Bracketology 2023: Florida Atlantic, Charleston among mid-majors to watch

North Texas Mean Green at Florida Atlantic Owls

Saturday, January 14, Boca Raton, FL, 2:00 PM ET

It probably seems like there will be a big game in Conference USA every week, and given the strength at the top of the conference that’s probably too. This week we head back to Boca Raton, Florida on Saturday afternoon to look at North Texas 13-3 traveling to take on the Owls of Florida Atlantic 14-1.

The Owls have been a bit of a surprise thus far. They were picked to finish 5th before the season started and enter the week having won 13 in a row including a win over Florida and this same North Texas team just after Christmas in a hard-fought 50-46 win. A win on Saturday would give Florida Atlantic a big tiebreaker edge over a key rival come postseason seeding time.

There are a lot of things that have made Florida Atlantic successful so far. They have four guys averaging double figures, but the nine guys that see the floor on a regular basis all contribute, averaging at least 4.8 per game. Dusty May’s team also does a great job of valuing the basketball, only turning it over 11.7 times per game. This is likely to be another defensive battle like their first meeting given that these are two of the better defensive teams in the country.

Outside of the loss to Saint Mary’s when they only scored 33 points, the remaining Mean Green two losses have come by a total of eight points. Their signature win thus far was an 18-point drubbing of UMass, but like FAU, defense drives this boat, and expect this to be another defensive slugfest with North Texas trying to even the season series and keep pace with the owls in any possible tiebreaker scenarios.