BOCA RATON — The FAU men’s basketball team opens its 2020-21 season Wednesday at South Alabama. The Owls will be playing three games in Mobile, Ala. this week as part of the Goldie and Herman Unger Memorial Tournament.
FAU will open its season away from The Burrow for the fifth time in the last six seasons. The Owls and Jaguars have not met since late in the 2012-13 season, when both were members of the Sun Belt Conference.
FAU returns six student-athletes who started multiple contests last season. The Owls finished 17-15 last season adn had advanced to the quarterfinals of the C-USA Championship tournament when the remainder of the season was canceled due to the Covid-19 pandemic. South Alabama was 20-11 last season and had earned a bye to the semifinals of the Sun Belt Conference Championship tournament when the season was halted. The Jaguars will need to replace a great deal of scoring from last year’s team, as their top five scorers have all moved on from the program.
Upward Trajectory
FAU is coming off back-to-back winning seasons, the first time the Owls have accomplished that feat since 2007 (under Matt Doherty and Rex Walters). Dusty May is the first FAU head coach to lead a team to the front and back end of consecutive winning seasons since 1992, when Tim Loomis coached the Owls to three straight seasons with a winning percentage above .500. More wins than losses in 2020-21 would make May just the second (along with Loomis) to lead FAU to three straight winning seasons. Both would have done it in their first three seasons, as well.
Production Returning
The Owls return more than 50 percent of their scoring and rebounding from last season. Of the 2,275 points FAU scored last season, returning players accounted for 1,196 of them (52.7%). The Owls pulled in 1,071 rebounds last season and returning players accounted for 606 of them (56.6%).
Taking Care of the Rock
The Owls ranked No. 2 in Conference USA in turnover margin last season. The Owls averaged 1.81 fewer turnovers than their opponents in 2019-20.
Ingram Inching Up the Charts
Jailyn Ingram currently ranks No. 9 on the all-time FAU scoring chart with 1,061 points scored. He is 92 points shy of moving up to No. 8. He is also No. 8 on the all-time rebounding chart with 498 boards. He is just 16 rebounds away from moving up to No. 7. When Ingram pulls down his second rebound of the season, he will become the fourth Owl ever to score 1,000 points and also grab 500 rebounds.
Seeing the Forrest for the 3’s
Michael Forrest ranked No. 7 in C-USA for 3-point field goal percentage last season, converting at a .386 clip (59-of-153). All six of those ranked in front of him last season are no longer playing in C-USA. Forrest also recorded the most made 3-point field goals of all FAU returners last season with 59. He was second on the team behind Scuta Taylor, who hit 68 from distance.
On Tap: Owls Face Jacksonville State Friday
After a day off for some turkey and all the trimmings, the Owls will be back at it Friday in Mobile. FAU will play its second game of the season and its first on a neutral court, facing off with Jacksonville State at South Alabama’s Mitchell Center as part of the Ungar Memorial Tournament. The Owls hold a 7-5 advantage over Jacksonville State, but FAU hasn’t faced the Gamecocks since 2003. All 12 meetings between the schools came when both were members of the Atlantic Sun Conference. Following the matchup with Jacksonville State, the Owls will wrap up their Thanksgiving weekend in Alabama with a contest vs. the University of Mobile. The Rams are members of the NAIA and the Southern States Athletic Conference. It will the teams’ first meeting.
