SERIES THREAD: FAU vs. Charlotte - January 22 & 23, 2021

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FAU Faces Charlotte, Will Move Above .500 in C-USA Play With a Win

What: Florida Atlantic (7-6, 2-2) vs. Charlotte (6-6, 2-2)

When: Friday, January 22, @ 7 PM
Saturday, January 23, @ 4 PM

Where: Abessinio Court at FAU Arena

Series: The 49ers have a 5-3 series edge over the Owls.

Charlotte Team Site: Here

TV: None

Stream: ESPN+ *Subscription Required

Radio: FoxSports 640

Live Stats: Here

Charlotte at a Glance:

Offense - 64.9 PPG, 45% FG, 34% 3PT

Defense - 63.4 PPGA, 43% FGA, 32% 3PTA

Rebounding - 31.1 RPG 49ers, 30.2 RPG Opponents

Notables

Charlotte returns to Boca Raton for the first time since 2019 to continue the always-exciting series with FAU. The 49ers have won the previous three meetings with a margin of seven points or less.

Charlotte split their home series against UAB last week. The high-flying Blazers won game one soundly, giving up just 37 points to Charlotte. The 'Niners got their revenge the next night with a 15-point win in game two. Before the UAB series, Charlotte dropped a shocker to Division II Belmont Abbey in overtime.

Third year Head Coach Ron Sanchez prides his program on their stout defense. The 'Niners 63.5 points per game allowed ranks third in C-USA against in-conference competition. The issue is their offense's 61.3 PPG is the second lowest in C-USA when accounting for in-conference competition.

The 49ers lack of depth is concerning for the daunting new C-USA scheduling format. Only seven Charlotte players seeing some form of action in the previous 12 games. In fact, their two main rotational bench players average less that 3.5 PPG.

Sophomore guard Jahmir Young leads the team in points with 18.3 per game, good to make him the third highest scoring in the league. Due to the team's lack of depth, his 37.3 minutes per game makes him as the second busiest player in the conference.

FAU at a Glance

Offense - 82.6 PPG, 48% FG, 39% 3PT

Defense - 66.5 PPGA, 42% FGA, 36% 3PTA

Rebounding - 41.2 RPG Owls, 31.4 RPG Opponents

Notables

Dusty May's Owls snapped their three-game skid with a resounding two-game sweep of FIU. FAU won game one in Miami 81-79 before thrashing the Panthers 107-63 in the Owls' first home game of the season against a Division I opponent. The game two 55-point victory set the record for the largest victory in the history of the FAU vs. FIU series.

Junior guard Michael Forrest drained a game-high 27 points for his highest scoring outing since January of 2019. Senior guard Everett Winchester earned his first career double-double with 12 points and a new career-high of 14 rebounds.

Despite a smaller role in FAU's game two triumph, forward Jailyn Ingram still paces the team in points and rebounding with 15.8 and 6.6 per game, respectively. This thanks in part to his 24-point performance in game one at FIU.

Sophomore guard BJ Greenlee and Micheal Forrest both chase Ingram with with 11.3 and 10.5 PPG, respectively.

The Owls continue to impress along the glass. FAU paces C-USA and ranks 15th nationally in offensive rebounds with 13.8 per game. This has allowed FAU to own second-chance scoring advantage in ten of their 13 games this campaign.

In a direct conflict to Charlotte's style of play, FAU has been able to light up the scoreboard thanks to their three-point shooting and depth. The Owls rank first in the conference with 82.6 PPG overall and second when playing conference opponents with 77.5 PPG. Moreover, FAU has nine players that have seen action in all 13 games this season. A total of 12 Owls have played in at least ten games.

Latest Line: FAU -2