Following wins over No. 13-seeded Louisiana in the first round and No. 5 Duke in the second, No. 4 Tennessee is now set for a Sweet 16 matchup with No. 9 Florida Atlantic on Thursday night at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
The Vols – who are 25-10 overall – will face an FAU team that is 33-3 and captured both the Conference USA regular season and tournament championships. Dusty May's squad has been one of the top mid-major teams in the country throughout the 2022-23 campaign.
The Owls advanced to their first Sweet 16 in school history by beating No. 8 Memphis in the first round and No. 16 Fairleigh Dickinson in the second. Thursday's meeting between Tennessee and FAU will mark just the second all-time matchup between the two programs.
Ahead of Thursday's game, VolReport takes a closer look at FAU.
AN ALL-AROUND SUCCESSFUL TEAM
Florida Atlantic has enjoyed much success throughout the 2022-23 season. Despite an early loss to Ole Miss, the Owls then reeled off 20 straight wins – including a road victory at Florida – and were ranked in the Associated Press Top 25 poll. Dusty May's team then went on to capture both the Conference USA regular season and tournament championships and has now advanced to its first-ever Sweet 16.
FAU is a well-coached squad that runs impressive sets on both ends of the floor. On the offensive end, the Owls spread the floor and move the ball around until finding the best shot. They shoot 47.2% from the field, 37.2% from three-point range and score nearly 80 points per game. Defensively, FAU plays with a ton of energy and doesn't allow very many open looks. May's team forces its opponents to work for what they want.
IT ALL STARTS WITH DAVIS
It's no secret that FAU's success begins with Johnell Davis – a 6-foot-4 sophomore guard that leads the Owls on a nightly basis.
Averaging 13.9 points and 5.4 rebounds per game while shooting 50% from the field, Davis shined in FAU's second-round win over Fairleigh Dickinson – scoring 29 points, grabbing 12 rebounds and dishing out five assists as the Owls recorded a 78-70 victory. Davis is a high-energy type of player who gives his all every time he steps on the floor, and he presents a tough matchup for Tennessee.
Alongside Davis' big outing against FDU, the guard's best game of the season – a 36-point performance – came in an 88-86 win over UAB back on January 5.
GREAT GUARD PLAY
One of the many highlights of FAU's team is the way its guards have performed throughout the season. Alongside Davis, fellow guards Alijah Martin (13.1 points per game), Nicholas Boyd (8.9) and Bryan Greenlee (7.2) have all played at a high level – and that's a significant reason why the Owls have won 33 games and are in the Sweet 16.
Starting with Martin, the 6-foot-2 sophomore is just behind Davis in the scoring category and also pulls down 5.3 rebounds per game. He put up 30 points in FAU's win over UAB in the Conference USA Tournament championship game and scored 10 and 14 points, respectively, in the Owls' first two NCAA Tournament games. He is a playmaker who can score in a variety of ways.
Although Boyd and Greenlee don't score a ton of points, they're both crafty with the ball in their hands and get everyone involved. While Greenlee is FAU's primary point guard and sets the offensive rhythm for the Owls, Boyd – a 6-foot-3 freshman – is a high-motor player who can get going quickly.
Tennessee and Florida Atlantic are set for a 9 p.m. ET tipoff on Thursday night. TBS will be carrying the broadcast, and VolReport will be in New York City with complete coverage of the Vols.
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