What: FAU vs Wichita State (Seinfeld Game!!!)
When: Thursday, February 20th, 9:00 PM
Where: Eleanor R Baldwin Arena, Boca Raton, FL
Series: FAU Leads 2-1
TV: ESPN 2
Radio: Fox 640
Live Stats: Stats broadcast
Line: TBA
Ken Pom Prediction: FAU 81 Wichita State 76
Owls at a Glance
Offense – 81.4 PPG, 46.9% FG, 35.4% 3PT
Defense – 76.2 PPGA, 43.1% FGA, 38.2% 3PTA
Rebounding – 37.2 RPG Owls, 36.4 RPG Opponents
FAU Notes
FAU Men’s basketball is back in action Thursday evening, as they head into Seinfeld night against Wichita State riding a 5 game win streak and will look to make it 6 under the lights at 9 PM on ESPN 2. Wichita State is riding a 4 game win streak of their own meaning this matchup will feature 2 of the hottest teams in the AAC.
Heading into Sunday’s game against Temple the Owls had defeated all of their last 4 opponents by double figures, however the Sunday Matinee was no breeze for FAU, but they found a way to pull out the come-from behind 83-81 victory. Finding a way has been the key for this team during the win streak and Sunday’s game was no different, as they adjusted in the second half to attack the basket and they won the rebound battle for the 9th time in 10 games.
The offense continues to be functioning at a high level, as the Owls found a way to counteract their struggling 3-point shot with a strong paint presence and the stats reflect that offensive diversity, as they currently are top 100 in effective field goal percentage (54%, 59th), turnover percentage (16.1%, 95th), 3-point percentage (35.2%, 99th), 2-point percentage (54.7%, 60th), and what has made their offense effective is being top 100 in assists/field goals made (56.9%, 72nd). Against Temple, they counteracted the Philly Owls’ 17 offensive rebounds with 16 of their own and while they only forced 6 steals, which correlates with their 10.3% steal rate which is 240th in the country, 3 of those came in the final 3 minutes and helped them come back.
On the defensive side of things, Temple was able to hurt the one statistic which has been FAU’s achilles heel this season defensively in their 358th ranked perimeter defense (38.4% allowed), however they converted only 42% of their twos which aligns with FAU’s 25th ranked interior defense, with teams currently only converting 46.3% of their two point attempts against them. Wichita State is a very interior focused team and if FAU is able to limit their 3-point attempts and force them to attack the paint, that will bode well for the Owls defense.
Kaleb Glenn continues to lead the way for FAU, as he scored 17 against Temple in an extended role and he sits atop the season scoring list for the Owls, averaging 12.8 points per game, while Tre Carroll is right behind him averaging 12.2 and Baba Miller averages 11. Leland Walker added 12 against Temple including 7 in the second half and he, Kyky Tandy and Ken Evans, all are a threat to go off on any given night, which has given this offense an edge.
This is a game which although Wichita State heads into hot, it is one FAU has the advantage in on both ends of the court. Offensively, FAU has the shooting and size to give the Shockers trouble both in the paint and from 3, while defensively Wichita State hasn’t been able to convert consistently from 3 and that works in the favor of the Owls strong paint defense. Unless Wichita State has a bounce back game from beyond the arc, or their defense stymies FAU, this is a game the Owls should win at home.
Shockers at a Glance:
Offense – 74.7 PPG, 45.0% FG, 30.1% 3PT
Defense – 73.2 PPGA, 43.1% FGA, 34.2% 3PTA
Rebounding – 38.8 RPG Owls, 35.2 RPG Opponents
Wichita State Notes-
The Shockers have battled back from some early struggles during AAC play and head into this game on a 4 game win streak and 15-10 overall. It has been back to the old days of rebounding and defense for the Shockers, as they have held all 4 of their last opponents under 80 points with 2 under 70.
Wichita State hasn’t been overly great in one specific area, however they have been very gritty and finding ways to win despite not having an overly dominant aspect to their game. The Shockers upset Memphis in their last game, holding Memphis under 40% from the field and grabbing 19 offensive rebounds in an overtime victory.
Overall on the year, it has been an up and down season offensively for Wichita State, as the Shockers sit outside the top 100 in both 2 and 3 point percentage, with their 3-point rate and percentage nearing the bottom 360 in the nation, however they have been able to make up for it by doing the little things. The Shockers rarely turn it over, committing one only 16.1% of the time which is 92nd in the nation and they grab an offensive rebound 31.6% of the time which is 134th in the country.
On the defensive side of things, the Shockers are a fairly sound team, limiting offensive rebounds and cheap fouls, as they only allow O-Reb’s 28.1% of the time which is 86th and an allowed FT rate of 26.8% which is 38th. In terms of shooting splits, it has been a fairly average season, with the team shooting 34.3% from 3 against the Shockers which is 211th and on the interior teams are converting at a 49.8% rate which is 133rd.
The Shockers are led by Xavier Bell who is averaging 14.5 points per game and he is joined by Corey Washington (13.7 PPG), Justin Hill (13.3 PPG) and Quincy Ballard (10.8 PPG 8.7 RPG) in double figures. Against Memphis, Wichita State got a 13 point performance from Bijan Cortes and when the Shockers have been dangerous this year is when they are getting an offensive effort from a surprise suspect, with freshman Zion Pipkin being someone to watch as a spark off the bench.
As mentioned in the FAU section, this isn’t a matchup that favors Wichita State, however neither was Memphis and they still found a way to win. The Shockers will need to find a way to get better than normal production from 3 offensively and find a way to limit FAU from deep defensively, if they can get this game to be a physical dogfight, they will have a chance and could pull out the upset if they get a big night from one of their scorers.