A game that has been dubbed “The most anticipated Home Game in FAU basketball history” is set to take place on Saturday, as FAU takes on Memphis to close out the 2023-2024 Regular season.
The series between these two squads is currently knotted up at 1-1, and the winner has a chance to grab a hold of bragging rights, but there is so much more at stake in this game.
For FAU, if they are able to come out on top, it silences any Bracketology doubters in terms of the Owls ability to receive an at-large bid, which they most likely already have, however a win would put that to lock status. A win also guarantees the team the #2 seed in the AAC, and possibility sets up a bracket to where a matchup with USF could be in-store in the finals of the tournament.
Memphis needs this win to help build their case at receiving one of the last potential at-large bids, as they are currently on the bubble of many projected brackets and a win could help push them in, at least in the eyes of some.
The last matchup between these two teams cemented a budding rivalry. It was a back-and-forth affair in the first half with the Owls leading at halftime, before Memphis stormed back in the second half, taking the lead and holding off a late FAU comeback, knocking off the Owls 78-74.
David Jones & Nae’Qwan Tomlin dominated in the second half, with Jones scoring 20 of his 25 in the half and seemingly getting anything he wanted. For Tomlin, he battled hard in the paint both offensively and defensively, stepping up in place of a suspended Dandridge and battling the best he could against Vlad Goldin, finishing with 21 points.
Goldin was solid for FAU, going 9-9 from the field with 22 points and giving the Owls a full 40 minutes offensively, which was something not many other players were able to do in that game.
Johnell scored 20 but was inconsistent throughout the game shooting 6/15 from the field and scoring a majority of his points in the second half. Overall, the Owls were inconsistent from 3, finishing with a 28% clip from deep and leading to a very one-dimensional offense, that couldn’t keep up with the surges in the second half from Memphis.
FAU subbed out Vlad Goldin trailing by 3, 66-63, with 6:08 to play and with him off the court Memphis scored 5 quick points to jolt the lead to 71-63, eventually going up 10, which was a lead that was too much to overcome for FAU. That short drought of scoring is an example of the Owls offensive inconsistencies that hurt in that game, as although it was only a 5-0 run while Vlad was off the court, Memphis outscored them by 5 in the second half which ended up being the difference in the game.
There was also a blunder to begin the second half, as Goldin was assessed a flagrant foul and the half started with a 5-0 run for the Tigers, which gave them a boat load of momentum to begin the final stanza. Whether it was offensive inconsistencies or mistakes that cost FAU the game is debatable, however what isn’t arguable is that there were a variety of aspects the Owls looked to improve over their next 2 games and have been able to effectively.
Following a week of rest, FAU looked rejuvenated against an offensive juggernaut in Tulane, defeating them 79-73. The Owls were able to limit the Green Wave from 3 with an aggressive swarming attack, holding them to only 15.8% as a team behind the arc, while holding Sion James to only 6 points and Jaylen Forbes to 14 on 6/15 shooting.
On the other end of the court the Owls were able to start building a consistent balanced attack that they needed against Memphis, as Vlad scored 21 and continued his paint domination, but players like Nick Boyd and Jalen Gaffney opened up the floor with timely triples and made for a very tough afternoon defensively for Tulane.
The most recent game against UNT was a level-up of that performance as the Owls went into the Super-Pit, defeating UNT 80-76. Scoring 80 against UNT isn’t easy, and FAU became the 1st team all year to do that in regulation, thanks to a diverse offensive attack and a continued effort defensively to close out on shooters.
Johnell Davis did what he does against North Texas, scoring 29, but it was the team effort that sealed the deal for the Owls, as Nick Boyd scored 13, Vlad scored 11, Giancarlo Rosado scored 9, Alijah Martin scored 8, Brandon Weatherspoon and Brenen Lorient had 5 a piece. When Johnell slowed down in the second half, the Owls were able to get scoring from other sources and work within the slow pace of UNT, getting to the line 22 times in the second half and converting 16 attempts.
Memphis has also been able to catch fire in the 2 games after FAU, dominating ECU 82-58 and getting big games once again from David Jones and Nae’Qwan Tomlin. That game was exactly what Memphis is capable of doing in terms of dominating teams defensively and being able to outscore anyone in the country, so it was surprising to see them come out flat against UAB on senior night, trailing by 20 at times in the 1st half.
That didn’t last long, as the Tigers flipped the switch in the second half, out-scoring ECU by 40 and winning 106-87 behind once again, big games from Tomlin and Jones. When Memphis is clicking, they are tough to beat, and they come into Boca Raton with a ton of momentum.
FAU will be looking to halt that momentum and defend paradise on senior day. The balanced attack that they have been building up over the past 2 games needs to continue to develop in this one. That starts with the Owls being able to open up the floor with some early triples, which will help with spacing overall, and allow for Vlad to have better looks in the paint.
Similar to how FAU did it against Tulane, timely shots from deep with a bit more consistency, combined with another big game from Vlad will go a long way to building up the offensive firepower needed to beat this red-hot Memphis squad.
Defensively, the goal should be to limit David Jones and Nae’Qwan Tomlin, which is easier said than done. David Jones is a tough cover because he has the ability to run the offense himself and create his own shots, but where FAU can slow him down is limiting entry passes to him when he goes to work near the free throw line. By limiting entry passes to him it will disrupt the flow of the offense which will allow for FAU to try to force turnovers and initiate their transition offense.
In terms of Tomlin, FAU will need to out physical him and tire him out when he tries to match up against Vlad in the post. His versatility to play both inside and out makes him a tough matchup for FAU, however without Dandridge he may have to battle in the paint and that is where the Owls need to capitalize against him both offensively and defensively.
Memphis will be looking to continue what they have been able to do, in terms of getting high productivity from Jones and Tomlin and getting matching defensive intensity. Tomlins diverse game offensively, is something that helped Memphis come out on top at home and it’s something they will look to use again, as he’s able to battle down low but also play outside and draw Vlad out of the paint, which opens up the offense as a whole.
Defensively, if Dandridge is still out and Jordan Brown isn’t 100%, Goldin will have an advantage for FAU and Memphis will need to do the best they can against him and will be looking to limit FAU shooters from getting going early. They were able to out-score a one-dimensional Owls squad in the last one, and if they are able to limit them again it could lead to more success.
It will be a battle through and through, and Ken Pom agrees, predicting a tight 84-77 FAU victory, which arguably could be a lot closer.
Senior day festivities kick off at 11:45 in front of a crowd that should be rocking all red, as the theme for the game is a red out, and fans in attendance will receive a free red shirt. Tip-Off is directly after at 12, and the game is on a linear platform once again, as CBS comes to town to cover this highly anticipated matchup to close out the regular season.
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