Teams of the Week: Owl on Owl Crime

Nick Boyd. Dusty May. A long-lost coach and player who are navigating the world of college basketball separately, yet at the highest level as part of the Big Ten.

To properly set the stage for what Saturday's clash in Ann Arbor meant, we must revisit the Owls of FAU's short-lived, glorious past.

The 2023 FAU season and its eventual run were historic, and I was fortunate to be a part of it. Nick Boyd was such a critical and dynamic piece of that team. He will forever be remembered in Boca Raton for this:

Becoming the hero in the 1st-round matchup against Memphis with such confidence and poise was emblematic of the type of college career Boyd has built for himself. Now with stops at San Diego State and Wisconsin, he fully appreciates just how special the 2023 Owls chemistry was.

Of course, that was just the beginning of an eventual East Region Championship. I personally joined FAU to cover the games at Madison Square Garden—an experience that is forever entrenched in March Madness lore.

After running it back in 2023-24 together, the FAU chapter concluded for nearly all of the main characters. Nick Boyd landed at San Diego State, while Dusty May went on to lead Michigan.

You know the rest by now. Boyd helped the Aztecs squeak into the tournament before bouncing out very early in Dayton. He quickly went back to the portal and was offered a spot for a prominent role at Wisconsin.

As December met January, the Badgers' eventual journey to Ann Arbor has been a rollercoaster. Building blocks in January were starting to form; however, even amidst injuries, namely to Austin Rapp.

Cold water to the face while hosting Purdue was brisk. A bounce-back win over UCLA provided new energy.

The 31-17 start for Michigan to open the game was right in line with most dominant nights that the nation has gotten used to.

Then a 12-2 Badger run to end the opening Half began to shift the narrative. Wisconsin impressively sustained momentum through the first six or so minutes of the second half, resulting in accumulated confidence.

Down the stretch, it was a seesaw chess match between May and Badger HC Greg Gard. Andrew Rohde made the key three to separate.

Freshman Aleksas Bieliauskas had made only eight three-pointers all season for Wisconsin, but the Lithuanian rocked Michigan for five eyebrow-raising triples Saturday, finishing with a career high 17 points.

Nick Boyd had 22 points, going 5-of-5 from the free throw line, while dishing out six assists and collecting three rebounds. Boyd's ability to navigate Dusty May's drop coverage defense was simply masterful and set his teammates up for new found success. What an incredible moment for him against his former coach in a road game.

What does it all mean?
As we approach bracket forecasting season, this win does a ton naturally for the long-term Badgers goal of returning to the NCAA Tournament. It's perhaps the best win any team in the country has, especially on the road. It gives a bubbly resume a sparkly anchor at the top, which is impossible to ignore. Suddenly, these Badgers are positioned to be on the path to March Madness. Thus, our top team of the week. Do not forget: The home UCLA win was also during this past week.

UIC

A team attempting to start three freshmen in the 2025-26 Missouri Valley Conference and taste some success? Yeah, good luck, Flames.

That has been the theme throughout a difficult year at the school they call "Circle Campus."

Now in its fourth season as a Valley member, UIC appeared to be headed toward a sluggish rebuilding, bottom-feeding season. Which is still very possible. But, for one week at least, this was a successful operation against a couple of stiff tests.

The week began with the Flames ranked 205th in the ever-dependable Pomeroy ratings and 0-4 in Valley play. Simply put, these guys were desperate to get something rolling. Southern Illinois was visiting UIC, and this one was defined by effort. The Flames largely controlled the glass, 39-27, and would not allow SIU to get in a rhythm offensively, holding the Salukis to 29% shooting from deep and forcing 15 turnovers. Impressively, UIC closed the game out like an experienced program, going on an 8-0 run to finish with the much-needed 70-57 victory. This went down as the fewest allowed points by the Flames against a Division I opponent this season.

It was then time for the trip to Normal to play a veteran-laden Illinois State squad, which is in the thick of the MVC race.

