FAU Owls open American Conference basketball tournament vs. Temple
BOCA RATON — The Florida Atlantic’s men’s basketball team is seeded seventh in the American Conference basketball tournament. Not exactly where they expected to be entering the 2025-26 season.
However, that’s where the Owls (17-14, 9-9) have ended up at the regular-season’s conclusion. After jumping out to a 6-1 start in conference play, FAU finished in a three-way tie with Charlotte (15-16, 9-9) and North Texas (18-13, 9-9) after going 3-8 over its final 11 games, including a six-game losing streak.
Now, the Owls will be tasked with winning five games in as many days in Birmingham, Alabama if they are to come out as conference champions and earn an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. The Owls will take on Temple — who they beat twice during the regular season — in the first round of the tournament in Birmingham, Alabama on March 11.
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“There’s just nothing better than March basketball,” FAU head coach John Jakus said. “I hope our guys are enjoying that, I hope they love the reset. I think they’re really excited to get out there.”
Injuries, tight losses are the story of FAU’s basketball season
The end result this season is a slight drop-off from last year’s 10-8 record in American Conference play. However, Injuries and several close losses are what sealed the Owls’ fate this season. Of their 14 losses, seven were decided by five points or less; five saw FAU miss opportunities to tie or take the lead in the final seconds.
On the injury front, starting point guard Kanaan Carlyle missed three games during the team’s six-game losing streak due to a leg injury. Leading-scorer Devin Vanterpool missed the final five games of the regular season due to an ankle injury. Role players Isaiah Elohim and Maxim Logue also missed time due to injuries.
Carlyle’s return helped stop the bleeding briefly, as the Owls went 3-3 over their final six games. He enters the conference tournament on a bit of a heater. He scored in double-figures in five of those six games, 20 points or more twice, including a season-high 26 in the regular-season finale against Wichita State on March 7.
“I would say Kanaan has been our best all-around player,” Jakus said. “I want his usage to be high and I want his confidence to be high. It hasn’t affected us at all, the guys aren’t frustrated by that. I think they understand that we need him to be good."
As for Vanterpool’s status, Jakus said he expects his leading scorer to play at some point in the conference tournament. However, some uncertainty still lingers as to what extent Vanterpool will be involved.
Josiah Parker is the X-factor for Owls
Aside from Carlyle, another player the Owls will need to lean on heavily — especially with the uncertainty surrounding Vanterpool’s injury — is Josiah Parker. The just-named Freshman of the Year in the American Conference was barely in the rotation at the start of the season. By its conclusion, Parker was a mainstay in the starting lineup.
Parker was one of the team’s best players in conference play, averaging 12.2 points and 8.3 rebounds per game in 18 games. In FAU’s final home game against Charlotte on March 1, Parker sank the game-winning layup in overtime that ended up having a major impact on their seeding.
In two games versus Temple this season, Parker averaged 15.5 points, and 11.5 rebounds per game. The Owls are going to need him to step up in a big way if they are to advance to the second round.
“He’s going to be very productive for us over five days,” Jakus said. “As long as he brings the defensive scouting portion, his production on offense and the glass will be just fine.”
The Owls have shown they string together several wins in a row this season. But rattling off five straight wins without a day off in between is a different beast. Despite the odds being stacked against them, Jakus says that his team has remained optimistic it can get the job done.
“I think optimism grows with success,” Jakus said. “The reality is, the team that is most selfless will end up winning this tournament. If there’s moments of selfishness, if there’s moments of thinking of the (transfer) portal, if there’s moments of just getting out of the season at all, you’ll be found out."
American Conference Men's Basketball Tournament
Birmingham, Ala.
No. 7 FAU vs. No. 11 Temple
Wednesday, 9 p.m., ESPN+
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: FAU Owls must win 5 games in 5 days at American Conference tournament
