12/20/2024 | Men’s Basketball EAST LANSING, Mich. – The Florida Atlantic’s men’s basketball team will conclude their 2024 calendar year with a visit to East Lansing, taking on No. 20 Michigan State. Tipping off at 2 p.m., the matchup will air on Fox Sports 1. For the Owls (7-5), they will get an opportunity to extend their winning streak to four games and have a strong showing against a nationally ranked team in the Spartans (9-2). Since 2022, FAU has gone 5-2 when facing off versus an opponent in the Associated Press Top 25. Florida Atlantic (7-5) at No. 20 Michigan State (9-2) Game Details Saturday, Dec. 21 | 2 p.m. | Breslin Center | East Lansing, Mi. Game Coverage Game Notes | Live Stats | FS1 | FoxSports 640am South Florida Florida Atlantic Links Roster | Schedule | News Michigan State Links Roster | Schedule | News Social Media X | Instagram | Facebook LAST TIME OUT The Owls defeated Texas State, 89-80, on Dec. 14 at the Eleanor R. Baldwin Arena. In a balanced offensive outing, Florida Atlantic dished out 23 assists on 31 made field goals and had five double digit scorers, led by redshirt junior forward Tre Carroll with 18 points. They turned the ball over just six times to the Bobcats’ 18 and capitalized in the closing minutes, converting their final seven shot attempts. ABOUT THE OWLS Head Coach John Jakus enters his first season at the helm of the Owls FAU has had eight different leading scorers in their first 12 games. Five of them have reached the 20+ point mark, sophomore forward Kaleb Glenn doing so twice The Owls rank 18th in the nation in points per game (86.1) and are 13th in bench ppg (35.9) Florida Atlantic has recorded 20+ assists in three of their last four games. They are currently tied for 22nd in the nation on per-game average (17.8) Scoring milestones to watch are junior guard Leland Walker nearing 1,000 career points (currently at 956) and junior forward Baba Miller on his way to 500 (447) Center Matas Vokietaitis has won three AAC Freshman of the Week honors, while Glenn and Miller have each earned a spot on the conference’s weekly honor roll FAU was ranked fifth in the American Athletic Conference’s Preseason Coaches’ poll. Graduate guard KyKy Tandy was named to the preseason All-AAC Second Team ABOUT THE SPARTANS Hall of Fame Head Coach Tom Izzo is in his 30th season leading the program with 26 consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances, eight Final Four berths, and one national championship title to his name Senior guard Jaden Akins is the team leader in points at 13.4 per game When the Spartans score, they score fast. They are second in the nation in fastbreak points per game at 19.4It will be a battle of the benches, with Michigan State ranking eighth nationally in bench ppg (39.2) The Spartans equal the Owls’ mark in assists per game at 17.8 SCHEDULE For the full 2024-25 schedule, click here. ROSTER For the 2024-25 roster, click here. UP NEXT Conference play begins. The Owls will kick off their second American Athletic Conference campaign at the Elly, hosting No. 21 Memphis (9-2) in a ‘stripe out’ game on Thursday, Jan. 2. The matchup will tip off at 7 p.m. and air on ESPN2. FOLLOW THE OWLS To stay up to date on all things FAU men’s basketball, follow the Owls on social media @FAUMBB. Florida Atlantic’s 2024-25 season is sponsored by Phil Smith Kia/Phil Smith Acura. |