FAU basketball: Division-leading Owls look to stay hot in Texas
The FAU men’s basketball team will take its three-game winning streak on the road to Texas this week for date with the UTEP Miners.
Head coach Dusty May said the Owls (11-8, 4-2 CUSA) are playing the best basketball they’ve played all season after a win over Marshall on Saturday, but there has been one statistic holding FAU back.
The Owls are 10-3 this season when defending home court in Abessinio Court at FAU Arena.
On the road? They’re at a dismal 1-5.
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The road record has been a sour note for the Owls, though they aren't the only in the C-USA to struggle away from home.
“...I think Conference USA right now is number one in the country when it comes to winning home games,” May said. “But for us, if we want to play at a championship level and compete for championships, we're gonna have to find ways to win more frequently on the road.”
Despite the struggles, FAU currently leads the East division and the Owls' 4-2 start to conference play is the program's best start in its time in the C-USA.
UTEP (11-8, 4-3 CUSA) will enter looking for revenge as the Owls beat them last year in the first round of the conference tournament.
Souley Boum and Jamal Bieniemy have been leading UTEP in scoring with 18.6 and 14.6 points per game. May said the team has to make sure to at least stabilize the Miners’ dangerous backcourt.
“They're both unselfish, so our guards are going to have to play well to hold their own, but they've done that pretty much every game so far in Conference USA,” May said.
Saturday's win over Marshall marked the Owls' fifth game in 10 days so May said he had the team take a few days to recover before they travel.
“...We took Sunday off and then Monday was a treatment and kind of a team building exercise day,” May said. “We'll practice tomorrow and then hit El Paso for a tough road trip travel-wise and we have a lot of respect for our opponents.”
May said it's "a combination of art and science" to not work out the players too much during a compact schedule. With seven weeks of basketball left, May said this recent stretch was one of few opportunities to have two consecutive rest days left on the schedule.
"We need to be fresh going into Texas," May said.
The Owls face the Miners on Thursday in a 9 p.m. tipoff.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: FAU basketball: Division-leading Owls look to stay hot in Texas