UIC carried its defensive energy and hustle with it on the bus. The Flames stymied Illinois State, particularly star guard Johnny Kinziger. Kinziger shot 2-14 in a home game, 1-9 from distance. Just a really forgettable day for the All-MVC guard. Are the Flames out here creating rock fights suddenly against the Valley's best?

Yes. This one landed in OT, where UIC was able to secure a 63-59 win despite attempting half of the foul shots (11) as ISU Red (22).

The 15 points from Abdul Momoh off the bench were a critical spark, and, as pictured below, you'll see Momoh getting it done on the defensive end.

What does it all mean?
UIC is just 2-4 in the Valley. The Flames are growing from game to game. Check out the production of Freshman Andy Johnson; he's been effective and shoots foul shots at 90%. RS Freshman Jayce Nathaniel is also steady and is a Top 10 offensive rebounder in the Valley. This team is building around its youth. Nearly every night in the league, they are facing an older team with more payroll in the conference. This past week proved they can still find ways to win. Congratulations to Rob Ehsan on his 100th win in the massive upset in Normal.

CAL STATE FULLERTON

Another underdog award winner this week! This one is quite something.

These Titans were completely buried and left for dead a season ago, finishing dead last in the Big West at 1-19 and a Pomeroy rating of 351 out of 364 schools. Things looked bleak, and many in the region have questions about program funding and other concerns following a 12-year largely consistent run under Dedrique Taylor, which has included two NCAA Tournament bids.

A pair of freshmen were brought in to help give the program a major shot in the arm, with heralded recruit Christian Williams and Bryce Cofield being good enough to earn starting roles. Playing fast became a point of emphasis as the Titans staff looked to optimize personnel for a turnaround. The Titans ranked dead last in offense and defense in Big West play last year, so everything was on the table for adjustments. A true throwaway season in which Taylor had earned the merits to remain in charge of the program.

This season is becoming an electric factory. As CSUF runs like maniacs as soon as they rebound a miss or take out a made bucket. The blazing tempo is distracting for many analysts, as is the limited time to take a shot. Titans are tops in the nation at shooting early in the shot clock at an average time of 14.6 seconds per possession. The real key to the offense being effective is the ball protection. Right now, CSUF is #1 in the Big West with just a 14% turnover rate.

This formula gave quality teams like UC Santa Barbara and St. Thomas fits earlier in the season. This past week, the highest bar in the rebuild was reached.

A second-half explosion distanced the Titans away from one of the most accomplished teams in all of mid-major basketball, UC San Diego. This 88-71 road win is the definition of improbable. Even if you just go back a few weeks ago. Last year, UCSD annihilated the Titans 100-55 in this building and 90-51 in Fullerton. For the gap to close this fast is astonishing.

Later in the week, CSUF had Cal State Northridge visiting. Yet another quality program, led by Andy Newman. The Freshmen really stood out here with Williams dropping 21 points on five made treys and Cofield earning a double-double (12 & 12). The impressive thing to me was that CSUN won the shot volume battle with nine more attempts. Abysmal foul shooting hurt the Matadors, but also CSUF connecting on 11 triples and committing three fewer turnovers also helped pave the way in a comeback win. CSUN led by nine at halftime, before another second-half Titan explosion was detonated.

What does it all mean?
Fullerton is on a meteoric climb. Check out what Haslametrics thinks with his classic "Momentum" metric:

Overall momentum is trending in the top three of the conference based on recent play, and you have to be encouraged that the CSUF defense is also above sea level recently. Titans are currently 3-3 in the league, a welcome turnaround already with plenty of runway left for continued growth and wins.

PRINCETON

The Tigers were 4-for-11 out of conference, and many wrote them off for Ivy Madness. 

I'm here with some info. That's not how the Ivy League works. The Ivy League schedule is 14 games only. Every gameday is treated like a playoff game. Several of the Ivy Weekends feature back-to-back Friday/Saturday tests with potential travel in between.

