Busting Brackets
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Conference USA Basketball: Preseason rankings for 2020-2021 season

By Sean Cole

SEATTLE, WA - NOVEMBER 06: Charles Bassey #23 of the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers reacts in the second half while taking on the Washington Huskies during their game at Hec Edmundson Pavilion on November 6, 2018 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images)
SEATTLE, WA - NOVEMBER 06: Charles Bassey #23 of the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers reacts in the second half while taking on the Washington Huskies during their game at Hec Edmundson Pavilion on November 6, 2018 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images) /
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Conference USA Basketball
Conference USA Basketball Simeon Lepichev (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images) /

10. Florida Atlantic Owls

The 2020 FAU men’s’ basketball team (17-15 overall and 8-10 in conference) are looking forward to keeping the momentum going, as FAU is looking for its third winning season in as many years. 3rd-year head coach Dusty May has had a winning season in his first two years in Boca Raton and he is looking to build on that.

Last year statistically, FAU was among the middle to bottom of the pack in most categories but stood out in scoring (71.1 ppg), which put them seventh in conference and fifth in conference in steals (7.3 spg). In the 2020 – 2021 Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook, Coach May was quoted as saying “I feel like we kind of had middle-to-bottom level experience the last couple of years”. This year’s 2020 team returns eight players and signed a quality incoming freshman class, which makes the outlook for this year very bright.

The Owls bring back three returning starters from last years team, including 6-7 senior forward Jaylin Ingram (12.0 ppg and 5.4 rpg), who started 22 games last year, 6-6 sophomore Kenan Blackshear (3.3 rpg and 2.9 rpg), who started 10 games last year, 6-0 junior guard Michael Forrest (9.3 rpg and 2.1 rpg) and 6-7 senior Everett Winchester (4.1 ppg and 2.8 rpg).

The frontcourt also has returning 6-11 junior Karlis Sims (7.8 ppg and 3.5 rpg), 6-9 junior Madiaw Niang (2.6 ppg and 3.5 rpg), and 6-10 sophomore Dardan Kapiti (2.0 ppg and 1.1 rpg).

FAU looked to add some depth to the backcourt, as they added a solid incoming freshman class to the mix. 6-3 Nicholas Boyd (15.0 ppg and 6.0 apg) comes from Don Bosco Prep in New Jersey. 6-4 Johnell Davis (25.0 ppg, 10.1 rpg, and 3.2 apg) comes from Gary High School in Indiana.

6-4 Alijah Martin (25.0 ppg, 9.0 rog, and 3.0 spg) comes to Boca Raton from North Pike High School in Massachusetts and 6-8 Giancarlo Rosado (26.7 ppg and 9.0 rpg), who played for Palm Beach Lakes High School and was the Class 6A-7A Player of the Year.

This year’s FAU team has depth and experience and they will have to find a way to overcome losing two of their three top scorers, which with more experience they will find a way to make up for it. The Owls are doing things right and building a solid foundation.

Don’t let last year’s record fool you, as the difference between a good season and a great season was their home and away record, as they had a record of 2-12 while having a 14-3 record at home. If the Owls could have won a few more games on the road, they most certainly would have been top tier in the CUSA. This could be one of those teams to watch.