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GAME THREAD: FAU @ Troy - 12/27/12 @ 8:00 PM

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GAME THREAD: FAU @ Troy - 12/27/12 @ 8:00 PM




What: Florida Atlantic (5-7, 1-1 SBC) vs Troy (5-8, 2-2 SBC)

When: Thursday, Dec. 27th @ 8:00 PM EST

Where: Trojan Arena

Trojans Team Site: Here


TV: None

Live Video: Troy Trojans Access (Subscription)

Internet Broadcast: Here

Live Stats: Here



Probable Starters:

FAU

G- Jackson Trapp 6.4 ppg
G- Greg Gantt 21.8 ppg
G- Pablo Bertone 6.8 ppg
F- Jordan McCoy 5.0 ppg
C- Dragan Sekelja 4.1 ppg


Troy

G- Deonata Jethroe 7.1 ppg
G- Hunter Williams 9.9 pgg
G- Emil Jones 10.2 ppg
G- Antonie Myers 9.3 ppg
F- Ray Chambers  6.8 ppg



The Series

The Trojans hold a 20-9 all-time advantage in the series, but the Owls have won three of the past four meetings. The last time the two schools met, Troy overcame a 14 point deficit midway through the second half to rally for a thrilling 83-82 victory in the Burrow.

Greg Gantt led FAU with 28 points, but it was former point guard Alex Tucker who missed the final shot at the end of regulation to seal the deal. Pablo Bertone had a career-high 20 points on 7-of-10 shooting, to go along with five assists.


Owls at a Glance

FAU traveled to #6 Indiana on Friday night and experienced life in a hostile environment with a limited roster, before falling 88-52 on the road for the team’s third straight loss.

With freshman guards Stefan Moody and Cavon Baker serving suspensions for violating team rules, it was senior guard Greg Gantt who tried to keep the Owls in the contest.

The squad was able to tie the game in the early minutes, but a 20-2 run by the Hoosiers midway through the first half propelled the dominating win.

“I knew it was going to be almost impossible. I felt a little bit like David going after Goliath tonight. Even if we had all of our players, we don't beat Indiana right now, but I want to get a team good enough where I can come back here and beat their butts,” head coach Mike Jarvis said.

Gantt was the team’s lone bright spot, scoring a game-high 25 points and continually creating offense for the visitors.

His double-digit effort was his 11th of the season, but more importantly he inched closer to becoming the school’s all-time leading scorer.

“They competed. Greg Gantt scored against Indiana, a really good team, so he can score. It's nice to see him have a night against a team like this. He had to do a lot by himself because the guy that really makes it possible for him to get a lot more open looks didn't play tonight, Stefan Moody, our fantastic freshman,” Jarvis said.

Gantt currently stands five points away from breaking Earnest Crumbley’s school record of 1,559 career points, and has a favorable matchup on Thursday night against Troy. In Gantt’s six career games against the Trojans, he has averaged 18 points an outing – including a 28 point outburst last season in which he was 6-of-10 from three-point range.

With Moody set to miss his third and final game of the suspension, it will be Gantt who once again will be relied on heavily for his production on the offensive side of the court. In the two contests this season that Moody has missed, Gantt has attempted more shots (46) than any other two game spell of his career.

While Gantt has had to score more, other players have had to adapt to new roles with the limited roster. Junior guard Pablo Bertone saw some minutes at point guard while Jackson Trapp was on the bench. Normally Moody would run the offense with Trapp off the court, but due to certain circumstances it was Bertone.

The Argentinean native fared well for a brief period before of play, before contributing four costly turnovers prevailed. Bertone has struggled over the past three games and was just 1-of-11 from the field against Indiana.

With the full slate of conference play starting on Thursday and Moody expected to return over the weekend, it appears it may be time for a more set rotation to formulate.

“I think when Stefan comes back, and we define our seven or eight guys as we go along, we're going to be okay, especially in our conference,” Jarvis said.

The Owls are 0-4 this season when shooting 33.6% or worse.


Trojans at a Glance

Much like how FAU played Stetson twice this season, the Trojans scheduled Utah Valley State for a pair of games this year and concluded the series with a 67-64 overtime loss on the road last week.

The Trojans had held a lead in overtime, but surrendered a layup with 36 seconds remaining in the extra period of play before missing a jump shot to end the game. The loss marked the team’s sixth in the last seven games and moved the squad to 5-8 (0-2) on the season.

“The one thing we took away is that I thought we played every play in the second, defensively and offensively,” said head coach Don Maestri who is in his 31st season with the program.  “It was a very intense game.  Now we have to crank it up and get ready for Florida Atlantic and the Sun Belt.”