There is no rest for the weary in Ivy League play. Not many understand that better than Princeton head coach Mitch Henderson. Henderson has not finished worse than 8-6 in any season since 2019, and in 2017, he guided a special Tigers run to 14-0 regular season, an Ivy Madness Title, and a 12-seed in the NCAA Tournament. Then, of course, the well-known Sweet 16 team of 2023. What's lesser known is that Princeton still lost four Ivy League games that season.

The 4-11 start for Princeton has clearly been uncharacteristic. Then again, so is not having a senior available. The well-documented departure of Xavian Lee to Florida and Caden Pierce's redshirt season left the Tigers without their go-to guys. Coach Henderson has used the 15 non-conference games searching for answers, mostly through losing.

Perhaps the December 30th OT win over Vermont provided just the clarity and spark Henderson and staff have been longing for. The Tigers mainly played seven primary players. Jackson Hicke and Jack Stanton have emerged as the leaders, who each essentially played the entire 45 minutes against the Catamounts.

Ivy League play began with Penn last Monday, which has a new look under Fran McCaffery. Tigers found themselves making adjustments at Halftime, trailing 32-24. The beginning of the second half led to an astonishing achievement, that is only possible through team buy-in, sharing the ball, and growing confidence:

A string of 16 straight made baskets?! Unheard of. Princeton got to 1-0 on this night. Then, had to turn to Yale next.

Who would have thought that Princeton would be more physical than Yale in a basketball game? It was this past Saturday.

Princeton was 11-for-27 and had many open looks. Another sign that the offense is gelling. Henderson's system is producing fun results again. A stunned Yale defense could not generate a rhythm offensively, to my surprise and several who watched this upset.

The Tigers are now outscoring opponents 108-82 in the second half of Ivy games, including 54-38 Saturday. Princeton did it more effectively than anyone today, holding the Yale leading scorer to 13 points and no treys. He had 22 triples entering the game and was shooting them at almost 50%.

What does it all mean?
Princeton is 2-0 with 12 to go. That's all that matters for them right now. The overall record can be flushed down the toilet because this team is young and evolving, while also learning and embracing team chemistry and confidence. The loss to Yale is a stinger, but still a road loss. Yale remains a top mid-major team at 12-3 with a bona fide star in Nick Townsend, and the Ivy Madness favorite. Perhaps this is the wake-up call to get them on track for sustained consistency? One thing is certain: Princeton has the league's attention now.

STRONGLY CONSIDERED FOR AWARDS

TEXAS A&M - Bucky Ball fever has reached its highest level of entertainment and excitement in College Station.

By now, you know. Texas A&M won the wildest game of perhaps the season at Auburn. The screenshots here show that the red light was activated while the ball was still in Auburn's KeShawn Murphy's hands. The game had it all. An Auburn 16-point lead with 13:29 left flipped to a TAMU 12-point lead with 3:51 left. Both teams attempted over 60 field goals and over 20 free throws. Whichever team lost was going to be upset. Aggies were the "lucky" ones in this case.

Texas A&M then had to answer the bell and host Oklahoma on Saturday. An emotionally charged W fired the Aggies up. It meant another conference win, and the Aggies are turning into an NCAA-level team with the updated resume. Here are the highlights from the game you likely missed:

ST. JOHN'S - The Red Storm found themselves in a big way in two road wins last week. After some early struggles at Butler, the Johnnies rope-a-doped the Bulldogs to the tune of a 42-28 dominant second half. The squad won the turnover battle, 21-5. Really, there's no way Butler could survive that. Then, they handed Creighton its worst home loss in years over the weekend. A 34-11 run to close out the first half left all of Omaha stunned, and likely consumed early during the halftime break. For the entire game, Creighton had only two offensive rebounds! Johnnies appear to be playing the kind of dominant basketball we've been waiting for. Greek Sophomore, Lefteris Liotopoulos, has rewarded Coach Rick Pitino lately in his extended minutes, a welcome development:

