Dave's JOINT

Photo courtesy of Dave’s Joint.

By David Cordova

On the night of Dec. 5th, the Jimmy V Classic took place in Manhattan at one of the biggest basketball cathedrals of all-time, Madison Square Garden. Before the matchup featuring two nationally-ranked teams in North Carolina & the defending national champion, UConn, the preliminary game is also a great game to watch as well.

The opening act on the card is none other than Illinois & Florida Atlantic, two teams that are currently ranked at this time. What makes this matchup interesting is the fact that FAU (as it’s commonly referred to), has just come off of an appearance in last year’s Final Four and is ranked in the top 15 (No. 11 at the time) in the Associated Press national poll.

During the first half of the game, they showed that they could play against a Big Ten powerhouse such as the Fighting Illini, as they forced them into nine turnovers and got some good scoring from their personnel and went into halftime with a 42-39 lead. In the second half, they struggled and trailed by just ten points with six minutes to go in the game. But then they would make one last run throughout the game to gt within 84-80. But ultimately, the Owls would go down, 98-89, on the floor of the World’s Most Famous Arena. Despite the defeat, it was still a moral victory, because they played hard and played to win.

Fast-forward to the present day, the Owls are currently 10-2 going into this Friday’s conference game against Florida Gulf Coast. They are currently rated at No. 7 in the Associated Press national poll and are one of the hardest-working teams in all of college basketball. But it’s very easy to see just how far they have come in such a short time.

Last week, on Dec. 23rd, just two days prior to Christmas, they faced off against Arizona, then rated as the No. 4 team in the Associated Press national poll. Throughout the game, they battled hard for a period of 49 minutes (regulation and two overtime periods), before knocking off the Wildcats, 96-95 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Since 1988, Florida Atlantic has been the team that resides in the city of Boca Raton, Florida. From 1993 through 2006, the Owls played in the Atlantic Sun Conference, and then went to the Sun Belt Conference from 2006 through 2013. After that, they went to the Conference USA, where they played for 10 seasons up until this season, as they are now playing in the American Athletic Conference.

Before last season, they had only played in the NCAA Tournament once before, against Alabama, in 2002, as a No. 15 seed in the first round. Last season, the Owls were a force to be reckoned with on the court, as they were 35-4, finished 18-2 in C-USA play and won the conference’s regular season title and tournament title and then went on to play in March Madness, as they were the No. 9 seed and where they knocked off plenty of teams such as Memphis (No. 8 seed), FDU (No. 16 seed), Tennessee (No. 4 seed) and Kansas State (No. 3 seed), before ultimately falling to eventual finalist, San Diego State (No. 5 seed), 72-71, in the Final Four.

The man behind the program, is Dusty May, now in his sixth season at the helm of the Owls. May is an enthusiastic coach that gets the most out of his players and pushes them to be successful on the court. So far, in his tenure as head coach of the Owls, he has never had a losing season, going 109-62 and went 54-32 in Conference-USA play. Prior to last season, the Owls made two appearances in the CBI (College Basketball Invitational).

Now the personnel on the team has to do with some hidden gems that have emerged. The players on the Owls squad are some of the hardest-working players out there. They may not be marquee names, but always find a way to outwork those who are.

In the starting five, there is junior center Vlad Goldin (14.4 points and 6.5 rebounds per game), junior guard Johnell Davis (16.3 points & 7.1 rebounds per game), junior guard Alijah Martin (12.8 points & 4.5 rebounds per game), senior guard Brandon Weatherspoon (7.1 points per game) and senior guard Jalen Gaffney (8 points per game).

They also get contributions from players such as redshirt sophomore guard Nick Boyd (7.8 points), senior guard Bryan Greenlee (8.1points per game), junior forward Giancarlo Rosado (8.1 points per game & 4.4 rebounds per game), redshirt sophomore forward Tre Carroll (4.5 points per game) and sophomore forward Brenen Lorient (3.1 points per game).

This group is definitely a strong nucleus and it shows that mid-major teams can definitely play and compete with the elite. In an era where high-major teams are constantly getting knocked off in games against mid-major and even low-major teams, it is basically worth noting that the Owls are not a team worth being overlooked.

Last season, during non-conference play, they knocked off Florida, a high-major program from the same state that plays in the ACC, by a two-point margin, 76-74. This season, with the exception of Illinois, they defeated three other high-major programs in Butler, Texas A&M and Virginia Tech, all within the span of a week, at the ESPN Events Invitational at ESPN’s Wide World of Sports Complex in Kissimmee, Florida.

Also, this season, conference play will be much tougher and then stakes will be much higher, as they will be playing teams such as Temple, Tulane, SMU, Wichita State, South Florida, UAB, Tulsa, and last, but not least, Memphis, whom they beat last season in the first-round of the NCAA Tournament and who is currently-rated at No. 23 in the Associated Press national poll.

Time will tell what happens with this Owls team. But for the time being, they will definitely continue to work hard and grind game after game, as they definitely plan on making a second straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament. Everything will happen for the in due time.