Basketball Gameday: at Florida Atlantic
December 03, 2014 | Men's Basketball
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| East Carolina vs. Florida Atlantic Dec. 3, 2014 | 7 p.m. EST FAU Arena | Boca Raton, Fla. |
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Setting The Scene
? East Carolina will play on an opponent's home court for the first time this season as it travels to Boca Raton, Fla. to take on Florida Atlantic. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. at the FAU Arena with live play-by-play coverage available on the Pirate-IMG Sports Network and ecupirates.com.
? Florida Atlantic posted a 78-69 win over ECU last season at the FAU Arena as Conference USA foes. Michael Zangari posted a double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds, while Caleb White scored 12 points.
? The Pirates' last "true" road win was Feb. 1, 2014 at UAB. ECU will look to snap a five-game road losing streak dating back to last season.
? It'll be a homecoming of sorts for freshman Lance Tejada, who is from nearby Pompano Beach, Fla. The distance between Tejada's hometown and Boca Raton is approximately 15 miles. .
What To Watch For
? East Carolina has won all four games in which it has out-rebounded its opponent, while it has lost all three games in which it has lost the battle of the boards.
? B.J. Tyson ranked 10th among all NCAA Division I freshmen in scoring entering play Tuesday. He ranks second in The American with 16.0 ppg.
? Tyson (3) and Terry Whisnant (2) have combined to lead ECU in scoring five times. Michel Nzege and Caleb White have each been the team's top scorer in one game.
? The Pirates are looking to win consecutive games for the first time this season. They have alternated wins and losses through the first seven games.
Scouting Florida Atlantic
? Florida Atlantic enters Wednesday's game against East Carolina fresh off a victory over Ave Maria, 54-43, at the FAU Arena Sunday. The Owls are 2-0 this season with both of their wins coming at home. They also defeated Warner, 74-49.
? FAU is still in search of its first Division I victory of the season. ECU will be the Owls' first DI opponent at home this year. The Owls lost on the road to Elon, Harvard and Georgia.
? The Owls have two players averaging double figures scoring: Jackson Trapp (13.4 ppg) and Maquan Botley (12.2 ppg). Botley has an All-Conference USA Freshman Team player last season.
? Michael Curry is in his first year as head coach at FAU. He spent 11 years as an NBA player and was the head coach of the Detroit Pistons during the 2008-09 campaign.
? FAU is averaging 59.2 ppg. They have been held under 60 three times and have scored over 70 just once.
? The Owls ranks second in the nation, behind Louisville, in 3-point field goal percent defense at 20.0 percent. The best that any team has shot against them is 25.0 percent by Elon and Georgia.
Series History
? The all-time series between East Carolina and Florida Atlantic is tied at 1-1 with each team winning on its home floor.
? The winning team in each game has scored more than 70 points, while the losing team has scored in the 60s.
? ECU coach Jeff Lebo is 0-1 all-time against Florida Atlantic.
Coming Soon
? The Pirates will return to their home state and travel to Chapel Hill to play North Carolina on Dec. 7 at 3 p.m. on ESPNU
? The Pirates' next home game Saturday, Dec. 13 against James Madison. Tip-off is set for 5 p.m. on ESPN3.