SOUTH FLORIDA - A disheartening home loss to UAB two Sundays ago, left a bad taste in the mouth of many around the USF Bulls program. It was because the effort and attention to detail was so clearly missing, particularly in the closing moments of that loss. The Bulls clearly worked on that as they entered a tough road swing at North Texas and at Tulsa. After starting slow in Denton, Izaiyah Nelson really led this team by scoring 17 points, grabbing 10 boards and snatching three steals. USF grinded out a 74-70 win at defensive-minded UNT. Tulsa was a different kind of animal. The Bulls were able to become the first visiting team to win at the Reynolds Center all year, 93-78. Wes Enis had a breakout party with 10 made triples and helped stun the Golden Hurricane. The 16 made triples are the most all season for Coach Bryan Hodgson's talented USF squad. Tulsa simply could not keep up. David Green had 34 in the comeback attempt, but the Bulls held Tulsa overall to 30% shooting from deep and out-muscled them, 41-31, on the boards.

GRAND CANYON - As GCU navigates its first and last rodeo in the old Mountain West, there was no school more outspoken than Boise State on the addition of GCU for this coming season:

Whether all of this matters much now, or to any of the true basketball people, I am not sure. But in sports, you can use anything as motivation. Grand Canyon came into Boise early last week and handed the Broncos a home loss that was simply not competitive. For GCU, its a crucial reassurance that they can compete in this league at the highest levels of difficulty. The Lopes would return home to route San Jose State on Saturday, and now find themselves 3-1 in MW play. Right in the mix.

WRIGHT STATE -This Raider program headed North to take on the Michigan schools of the Horizon, Detroit Mercy, and Oakland. Always a difficult task. Detroit has sneakily been ripping off conference wins. But, this Raider team has found such a groove within terrific shot selection, three-point execution, and perimeter defense over the past month. They were able to pass both tests and show they belong at the top of the Horizon. Raiders raced out to a 41-14 lead in the opening 15 minutes in a joust for first place at Oakland, making 17 of their first 27 shots and storming to a 94-84 victory Sunday. Sitting now at 6-1 and commanding the Horizon— their best start since also going 6-1 in 2021-22 (that team finished fourth).

HONORABLE MENTION: REMAINING CONFERENCE AWARDS

PATRIOT: LEHIGH -An improbable final minute at Colgate flipped a loss to a Lehigh win, and the entire makeup of the league standings. The 78-77 road victory was capped off by Hank Alvey's layup. In the final 49 seconds, Colgate missed multiple 1-and-1 FT opportunities, a pair of threes, and the final shot. Lehigh escapes and gets to 2-2 in league play. Mountain Hawks also beat Holy Cross on Wednesday, 66-58.

ATLANTIC-10: SAINT LOUIS - Billikens had their first A-10 East Coast tandem trip. Headlined by the game at VCU. SLU is so skilled and talented that it turned the game into a mostly one-sided affair. Billikens held a 14-point lead at one point and ultimately won, 71-62. Kellen Thames was money off the bench with 18 points and 10 rebounds. The trip finished up at La Salle, where SLU won 84-72.

CAA: DREXEL - Zach Spiker specials have permeated across the CAA over the years. In a rebuilding Dragon season, there may have been some doubts on the direction of the season. Entering the week at 0-3 in conference play, Spiker and staff dialed up some pretzels to put both Stony Brook and William & Mary into. Holding the Seawolves to 37 points! The win over the Tribe speaks for itself. Suddenly, Drexel is 2-3, and has the league's 3rd-best defense and is holding CAA foes to 25.2% downtown shooting.

BIG SKY: WEBER STATE - One of the harder conference trips you'll find anywhere in America is the grueling combo of Flagstaff, AZ, to Greeley, CO. That was Weber State's exact path this past week. The Wildcats passed part A of the week with a 78-65 win at NAU, in a game where five players got into double figures and the squad drained 13 triples. In Greeley, Weber State maintained its focus and shook off any travel wear-and-tear to impressively beat the Bears, 76-71. Tijan Saine's 10 free throws helped close it out and Edwin Suarez had a great all-around game with 18 points and eight boards.

