He scored a game-high 29 points, 12 rebounds, five assists, and five steals to become the first player to put up a stat-line of at least 25 points, 10 rebounds, five assists, and five steals in the NCAA Tournament.
With a win, FAU would find themselves in the Elite 8 while staying in the Big Apple. Their next matchup would feature either the 3-seed Kansas State Wildcats or the 7-seed Michigan State Spartans on Saturday at 6:00 PM.
Volunteer Notables
Despite being inconsistent to begin the NCAA Tournament, Tennessee did just enough to get to the Sweet 16 to take on FAU for a spot in the Elite 8. They managed to do this without one of their key players in guard Zakai Ziegler, who is out for the rest of the season after tearing his left ACL in late-February.
The Volunteers mightily struggled in the first round against a scrappy Louisiana squad. Having an off night from the three-point line, Tennessee relied on their defense to escape from the Ragin' Cajuns by a 3-point margin.
They came alive at the right time against Duke in the Round of 32. Leading scorer Santiago Vescovi, who was limited to just three points against Louisiana, dropped 14 points, five rebounds, and five assists to have Tennessee take down the Blue Devils 65-52.
Another player FAU should keep an eye on is Volunteer forward Olivier Nkamhoua. After scoring a quiet eight points on 2-6 shooting in the first round, Nkamhoua torched the nets against Duke with a game-high 27 points and five rebounds on 10-13 shooting from the field and 3-4 from beyond the arc.
The Owls will have to find ways to neutralize Tennessee's defense. The Volunteers are capable of suffocating opponents on any given night only allowing 57.8 points per game, ranking as the third best defense in the country behind C-USA's North Texas Mean Green (55.6) and the AAC's Houston Cougars (56.6).
This will also be a battle between brothers regarding athletic directors. FAU's Brian White will be meeting his younger brother Danny White, who has led Tennessee athletics since 2021 after stops at Buffalo (2012-15) and UCF (2015-21).
Tennessee is 7-2 on a neutral court this season.
Nothing to see here...Just #FAU Staff, @FAUAlumni, and Fans taking over #Midtown in #NYC before @FAUMBB #Sweet16 #MarchMadness begins...Move along now, and #GoOwls 🔥🏀🦉🔥 pic.twitter.com/4e9fsNNGMF
— FAU Owls Nest (@FAU_Owls_Nest) March 23, 2023
If they hold on to win and it continues to be an issue, that is a big loss for them.
Pushes our game back even further.
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