Busting Brackets
Fansided

Bracketology 2023: Clemson, Illinois among teams moving up seed list

By Jason Burgess

January 21, 2023; Clemson, SC; Clemson sophomore forward PJ Hall (24) hugs forward Hunter Tyson (5) near freshman forward Chauncey Wiggins (21) after the Tigers beat Virginia Tech at Littlejohn Coliseum in Clemson, S.C. Saturday, January 21, 2023. Hunter made the go-ahead three-point shot and rebound in the end helping the Tigers win 51-50. Hall led the Tigers with 20 points. Mandatory Credit: Ken Ruinard-USA TODAY NETWORK
January 21, 2023; Clemson, SC; Clemson sophomore forward PJ Hall (24) hugs forward Hunter Tyson (5) near freshman forward Chauncey Wiggins (21) after the Tigers beat Virginia Tech at Littlejohn Coliseum in Clemson, S.C. Saturday, January 21, 2023. Hunter made the go-ahead three-point shot and rebound in the end helping the Tigers win 51-50. Hall led the Tigers with 20 points. Mandatory Credit: Ken Ruinard-USA TODAY NETWORK /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
3 of 6
Next
Florida Atlantic Owls head coach Dusty May [Doug Engle/Gainesville Sun] Gai Ufbasketballfau
Florida Atlantic Owls head coach Dusty May [Doug Engle/Gainesville Sun] Gai Ufbasketballfau /

Florida Atlantic Owls (19-1, 9-0 in C-USA)

Staying on the east coast we travel down to Boca Raton, Florida to get a closer look at the work that Dusty May‘s Florida Atlantic Owls have put in this season. Much Like Charleston, the Owls lost their second game of the year to Mississippi and haven’t looked back. For a mid-major team, their tournament resume looks as good as any other in the country. The Owls enter the week 18th  in the NET and hold a road win over Florida.

The one advantage Florida Atlantic has over other mid-major programs’ resumes is the overall strength of Conference USA compared to the other conferences. Conference USA is currently the 10th-ranked conference in the NET, and that is thanks to FAU and teams like UAB and North Texas ranked in the top 83 of the NET as of Sunday morning. With a 3-1 record over the first two quads and metric rankings all in the top 61, the Owls are perched pretty right now.

The Owls have had a few close calls in the midst of this 18-game winning streak, including beating Florida and UAB by two and four other games decided by four points each. When mid-majors enjoy the type of success the owls have this season, they’re usually balanced and excel in some aspects of the game, not only in their conference but nationally as well. Such is the case for Florida Atlantic which is 27th in the nation in effective field goal percentage at 54.3% and is the 13th  best in the country at two-point defense holding opponents to 43.5%. They are showing themselves worthy of the seed helium they’ve been receiving in some prognostications.

Home/Bracketology