BIG 12: HOUSTON - We take this team for granted, but it should not discount the achievements. Going into Waco and clubbing the Bears, 77-55, is a loud message to the league. Earlier in the week, UH had a tremendous battle with Texas Tech, where perseverance was required. Freshman Kingston Flemings continued to be unbelievable, with 23 points and five assists in the 69-65 quality win.

CUSA: LIBERTY - Travel in CUSA is not much easier than the aforementioned Big Sky travel. Liberty was handed the Ruston to Huntsville, TX duo this past week. This Flames squad continues to make whatever CUSA throws at them look routine. In the LA Tech road win, the top six players all demonstrated remarkable efficiency. In the Sam Houston road win, another Zach Cleveland Show aired. Cleveland pushed for a triple-double against a tough SHSU squad - 23 points, 10 assists, and seven rebounds.

THE AMERICAN EXTRA: FLORIDA ATLANTIC -The Owls had perhaps their finest AAC week in the John Jakus era by beating UAB for the first time ever, behind 25 points and three steals from Kanaan Carlyle. The road win celebration was short lived because Memphis HC Penny Hardaway had some choice words about playing at FAU:

FAU Students and fans rallied hard around this, and it was a rocking crowd on Sunday. The Owls delivered on the floor with a 89-78 victory. Devin Vanterpool did it all with 12 points, seven assists, and 10 rebounds. The Owls completely outworked the Tigers on the glass, 46-29. FAU is now 3-1 in the AAC and are emerging as a contender in the wide-open race.

MISSOURI VALLEY EXTRA: BELMONT - Bruins had an improbable comeback to knock off Drake. It's the biggest comeback in Belmont's D1 history! The Bruins trailed by 25 points, 53-28, with 17:19 left, and ultimately Belmont overcame 17 made threes from Drake in the historic road win, 78-76. Earlier in the week, Belmont secured a mission-critical road win at Northern Iowa. Bruins now rank as the best in shot selection, 3-pt %, 2-Pt %, and Blocked shots squad in the Valley. At 5-2, all Valley goals are still within reach.

ACC: MIAMI -Tre Donaldson is on an absolute tear right now. He took home ACC Player of the Week honors after the Canes knocked off both Wake Forest on the road and Georgia Tech at home. Donaldson had 21 in the big road win, then manipulated G-Tech for 27 points and earned 11 boards. The Michigan transfer has emerged as one of the best players in the ACC and has plenty of talent around him. The Canes are performing really well right now.

WCC: PORTLAND - Any time the Pilots get to play and beat Oregon State, we need to celebrate. For the second straight season, that has occurred. Also, the Pilots had a feverish rally to outlast Pacific for a perfect 2-0 week, somewhat a rarity for the program in recent years.

ASUN: AUSTIN PEAY - The country is littered with great Freshman players this season. One that is way too far beneath the radar is APSU's Zyree Collins. Collins is performing as the ASUN's top player in the league to date! Last week, Collins showed great maturity by leading the Govs to a road sweep of FGCU and Stetson. The squad is now 4-0 in conference play and has everyone in ASUN-land's attention. Collins had 25 points in the big win at FGCU and seven total steals last week defensively.

SOUTHLAND: NICHOLLS - By now you know that Nicholls fell at McNeese on Monday. That does not take away the 7-0 start that preceded the game and the Colonels were playing without arguably its best player in Jalik Dunkley (undisclosed). Dunkley missed the Saturday win over New Orleans on the road as well, so keep an eye on his status. Colonels also handled Northwestern State to open the week, and this continues to be one of the great January stories to launch league play.

MAAC: MARIST - Red Foxes rode the momentum of demolishing on Iona on its team bus last week as they navigated Sacred Heart and Rider in a pair of road wins. Marist is 5-2 and one game back in the MAAC behind the nation's 28th-best defense. An absolute statistical marvel at this level of CBB.

