1/1/2025 | Men’s Basketball
BOCA RATON, Fla. – Florida Atlantic’s men basketball team will begin their second year of American Athletic Conference play on Thursday, Jan. 2, hosting No. 21 Memphis before heading to Greenville, North Carolina to take on ECU on Sunday, Jan. 5.
The Owls’ (7-6) matchup against the No. 21 Tigers (10-3) at the Eleanor R. Baldwin Arena tips off at 7 p.m., with doors opening for the general public at 6 p.m. For ‘Stripe the Elly,’ fans are encouraged to wear red or white depending on your ticket location. The first 750 students will receive a free t-shirt. This will mark Florida Atlantic’s second consecutive game against an AP ranked opponent and the first time since 1997 that the Owls will host a Top 25 team.
FAU will then travel to North Carolina for a showdown against the Pirates (8-6, 0-1 AAC) in the first of a two-game road trip.
Florida Atlantic (7-6) vs. No. 21 Memphis (10-3) & at East Carolina (8-6) | |
Game Details | Vs. No. 21 Memphis: Thursday, Jan. 2 | 7 p.m. | Eleanor R. Baldwin Arena | Boca Raton, Fla. At East Carolina: Sunday, Jan. 5 | 1 p.m. | Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum | Greenville, N.C. |
Game Coverage | Game Notes for Memphis | Live Stats | ESPN2 | FoxSports 640am South Florida |
Florida Atlantic Links | Roster | Schedule | News |
Memphis Links | Roster | Schedule | News |
East Carolina Links | Roster | Schedule | News |
Social Media | X | Instagram | Facebook |
ABOUT THE OWLS
- Head Coach John Jakus enters his first season at the helm of the Owls
- Redshirt junior forward Tre Carroll had his best stretch of games in the month of December. In four games, he averaged 20.8 points on 68.1% shooting from the field and reached his career high of 24 points twice. Carroll was awarded the AAC Player of the Week and received an honorable mention in consecutive weeks
- FAU has had eight different leading scorers in their first 13 games. Five of them have reached the 20+ point mark, Carroll and sophomore forward Kaleb Glenn doing so twice
- The Owls rank tied for 26th in the nation in points per game (84.8) and are 11th in bench ppg (35.7)
- Florida Atlantic has recorded 15+ assists in each of their last four games. They are currently 26th in the nation on per-game average (17.6)
- Scoring milestones to watch are junior guard Leland Walker nearing 1,000 career points (currently at 964) and junior forward Baba Miller on his way to 500 (459)
- Center Matas Vokietaitis has won three AAC Freshman of the Week honors, while Caroll, 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 TIGERS
- Head Coach Penny Hardaway, the longest tenured coach in the AAC, is in his seventh season leading the program
- The Tigers’ resume for the 2024-25 campaign includes wins over No. 2 UConn, No. 16 Clemson, and No. 16 Ole Miss
- Redshirt sophomore guard P.J. Haggerty is eighth in the nation, averaging 22.1 points per game
- The Tigers are 11th in the nation in 3-point percentage at 40.2%
- Florida Atlantic and Memphis have faced off four times, three of them since 2023. The two teams split the season series in 2023-24, with the Owls winning the most recent matchup on Mar. 9, 2024 at the Eleanor R. Baldwin Arena
ABOUT THE PIRATES
- Michael Schwartz is in his third season at the helm of the Pirates
- Seniors RJ Felton and Jordan Riley are the top two rebounding guards in the AAC, averaging 6.4 and 5.9 per game, respectively
- Felton leads ECU in scoring, averaging 17.5 points per game
- Graduate forward C.J. Walker is closely behind with 16.5 ppg on 54.5% shooting from the field
- This will mark the sixth all-time meeting between the Owls and the Pirates. FAU owns the series 3-2, including a victory in their last faceoff on Jan. 2, 2024
TICKETS
Limited tickets available are based on those returned by the visiting team and can be purchased by visiting Ticketmaster. Tickets are $100 in the lower bowl and $50 in the upper arena.
UP NEXT
The Owls will remain in North Carolina, facing Charlotte on Wednesday, Jan. 8. The game, airing on ESPN+, will tip off at 7 p.m.
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.