Florida Atlantic Owls vs. Wichita St. Shockers Pick & Prediction JANUARY 18th 2024

Florida Atlantic coach Dusty May acknowledges his team is in a good place early in American Athletic Conference play, but he also admits there is work to be done if his squad wants a repeat of last year’s run to the Final Four.

On Thursday night in Boca Raton, Fla., the No. 23 Owls will host Wichita State for the first of two matchups between the teams within a month.

“I was proud of our guys for finding a way to beat a good, well-coached UAB program,” May said after Florida Atlantic forged a 19-point halftime lead on Sunday and turned away the visiting Blazers 86-73. “When you’ve been doing it as long as (UAB) coach (Andy) Kennedy and the level at which he’s been doing it … it’s a good day when you beat him.”

Guard Johnell Davis starred with 30 points for Florida Atlantic (13-4, 3-1 AAC), which plays at Wichita on Feb. 11.

“Overall, pleased where we are in mid-January,” May said. “Still not playing the type of basketball we need to play, but we’re still evolving.”

After Giancarlo Rosado, the backup to 7-foot-1 Owls center Vladislav Goldin, was injured in the first half, May turned to sophomore forward Tre Carroll.

The Punta Gorda, Fla., product responded with his third-best scoring output of the season, notching nine points on 4-of-5 shooting. He also grabbed three rebounds in his 15-minute stint.

“Tre is an elite offensive player,” May said of the 6-foot-7 Carroll. “His passing, his feel, his feet, his hands, his touch. He’s got a quiet eye on offense.

“I thought he was good on the defensive end. … That’s the most encouraging part of his performance — how he defended.”

For the Shockers (8-8, 0-3), defense is on their minds, too — or the recent lack of it.

In a defensive collapse on Sunday, Wichita State watched despondently as No. 13 Memphis produced a barrage of 3-pointers in a 112-86 road rout.

“We couldn’t get caught up in a shootout and we did,” Shockers coach Paul Mills said after his defense’s demolition. “We are not the kind of team that can win those games.”

After Memphis shot 19 of 30 (63.3 percent) from long range, the first-year bench boss issued a stern statement that a shakeup is coming after the Shockers surrendered the fifth-most points in program history.

“Everything is on the table now, especially after a game like that,” Mills said.

The Tigers’ attack was not just from deep, either: Memphis sank 44 of 68 shots overall (64.7 percent).

“I look at the switching, then I look at the closeouts,” Mills said about his team’s defense. “How you switch is important and you can’t switch level, you have to switch up. I would tell you the other thing, our closeouts, is on personnel. … Those were the two biggest issues.”

The Shockers are riding a five-game losing streak, their longest skid since 2008-09, but guard Colby Rogers said they need to stay focused and not act as if the season is winding down.

“This is our third game in conference,” said Rogers, who leads the Shockers with an average of 16.1 points per outing. “It’s not the end of the world. No time to panic. Just keep working and keep getting better and take it day by day.”

–Field Level Media