On Sunday afternoon there will be a battle between two schools that don’t have a ton of history but have developed a bit of a rivalry since becoming conference foes.
FAU Vs USF could establish a true number 1 seed in the AAC, as the Bulls are currently in 1st place and riding a 10-game win streak; while FAU is right on their tails and with a Charlotte loss could find themselves in 1st place with a win on Sunday.
The Owls got their groove back on Thursday, as they looked really good at points and showed their ability to battle back from adversity. Giancarlo Rosado made his return to the court and provided a huge spark with a late stretch of play in the second half after Temple cut it to 2.
His presence allows for the Owls to be a bit more athletic defensively and opens up the offense with his keen passing skills. Giancarlo’s leadership is also invaluable and adding him back will give the Owls a huge boost in this critical matchup against USF.
The Bulls have been the AAC’s surprise team to this point, as they were predicted pre-season to be near the bottom of the conference but have gotten past early season struggles to rattle off 10 in a row and currently stand atop the American with the Nations 3rd longest win streak.
USF has been efficient all around, but their ability to find the best shot and assist while doing it. Per Ken Pom, USF is currently leading the way on assisting on baskets made, getting an assist on 60.3% of made field goals during conference play. FAU is not far behind at 53.3% and considering assists is a focal point of the FAU offense, it will be interesting to see who is able to be more efficient in that category during this game and if it will play a factor in determining the outcome.
Coach Amir Abdur-Rahim has been able to lead his team through some early season bumps, to now emulate his winning Culture that he instituted while at Kennesaw State. Chris Youngblood came with his Coach and has been a shining star in his first year with the Bulls, averaging 14.7 points per game including 24 points in USF’s 4-point victory over Rice last week. Youngblood is an Athletic Guard, who is seasoned and finds good shots, currently 8th in the AAC in Efg% in conference games checking in at 53.9%. He will provide an interesting matchup for either Johnell Davis or Alijah Martin and it will be fun to watch the battle between the two teams top stars.
Selton Miguel is in his second year with USF and has only gotten better in year 2. He is right behind Youngblood, averaging 14.3 points per game and was a huge contributor in the Bulls win over Charlotte dropping 22 points. Kasean Pryor will provide a tough matchup for FAU, as the 6 ’10 forward is averaging 12 points per game and is athletic and able to space the floor. With Rosado back, and Coach May being more comfortable playing him and Carroll together, FAU should be able to contain Pryor.
FAU has been able to bounce back with 2 solid victories over Wichita St, and most recently Temple following the tough road loss to UAB. Wichita St was a bit of conquering demons as they were able to put together a dominating overtime to defeat the shockers, one in which Alijah Martin led the way. Martin built on that, leading the way in the first half and combining with Johnell Davis to help FAU handle Temple 80-68.
Alijah’s resurgence over the past 3 periods of play has been huge for FAU, and helped the offense thrive late Vs Wichita and majority of the game against Temple. His offense opened up the floor for other guys too, as Brandon Weatherspoon put up 16 Vs Temple and 19 Vs Wichita State. It’s important for FAU to look to improve on the production of them both and continue to get good offensive looks for everybody in this matchup against USF.
This game will be a battle through and through, as both sides are coming in playing solid basketball and there is a budding rivalry between the two teams. FAU will need to avoid a slow start and continue to build on the fast starts they’ve had in the past couple of games. The Owls will also need to look to disrupt the assist flow that the Bulls offense has gotten into, and force USF to get shots without assisting. If FAU is able to disrupt the Bulls offense even slightly, it will move mountains in terms of helping FAU pull away from a tough Bulls team.
If USF is able to slow down Johnell Davis and limit easy looks at the rim for Vlad Goldin, it will help them slow the Owls down immensely. But the same strategy can be employed by USF, by forcing FAU to score without assists they can disrupt their offense and try to pull away early.
The odds makers currently have it as a 5-point spread in favor of FAU, and Ken Pom is predicting a 76-72 FAU victory.
It will be a tough matchup on either side, and the winner will be able to claim bragging rights in the state of Florida and the AAC.
It’s must watch basketball on ESPN at noon from the Yuengling Center in Tampa Florida, once again a linear broadcasted matchup for FAU and the AAC.
