FAU thoughts

[XLCenterFan]

Am I the only one who sees a significant bounce back - as in bouncing back down to earth. I have seen their preseason ranking way higher than it should be. I’ve seen it as high as 5th! I don’t care if they return everyone. Their competition is way up, and they will have a target on their back. I have them ending the regular season unranked and will eat my phone if they make the sweet 16. Please provide condiments. Thoughts?

 

[auror]

I think Alijah Martin is legit. Johnell Davis is pretty good too, but may struggle a bit more against bigger/more athletic 4s. Their big guy Goldin rates out really strongly analytically.

Generally, if you start 3 guys who shoot 38+% from 3 on good volume and a 4th at 36% and then have a 7'1" guy to protect the rim and rebound.. you're going to be pretty good.

It would be better if those guys were 6'5-6'7" like us and not 6'0-6'4", but you'll still outscore most teams.

 

[caw]

I think Alijah Martin is legit. Johnell Davis is pretty good too, but may struggle a bit more against bigger/more athletic 4s. Their big guy Goldin rates out really strongly analytically.

Generally, if you start 3 guys who shoot 38+% from 3 on good volume and a 4th at 36% and then have a 7'1" guy to protect the rim and rebound.. you're going to be pretty good.

It would be better if those guys were 6'5-6'7" like us and not 6'0-6'4", but you'll still outscore most teams.

Yeah and last year they passed the eye test also. They didn't look like a fluke at all last year.

I do think they probably have a worse record this year but they are still very good. I mean they were a buzzer beater away from losing to UConn in the National Championship game and lost one player.

Now a team I think is overrated going into next season is Gonzaga.

 

[zls44]

They return basically an entire Final Four team, plus their coach, and are not making nearly the jump up in conference that you think. The American is a horror show. FAU beat Memphis in the tournament last year and North Texas was better last year than any remaining AAC team. Any. Including Memphis. Now they're both in the American.

Memphis finishing 3rd would be (1) hilarious and (2) not that weird, actually.

 

[zls44]

Yeah and last year they passed the eye test also. They didn't look like a fluke at all last year.

I do think they probably have a worse record this year but they are still very good. I mean they were a buzzer beater away from losing to UConn in the National Championship game and lost one player.

Now a team I think is overrated going into next season is Gonzaga.

If you took a team with their setup, returning what they return, but instead of FAU their name was Iowa, they'd be a lock preseason top-4 team and nobody would bat an eye.

Ignore the name, look at the results.

 

[Leebo]

Please provide condiments

 

[Travelman6]

If ever there were a team to repeat Mid-major Butler's back-to-back Finals run, FAU is the team to come close to repeating that type of success, but back-to-back final fours in their case.

 

[WrenchFan69]

They were legitimately very, very good last year and they bring nearly everyone back. Would I pencil them in for the Final Four again? Probably no, but they're going to be rather good again. I'll be rooting for them and Gaffney

 

[REB1094]

Preseason rankings are pretty much exclusively based on what you did last year plus your incomers minus your departures (with some brand name bias in the background)

FAU was a final four team who is bringing back nearly everyone. They deserve a great preseason ranking

I’m not familiar with their schedule next year but I’m assuming it’s filled with mid level or bad teams. Once they lose a game, their ranking will tank fast. But they’ve absolutely deserved a high preseason ranking

 

[CL82]

I have them ending the regular season unranked and will eat my phone if they make the sweet 16. Please provide condiments. Thoughts?

Bookmarked

 

[navery12]

They have the benefit of being in a real conference, at least in name now. Last year they were a really good team with zero margin for error. This year they're a really good team who should stay ranked all year even if they slip up and have 4-5 conference losses

 

[Scottzer]

Last year’s FAU team terrified me. I was more afraid of them in the championship game than SDSU. They reminded me a little bit of Xavier, and a little of our 2014 title team - they played their asses off and I wanted no part of them.

 

[Inyatkin]

The burden should be on people who think they'll fall down. They made the Final Four and were a bounce away from the title game. They proved it on the court. Who knows what happens this year, but just saying "I don't see it" doesn't do anything.

 

[Travelman6]

Last year’s FAU team terrified me. I was more afraid of them in the championship game than SDSU. They reminded me a little bit of Xavier, and a little of our 2014 title team - they played their asses off and I wanted no part of them.

Confidant to say uconn would have beat them by 12.

