What: FAU vs USF
When: Sunday, February 2nd, 2:00 PM
Where: Eleanor R Baldwin Arena
Series: USF leads 15-2
TV: ESPN 2
Radio: Fox 640
Live Stats: Stats broadcast
Line: FAU -7
Ken Pom Prediction: FAU 81 USF 73
Owls at a Glance
Offense – 80.5 PPG, 46.1% FG, 34.8% 3PT
Defense – 77.3 PPGA, 44.1% FGA, 39.6% 3PTA
Rebounding – 37.1 RPG Owls, 37.0 RPG Opponents
FAU Notes
FAU MBB is back in action Sunday afternoon as USF comes to town for an in-state battle with Owls. FAU will be looking to make it 2 in a row following their wire to wire victory over UTSA on Wednesday, a game which very well could have been their best performance of the season.
It was complete dominance for FAU in their last one out, as they out-rebounded UTSA by 15 while also shooting 50% from beyond the arc and although UTSA was also able to shoot well from 3, the Owls aggressive play style helped them push past that. The 3 point shots were falling for FAU consistently, but what helped them pull out the victory was their ability to do a little bit of everything offensively which was generated by 23 assists on 33 made baskets.
FAU is at their best when everyone is contributing in a variety of ways and that is exactly what they got, as KyKy Tandy led the Owls 3 point barrage, while Kaleb Glenn spearheaded a paint attack and the Owls ability to score in a variety of ways helped them never become complacent. On the defensive side of things, although the Owls were hurt from beyond the arc they didn’t let that define their entire day and while that was a struggle, they locked down the paint and the glass.
The Owls are led by Kaleb Glenn, who is coming off the bench averaging 12.6 points and 4.6 boards per game and he is joined off the bench by Nico Moretti, who’s averaging 6.7 points per game and Matas Vokietaitis who is chipping in 9 points and 5 rebounds. In terms of the starters, Tre Carroll leads the bunch, averaging 12 points per game, while Baba Miller is averaging 10.9 and Kyky Tandy and Leland Walker are each averaging 9 a game.
Now mid-way through AAC play, against UTSA this Owls squad showed what they look like when everyone plays in their role, not trying to do too much and letting it come to them, with Matas Vokietaitis being a perfect example of that. Vokietaitis has converted 19 of his past 23 free throws, good for 82.6% and although he now comes off the bench, he providing extreme value in that role by giving FAU a size advantage and if hits his free throws at an 80% rate consistently teams will have a hard time stopping him.
Statistically, not much has changed in between the UTSA and UNT game, as on offense the Owls remain top 100 in the country in Effective FG% and 2 point %, while also being 105th in turnover % at 16.3% and they are also trending upwards in the offensive rebounding department, now 180th averaging one 30.3% of the time. Defensively, after UTSA shot over 40% from 3 the Owls now sit dead last in allowed 3%, sitting at 39.9%, however their allowed 2% is 47.2% which is 51st in the country and their allowed offensive rebound % is on the rise, now at 31.9% which is 272nd.
USF has struggled this season, however they come into this game at deadlocked with FAU at 11-10, also 4-4 in AAC play and they will be looking to play some of their best basketball of the season to pull out the upset. The key to this game for FAU will be capitalizing on USF’s inconsistent offense, as they haven’t scored 70 or more in 4 straight games and if FAU can continue that trend, while also getting early offense in similar fashion to how they did against UTSA, this is a game FAU should win handily on their home court.
Bulls at a glance:
Offense – 75.8 PPG, 46.0% FG, 33.5% 3PT
Defense – 72.6 PPGA, 43.6% FGA, 31.2% 3PTA
Rebounding – 34.0 RPG Owls, 35.9 RPG Opponents
USF Notes
USF heads into this matchup with the same exact record as FAU, 11-10 overall and 4-4 in the AAC and the Bulls, who are 2-2 over their last 4 games, will be looking to kickstart a win streak on the road. The Bulls have exceeded expectations following the tragic loss of HC Amir Abdur-Rahim right before the season and although there have been a few bumps in the road, USF kicked it into gear last season during AAC play and they will be looking to do it again.
In their last performance, USF knocked off Rice 69-64, getting 4 scorers in double figures, including 17 from Kasen Jennings and Jennings is a former Abdur-Rahim prodigy, having played under him at Kennesaw before redshirting last season. USF hasn’t been able to get consistent scoring this season, however if Jennings is able to build off the Rice performance, FAU may have their hands full.
Overall on the season, USF is led by Jayden Reid who is averaging 12.4 points and 3.9 assists per game and he is joined by Jamille Reynolds and Kobe Knox in double figures, with Reynolds averaging 11.6 points and 7.3 rebounds, while Knox is averaging 10.9 points a game. The Bulls play a fairly deep rotation, with 9 or more guys seeing 15 minutes a game and when this USF team is at their best is similar to FAU, in that they excel when they get scoring from different contributors.
On the offensive side of things, USF has been a good team in many things but not great in a single one, as they are outside the top 100 in nearly every offensive statistic, but only outside the top 200 in one, offensive rebounding, which they only grab one 27.8% of the time, good for 250th. The Bulls are a fast tempo offense, averaging 16.1 seconds per possessions which is 47th fastest in all of college basketball, and they are best in the interior, converting 53% of 2’s which is 113th.
On the defensive side of things, the biggest strengths for USF is their ability to force turnovers and limit teams from beyond the arc, currently averaging a takeaway 18.4% of the time which is 119th and allowing teams to shoot 31.2% from 3 which is 67th and those are 2 things that could cause the Owls trouble. Where USF has struggled this season has been in the paint, as they allow an offensive rebound on 31.9% of possessions which is 270th and teams convert 51.6% of 2’s which is 212th and that is compounded by their inability to frustrate opponents offenses, allowing an Assist/FGM of 58.3 which is 315th.
Although USF has been lackluster at times this season, they have shown the ability to fight and stay in games and sometimes that has led to victories, against FAU they will need to find a way to continue their strong perimeter defense, while also finding a way to improve on the glass, as if they could do that, that would take away 2 major threats for FAU. USF’s struggles this season play into the Owls favor, as USF struggles on the glass, in the paint and at limiting teams ability to move the ball, and if that continues hat would allow the FAU offense to flourish and with USF failing to score 70 or more in their past 4 games, an Owls offense flourishing would be a scary sight to see..