Former UConn guard Jalen Gaffney will also take the court in the Sweet 16— for Florida Atlantic

Kels Dayton, Hartford Courant
·2 min read

UConn is in the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2014, but the current Huskies aren’t the only players who passed through Storrs who will advance to the regional semifinals.

When the Sweet 16 tips off at Madison Square Garden in the East Regional, former Husky Jalen Gaffney will take the court for Florida Atlantic.

The ninth-seeded Owls are playing in their first-ever Sweet 16 after knocking off Memphis, 66-65 and ending 16th-seeded Fairleigh Dickinson’s run with a 78-70 win in the second round on Sunday.

Gaffney played three seasons at UConn before transferring to Florida Atlantic ahead of this season. He played around 19 minutes per game for the Huskies in 2019-20 and 2020-21, but saw his playing time dip to 12.8 minutes per game in 2021-22.

The 6-3 junior guard from Columbus, N.J. is averaging 4.6 points and 2.5 assists in 23 minutes per game for the Owls. He contributed three points and five rebounds in 20 minutes in FAU’s hard-fought win over FDU.

“There’s a lot of guys who come from high-majors and they come with a big ego,” third-year guard Nicholas Boyd told The Athletic. “I feel like when (Gaffney) came here, he just set the tone. He’s just a humble dude and didn’t really care about scoring. He just plays his role, and that set the tone for everybody on the team.”

With Gaffney added to a nine-man rotation that splits minutes and scoring output fairly evenly — leading scorer Johnell Davis averages just 13.9 points per game — Florida Atlantic has exploded onto the scene this season, boasting a 33-3 record and winning the Conference USA regular season and tournament titles. The Owls were ranked in the Top 25 for the first time ever and reached the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2002.

Now, they’ll face fourth-seeded Tennessee at the Garden (9 p.m. ET tip) with a chance to make even more school history.

“We knew this team was going to be good. But it’s unimaginable,” Boyd told reporters after the game Sunday. “It’s a dream come true.”