 

[NEforceUConn]

If you took a team with their setup, returning what they return, but instead of FAU their name was Iowa, they'd be a lock preseason top-4 team and nobody would bat an eye.

Ignore the name, look at the results.

How about if the name was BCU?

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

Confidant to say uconn would have beat them by 12.

I don't know if they would have or wouldn't have but there was only one terrifying team in the Final Four and it certainly wasn't FAU.

 

[gsmooth]

Last year’s FAU team terrified me. I was more afraid of them in the championship game than SDSU. They reminded me a little bit of Xavier, and a little of our 2014 title team - they played their asses off and I wanted no part of them.

FAU was a very good team and deserved and earned their trip to the Final Four. Having said that, they didn't terrify me as UConn basketball fan. I think UConn would've beaten them soundly. Despite UConn fans saying Iona was the toughest game they had in the NCAAT, it wasn't, it was San Diego St. SDSU reminded me of those rugged Pittsburgh teams from 2002-2009 (especially 2002-2004).

Despite what some UConn fans here thought, I was not relieved when Texas or Houston lost. I think UConn would've beaten those those teams soundly, too. The team that terrified me was Miami especially after I saw how they dismantled Houston. Miami was good at scoring with off script one on one basketball as well as with good team ball and they were good at making tough shots. Their KenPom offensive ranking was #6 on offense. They could score in unconventional ways that was tough to prepare for.

 

[gsmooth]

Confidant to say uconn would have beat them by 12.

Probably even more than 12 and more than SDSU.

 

[August_West]

Didn't we just lose to them at home on the Gridiron?

 

[Waquoit]

Didn't we just lose to them at home on the Gridiron?

Casual fan

 

[bendm]

i honestly thought this was about the football game against FIU for a second. forgot all about FAU.

 

[XLCenterFan]

I appreciate the insight and the feedback. That's what the BY is awesome for.

I'm seeing FAU's non-conference schedule as being tough for them, regardless of who they return.

They play:
Loyola Chicago
Eastern Michigan
Bryant
Butler
Liberty
Charleston
Illinios
St. Bonaventure
Arizona

I have them 5-4 at best going into conference play. Once in conference, they will not run the table. I believe that while they may be good, they are not great, and will be a good team to fade this season. Sudden popularity and the bloated lines that come with it will make them a good team to bet against.

 

[navery12]

I appreciate the insight and the feedback. That's what the BY is awesome for.

I'm seeing FAU's non-conference schedule as being tough for them, regardless of who they return.

They play:
Loyola Chicago
Eastern Michigan
Bryant
Butler
Liberty
Charleston
Illinios
St. Bonaventure
Arizona

I have them 5-4 at best going into conference play. Once in conference, they will not run the table. I believe that while they may be good, they are not great, and will be a good team to fade this season. Sudden popularity and the bloated lines that come with it will make them a good team to bet against.

There's also an FIU game in there too. It's definitely a tough OOC schedule, but that's exactly how it should be for an experienced team coming off a Final Four. But they'll be the favorite in every one of those games, and pretty handily at that. I can see betting against them and thinking they won't cover, but I'd be surprised if they don't come out of that OOC schedule with 8+ wins

 

[Rocktheworld]

Didn't we just lose to them at home on the Gridiron?

 

[Hey Adrien!]

Am I the only one who sees a significant bounce back - as in bouncing back down to earth. I have seen their preseason ranking way higher than it should be. I’ve seen it as high as 5th! I don’t care if they return everyone. Their competition is way up, and they will have a target on their back. I have them ending the regular season unranked and will eat my phone if they make the sweet 16. Please provide condiments. Thoughts?

This year’s FAU team reminds me of San Diego State teams from the last few seasons: a really good, well-coached veteran squad.

FAU has a super solid floor and with their beefed up non-con, and, to be honest, adding in the fact that they are moving up to the AAC, they could earn an at-large bid even if they lose ~9 games this year.

Me thinks they enter the tournament hovering around the 20-30 mark and earning a 5 or 6 seed. Once in the tourney, all bets are off, but their veteran, guard-laden roster will is the type of roster that can typically go far, as last year showed.

Props to Dusty May, but I doubt he stays two more years there. This momentum will help keep FAU at like a UAB level of school, which is very good, but don’t expect this level of hype each year…maybe like a Saint Mary’s consistency is a ceiling.