FAU Vs FIU is a matchup that has brought some fiery affairs in its history. Tonight it was a different story, as the Owls dominated the Panthers in a wire to wire 94-60 victory.
Arizona’s dominance in men’s college basketball has been further cemented with their continued lead in the Associated Press Top 25 poll, announced on Monday. This ranking sets the stage for an anticipated matchup with Purdue, the team Arizona recently overtook as the nation’s number one.
The #11 FAU Owls will have 2 matchups this week. First on Wednesday, at home against FIU and then back to New York, playing Saturday at St Bonaventure.
Following FAU’s second non conference loss of the season- both games which the Owls could have won had they gotten a few extra possessions, some fans may be pressing the panic button.
The first game of this year’s rendition of the Jimmy V classic started out in a bit of an offensive lull. FAU was shooting just 25%, while Illinois was shooting 33% in the first 6 minutes of play. This led to a back and forth affair early on, where either side was unable to pull away.
That idea was the “Field of 68 Tip-off” a round robin event between FAU, Liberty, and the College of Charleston, which will be played every year at each of the schools. An event like this allows for these programs to compete against each other at a high level early in the season, while also providing a resume booster for the winning teams.
It was a back and forth affair early on, as FAU was looking to build on their strong paint performance against Liberty in this one, starting out with their first 12 points all coming in the paint.
#13 FAU got back to what they do best and that is winning at home. The Owls dominated from the opening tip & continued it through the final whistle, defeating Liberty 83-58. After the game Coach Dusty May spoke on the victory.
FAU did not leave anything in doubt during the Championship matchup of the ESPN Invitational. The Owls dominated the Virginia Tech Hokies in a wire to wire 84-50 victory.