SUMMIT: NORTH DAKOTA STATE - Bison continue to go about their business while most of us talk about St. Thomas. Sneak preview: the showdown between the two is coming this Saturday, 1/17! NDSU is the Summit team of the week because two road wins occured at Kansas City (who is now searching for a coach) and a tight win at Omaha, 78-76.

BIG 12 EXTRA: WEST VIRGINIA -

The Mountaineers have defeated Kansas three straight times as Ross Hodge kept the streak rolling. WVU is working its way into the thick of early bubble talk, but more importantly demonstrating they will be giving a fight, especially in Morgantown. Highlights:

OVC: LITTLE ROCK - This Trojan bunch is finally creeping its way back to some semblance of healthy. Impressive wins at SIUE and Lindenwood, two of the league's best thus far, more than demonstrates that. Braxton Bayless was a menace against the Lions with 21/7/7.


AMERICA EAST: UMASS-LOWELL - If you had any glimpse of this River Hawk team in November, you might be blind and unable to read this. So I'll assume you did not see them! UML lost its first six D1 games of the year and slowly showed signs of improvement in December. So many proven players from last year's team are gone. Pat Duquette is finally starting to find the right recipe in an open America East race as Vermont is not dominant. UML won at Bryant and at Binghamton to get to 3-0 in league play. Mercer transfer and Dominican Republic native, Angel Montas, Jr., was hurt for part of November. He's clearly rolling now. Dropped 27 points on Bryant and added 17 more at Binghamton.

SOCON: MERCER - Speaking of Mercer, here we are! The Bears are not letting anyone come into Macon and win; that much we have learned. After the demolition of The Citadel, undefeated Wofford paid a visit. Two free-flowing offenses cranked this thing up to a 109-97 regulation victory for the home Bears. Baraka Okojie was able to run freely. He wins SoCon Player of the Week after this one - 29 points and 12 assists. Ryan Ridder's system is so effective when met with limited resistance.

MEAC: N.C. CENTRAL - It was a 88-77 win over Coppin State on the road, but because NC Central is now in first place, the MEAC honors are there's this week. Jae Slack completely stuffed the stat sheet, headlined by his team-leading 18 points.

WAC: UT ARLINGTON - The WAC has had a lot of carnage lately, but UTA has now strung together three straight wins. In the Mavs' lone game last week, they beat Abilene Christian, 82-72. Marcell McCreary paced UTA with 20 and the Mavs rode a hot start to ultimate victory.

SUN BELT: SOUTH ALABAMA - Jags became the first Sun Belt team to solve Georgia Southern, sending the Eagles to 4-1 in league play. Adam Olsen is deadly from deep. His six treys helped bury GSU. Jaguars are now 3-2 in league play and every team in the league has a loss at this stage.

BIG SOUTH: UNC ASHEVILLE - Following an uncharacteristic 0-2 Big South start, the Bulldogs are seemingly back on track. That's because UNCA handled Longwood at home, then traveled to Radford and smothered the Highlanders by 21. Mike Morrell's group appears re-focused and are shooting the ball at a 38% clip from downtown thus far vs. Big South competition.

SWAC: BETHUNE-COOKMAN - The Doctor returned for the showdown with Grambling. BCU did a nice job hyping this game up and the Wildcats responded. Ultimately, Bradley was used in a bench role and scored seven points. His presence uplifting as it was, helped create a winning environment and a 2-0 start to SWAC play.

NEC: CENTRAL CONNECTICUT - CCSU handled its business vs. Stonehill and at Le Moyne this past week. The Blue Devils are 3-1 in the NEC. Darin Smith continues to be special, going for 24 points and 12 rebounds on the road against the Dolphins.

MAC: AKRON - The Zips got it done at nearby Bowling Green and appear to be fully recovered from the tight loss to Miami-Ohio. Akron also knocked off Central Michigan earlier in the week, so it was a great week overall. Currently, Akron has the MAC's best defense overall, generates the highest rate of steals, and overall eFG% defense is best in the MAC. A great recipe for long-term sustainable success.