HOUSTON – The No. 22 Florida Atlantic men’s basketball team (15-4) will wrap up their two-game Texas road trip with a matchup against Rice (7-11) on Wednesday evening, tipping off at 8 p.m. EST.
With a four-game winning streak, the Florida Atlantic Owls return to the city of Houston for the first time since their Final Four appearance on Apr. 1, 2023.
The Rice Owls are a fellow traveler from Conference USA. Florida Atlantic currently holds the matchup advantage between the two teams at 6-4 and has won the last four. In their two games in the 2022-23 season, the Owls of Florida Atlantic scored 90 points and 103 points, respectively. FAU will look to continue that run and are on an offensive tear to do so, averaging 92.5 points per game during their current four-game stretch.
Florida Atlantic’s 2023-24 season is sponsored by Phil Smith Kia/Phil Smith Acura.
| No. 22 Florida Atlantic (15-4, 5-1 AAC) at Rice (7-11, 1-4 AAC) | |
| Game Details | Wednesday, Jan. 24 | 8 p.m. (EST) | Tudor Fieldhouse | Houston, Texas |
| Game Coverage | Live Stats | ESPN+ | Game Notes | FoxSports 640am South Florida |
| Florida Atlantic Links | Roster | Schedule | News |
| Rice Links | Roster | Schedule | News |
| Social Media | X | Instagram | Facebook |
LAST TIME OUTThe Owls opened their road trip with a come-from-behind 112-103 overtime victory over UTSA, tied for the second most points ever recorded by Florida Atlantic in one game. Three players tallied 20+ points: junior guard Johnell Davis with 34 on 11-19 shooting, senior guard Brandon Weatherspoon with an Owl career high 21 points, and junior guard Alijah Martin dropped 26 with a career high tying six triples. Nine points from Martin in overtime helped FAU pull away for the win.
STATS & NOTES
- Now tied for the best record in the American Athletic Conference, Florida Atlantic leads all 14 teams in three-point field goal percentage (37%) and are second in points per game (84.1), field goal percentage (49.1%), and assists per game (15.5)
- Nationwide, the Owls rank 20th in points per game (84.1), 20th in field goal percentage (49.15) and 19th in effective field goal percentage (.565%)
- Junior center Vlad Goldin maintains his national lead in field goal percentage (69.5%)
- Davis now has 12 straight games scoring in double figures and then some. During this stretch, he is averaging 22.0 points per game, seven rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 1.8 steals per game. He is doing it in efficient fashion, 58% from the field and 48% from beyond the arc
- Martin in his last two games averaged 24 points on 61% shooting from the field and 55.6% from downtown, 7.0 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 2.5 steals. He was recently named to the AAC weekly honor roll
- Weatherspoon became the sixth different Owl to record 20+ points in a game this season, joining Davis (seven times), Martin (five times), Goldin (twice), Nick Boyd, and Jalen Gaffney (both once)
- Against the Rice Owls, FAU will have to contain the playmaking skills of Max Fielder. Not only their best interior threat at 6’11 and the conference leader in rebounds per game at 9.4, he is second in the conference with 5.1 assists per game
WATCH PARTIESOn Wednesday night, the Florida Atlantic Alumni Association will be hosting multiple watch parties in South Florida for the Owls’ showdown against Rice. The events will be at Biergarten (Boca Raton), Duffy’s Sports Grill (Coconut Creek) and Duffy’s Sports Grill (North Palm Beach) from 7-10 p.m. There will be food and drink specials at all three locations. Sign up HERE.
For the alumni association’s full listing of basketball events, click HERE.
UP NEXTFlorida Atlantic will return home to the Eleanor R. Baldwin Arena on Sunday, Jan. 28 to face North Texas (11-6, 4-1). The game will tip off at 1 p.m. EST.
FOLLOW THE OWLSTo stay up to date on all things FAU men’s basketball, follow the Owls on social media @FAUMBB.
