After more than a week off, Memphis returns to the hardwood for another road game on Sunday. The Tigers will travel to Boca Raton to face Florida Atlantic, which is off to a 2-1 start in conference play.
The Owls sit at 10-6 on the season, but they’re 2-3 in their last five games. John Jakus’ team dropped back-to-back games against Saint Mary’s and UCF towards the end of December and lost to Tulane last Sunday.
While they’ve struggled over the last five games, FAU recorded a five-point win over UAB on Wednesday.
Like the Tigers, FAU brought in a ton of newcomers, and Jakus added 10 new players to the roster ahead of the season, including several foreign players.
As a team, the Owls average 83.1 points per game, which ranks No. 1 in the nation, and they shoot 46.7 percent from the field, 35.1 percent from deep and 74.6 percent from the free-throw line. Jakus has three players who average more than 10 points per game, and sophomore Devin Vanterpool leads the team in scoring, averaging 16.6 points, 6.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game.
Kanaan Carlyle and Isaiah Elohim are a pair of transfers from high-major programs, and they’ve both made huge impacts through the first few months of the season. Carlyle, who transferred in from Indiana, averages 15.1 points, 4.1 rebounds and 3.2 assists, while Elohim, who joined the team after a year at USC, averages 11.7 points and shoots 42.3 percent from three-point range.
In the frontcourt, the Owls have more size than the two previous American Conference teams that the Tigers have played, and they’re led by Devin Williams and Xander Pintelon. Both players are averaging more than seven points per game, and Williams is second on the team in rebounds, grabbing 5.1 per game.
Williams is also the best shot-blocker in the conference and one of the best in the entire country. The big man averages 2.8 blocks per game, and he ranks No. 6 in the country in block percentage, sitting at 13.42 percent.
Jakus also relies on a handful of freshmen off the bench, and 6-foot-7 Josiah Parker is averaging 6.1 points and 3.4 rebounds in 15.5 minutes off the bench.
FAU averages 39.7 rebounds per game, and it has a plus-6.4 rebounding margin this season. Jakus’ team also averages 12.2 turnovers per game, but they only force 12.7 turnovers per game.
Defensively, the Owls allow 72.9 points per game, and opposing teams are shooting 42.7 percent from the field and 34.7 percent from deep. FAU leads the conference in opposing field-goal percentage in three conference games, and Memphis is currently No. 2, allowing 36.4 percent in its first two conference games.
The Owls have played really well at home this season, and they only have one loss inside Eleanor R. Baldwin Arena all the way back on Nov. 30, against St. Bonaventure.