The FAU Owls will be the team to watch come March

March Madness is one of the best times of the year. It’s the tournament that features both the uprise and downfall of many college basketball programs.

We all remember the run Oral Roberts went on in 2021 and the run Saint Peter’s went on in 2022.

Well, in 2023, I can guarantee you that the Florida Atlantic Owls (FAU) will be the team to watch. Yes, they will be underdogs and will have to upset better-ranked teams. However, that won’t stop the Boca Raton team from dominating the bracket.

In fact, Johnell Davis will be the star of March Madness, kind of like Doug Edert, but without the mustache.

FAU’s Historic Start

For the first time in program history, the Owls are ranked in the AP Top 25, sitting at No. 24, ahead of teams like Duke, Kansas, Michigan State, North Carolina, and many others.

How did the Owls get national attention, though, garnering enough votes to crack the rankings?

Well, it starts with their 16-game winning streak. It doesn’t matter what conference you play in. Any winning streak of such length is impressive. It’s even more impressive when considering the fact that Florida Atlantic defeated the Florida Gators, Bryant Bulldogs, UAB Blazers, and North Texas Mean Green (twice), all quality teams. So, the Owls now sit at 17-1 (second in the nation behind Charleston), with their only loss coming to Ole Miss of the SEC on the road.

Anyway, FAU’s historic start has garnered attention on social media, TV, and especially in Boca Raton. In their game against North Texas, Owl Nation had a record sellout crowd of 3,060.

If these numbers were not historic, here’s this note:

FAU is the first C-USA team to be ranked in the AP Top 25 since Middle Tennessee on Feb. 26, 2018.

Simply put, it is not easy for any C-USA to garner national media attention, but Head Coach Dusty May and the Owls have done so.

The Owls are Dominant

Obviously FAU’s 17-1 record says a lot about the team. However, let’s dive in and see exactly why the Owls have had so much success this season.

FAU leads the ENTIRE nation in bench points, averaging 37.44 PPG off the bench.

FAU’s second-leading scorer, Johnell Davis, comes off the bench while averaging 12.2 PPG. Davis, a sophomore from Indiana, has played insane basketball since the ball dropped on January 1st. In FAU’s first game of 2023, Davis dropped 36 points in the big matchup against UAB. This performance reached the attention of the entire country, especially after legend Dick Vitale tweeted about him.

Fast forwarding to another big game against North Texas, Davis dropped 16 points. As if he had more to prove, Davis dropped 14 points on national TV (ESPNU) against Western Kentucky.

Another top scorer for the Owls, Michael Forrest, averages 9.8 PPG off the bench. Forrest is a senior who was born in Fort Lauderdale, attending Blanche Ely High School.

The Owls are a very good three-point shooting team, too, being 37th in the nation in three point percentage.

Sophomore Alijah Martin leads FAU with 30 made threes this season while averaging a team-high 12.9 PPG. Martin’s body build leaves defenders defenseless, especially when the the guard goes up for a poster dunk.

The Owls are also 21st in the nation in effective field goal percentage.

Enough offensive talk. Defense is what has won the Owls so many games this season, too. The Owls have the 43rd best scoring defense in the nation, holding opponents to only 63.6 PPG.

FAU is No. 19 in the nation in rebounding margin and No. 22 in defensive rebounds per game.

FAU’s leading rebounder is the 7-foot-1 center out of Russia, Vladislav Goldin. Goldin is averaging 6.1 RPG and 10.3 PPG. If Goldin can learn to stay out of foul trouble, FAU can become even more of a force, especially inside the paint. Goldin also needs to improve his free throw shooting; he is shooting only 55% from the stripe. If his free throw shooting improves, Boca Raton’s big man can be more aggressive when driving into the paint, earning his way to the free throw line for free points.

What’s To Come?

We are still only halfway through the college basketball season, but luckily, FAU has their hardest part of the schedule in the rearview mirror. The Owls just have to remain undefeated in conference play to stay ranked.

As long as FAU keeps winning, the Owls will be smooth-sailing towards March Madness. Even if FAU doesn’t win the C-USA conference tournament at the end of regular season play, the Owls can make March Madness as an at-large bid.

Overall, the Owls are destined to make March Madness this season and make it very far in the tournament. Come back to this article when the Owls make it to the Elite 8. Or even the Final 4. Or maybe the National Championship Game?!

Jump on the bandwagon before it’s too late… I am telling you before it happens, FAU will make it very far! And watch out for Johnell Davis… he is a stud!

FAU’s Remaining Schedule (via ESPN)

Thu, Jan 19	@UTSA	8:00 PM
Sat, Jan 21	@UTEP	9:00 PM
Thu, Jan 26	vsMiddle Tennessee	7:00 PM
Sat, Jan 28	vsWestern Kentucky	4:00 PM
Thu, Feb 2	@UAB	7:00 PM
Sat, Feb 4	@Charlotte	4:00 PM
Thu, Feb 9	vsRice	7:00 PM
Sat, Feb 11	vsLouisiana Tech	2:00 PM
Thu, Feb 16	@Middle Tennessee	7:00 PM
Thu, Feb 23	vsUTSA	7:00 PM
Sat, Feb 25	vsUTEP	2:00 PM
Thu, Mar 2	@Rice	8:00 PM
Sat, Mar 4	@Louisiana Tech	7:00 PM