In the loss to the Wolverines, four different players were in double-figures and led by junior forward Tevin Calhoun who had a season high 18 points. However, poor shooting down the stretch hampered the Trojans as they shot just 37.5% from the floor and were only 7-of-25 (28%) from behind the arc.

Troy likes to shoot the ball, and leads the Sun Belt Conference in three pointers attempted per game with an average of 23 a contest. Four different guards anchor the starting lineup, and almost every player can knock down shots from long range.

Senior guard Emil Jones is the only player on the roster who averages double-digit figures in scoring, but five other individuals are averaging six points or better. Central Florida transfer Hunter Williams is the team’s best shooter and has hit a three-pointer in all but one game this season. If he gets an open look, he will most likely make the bucket.

The Trojans opened the year with an impressive 56-53 win over Mississippi State in their opening game at the new state of the art Trojan Arena, but failed to build off the momentum gained. Since the victory, the team’s best win has come over an 8-6 Southeast Missouri State squad.

Despite the poor record, the Trojans still hold the best assist to turnover ratio in the conference, and pose a threat to any opponent with their balanced scoring on offense.

In every loss this season the team has turned the ball over nine times or more.


Latest Line:

Troy -3


Owl's Nest Prediction

If FAU ever needed a win this season, the time might be now. Having dropped their last three games in a row – including a one-point loss at home to Stetson – the team is in desperate need of turning things around as conference play begins.

Accomplishing that task will be difficult with Moody again not being part of the rotation and the game being played away from home.

Gantt should continue to be the workhorse of the offense, and Thursday night he should become the school’s all-time leading scorer. Outside of him, Jarvis will need valid efforts from Jordan McCoy and Kelvin Penn as the Trojans like to run up and down the court.

This game should be a close one, but the home team holds an advantage simply because they have a full roster. If FAU wants to win they will need to limit the long range shot which will be difficult.  Expect this one to come down to the final possessions.

Troy -2
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Re: Game Preview: FAU @ Troy - 12/27/12 @ 8:00 PM

Attendance should get a boost tomorrow night…….

Free admission Thursday as Troy hosts FAU in Sun Belt basketball battle
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Re: Game Preview: FAU @ Troy - 12/27/12 @ 8:00 PM

“I knew it was going to be almost impossible. I felt a little bit like David going after Goliath tonight. Even if we had all of our players, we don't beat Indiana right now, but I want to get a team good enough where I can come back here and beat their butts,” head coach Mike Jarvis said.

i'm laying on my couch watching the WKU bowl game right now. sloppy and boring. read this quote and literally laughed out loud. Dude, are you kidding me? you've had 5 years of recruiting, the role model players you claim you got are suspended before beginning of the year, your 7ft monster plays like Sami more than a Nick Neuwman. You kick everyone off your team when they're seniors. You've never done anything and there's nothing you have to show that you will do anything. You're literally out of your mind. You're losing to Stetson at home and you're talking about 'beating their butts' are you talking the mens or women's team at Indiana? Actually that quote made me laugh so you did do something.

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Re: Game Preview: FAU @ Troy - 12/27/12 @ 8:00 PM

Rick said

Attendance should get a boost tomorrow night…….

Free admission Thursday as Troy hosts FAU in Sun Belt basketball battle

Maybe FAU should do this on New Years Day because I don't see many people going to the game at 2:00pm. Hang over games are not as fun. May have to just keep partying until the game.
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Re: Game Preview: FAU @ Troy - 12/27/12 @ 8:00 PM

If we're going to win this game, somebody other than Greg Gantt needs to score for this team.
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Re: Game Preview: FAU @ Troy - 12/27/12 @ 8:00 PM

I'd really like to Jarvis and the boys to win this one. 3 straight losses is enough and it'd be nice to upset the Trojans in both sports.
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Re: Game Preview: FAU @ Troy - 12/27/12 @ 8:00 PM

I think this game will be a good indication of where we stand.  We were picked 4th in the division and Troy was picked to finish 5th.  If we can't win this game, I know it's on the road and they should have a good crowd, but I don't believe anyone is hoping for a 4th place finish in the division, then we are in for a looong year.

GO OWLS!
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Re: Game Preview: FAU @ Troy - 12/27/12 @ 8:00 PM

Line is now +5 for the Owls…….

Going the wrong way!

???

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Re: Game Preview: FAU @ Troy - 12/27/12 @ 8:00 PM

Rick said

Going the wrong way!

???

So is this team!

My two favorite teams are FAU, and who ever is beating FIU!
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Re: Game Preview: FAU @ Troy - 12/27/12 @ 8:00 PM

Jab979 said

Rick said

Going the wrong way!

???

So is this team!

Well said.

I was really hoping to go to some good games this year and so far it isn't shaping up that way.  I know we have a long way to go but so far I haven't seen much to show me we are moving in the right direction after the big shake up at the end of last year.

GO OWLS!
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