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Florida Atlantic University Athletics
FAU to Face Tar Heels, Kangaroos This Week
12/18/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Dec. 18, 2006
BOCA RATON, FL - Carlos Monroe and the Florida Atlantic University men's basketball team have a tough test ahead of them this week. The Owls must travel to Chapel Hill, NC to face the University of North Carolina Tar Heels on Tuesday before returning home to face the UMKC Kangaroos, a team that beat FAU in the second game of this season, on Saturday.
The Owls may have to face the Tar Heels without their leading scorer, Paul Graham. He is currently listed as day-to-day with an ankle injury, and questionable for Tuesday. Graham has scored in double-figures in every game this season and is averaging 16.6 points per game.
If Graham can't go, FAU will need some of its role players who have stepped up recently to continue their strong play. Avery Holley scored 16 points in just his third game of the season against UCF, and backed that performance up with eight assists against Troy in the Sun Belt Conference opener. Brent Crews had a double-double against troy with 10 points and 10 assists, and Derrick Simmons posted a career-high 21 points, most of them coming with FAU's two leading scorers off the court.
Monroe leads the team in rebounding with 8.4 caroms per contest and Jeff Parmer has stepped up his efforts on the glass in each of the last two contests, grabbing 11 rebounds in each game.
Additionally, the team will welcome DeAndre Rice and Eni Cuka back to the court. Both players have been cleared to play and will be active for the first time this season. Rice led the team in scoring last season with 16.1 points per game, while Cuka is a freshman transfer from Niagara.
UNC (8-1) is coming off consecutive 25+ point victories against High Point (94-69) and UNC Asheville (93-62) and has a five-game winning streak. Tyler Hansbrough leads the team in both scoring (18.9) and rebounding (8.1), and the Tar Heels have four players who average 10 points or more. Brandon Wright's 15.8 points and 6.7 rebounds per contest are both second on the team to Hansbrough.
The Tar Heels are shooting 50.7 percent as a team, 36.7 percent from behind the arc. Wayne Ellington (17-for-45) and Reyshawn Terry (11-for-23) are their main deep threats. Ty Lawson is the team's primary distributor with 42 assists and a better than 2-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio (42-to-20).
North Carolina is the highest-ranked opponent in the history of FAU men's basketball. The Owls are 1-8 all-time against ranked opponents, with the win coming against No. 11 Oklahoma State.
The UMKC Kangaroos (4-8) beat FAU earlier this season in the Owls' second game of 2006-07, 85-70. The game was UMKC's home and season-opener. Recently they snapped a five-game losing streak with an 80-68 win over Central Arkansas thanks to 25 points from Quinton Day, who has led the Kangaroos in scoring in nine of the team's 12 contests.
In the earlier meeting, UMKC went 8-for-14 from behind the arc in the first-half to take a 44-37 halftime lead. The Kangaroos shot 49.1 percent in the contest, led by the efforts of Dominique Johnson (9-for-13, four threes, 25 points) and Day (7-for-10, five threes, 24 points). Alex Pledger had a game-high 15 rebounds.
The Owls were led by Graham's career-high 20 points. Parmer added 15 points and nine boards, while Monroe picked up his first-career double-double with 14 points and 14 rebounds. He hit a career-high 10 free throws in 17 attempts. 18 turnovers plagued the Owls, along with a poor night from distance, going just 8-for-27 in trey attempts.
UMKC is shooting 42.1 percent as a team, 37.3 percent on three-point attempts. The Kangaroos are led by Day's 21.2 points per game, and two others (Brent Stephens, Johnson) average double-figures. No Kangaroo averages more than five rebounds a contest (Pledger, 4.5 rpg).
The Kangaroos are 0-6 on the road this season.
Tip-off in Chapel Hill, NC is scheduled for Tuesday at 7 p.m., and the game will be aired on ESPNU. Saturday's game against UMKC at FAU Arena is scheduled for 7 p.m. Doors open for the UMKC game one-hour prior to tip-off. Both games can be heard on WMEN 640 AM with the voice of the Owls, Evan Cohen.
Season tickets are still available for FAU men's and women's basketball. Fans can also purchase individual game tickets ($10 general admission for adults, $7 for youth/seniors) or as a group ($5/ticket for groups of 15 or more). Tickets may be purchased through Ticketmaster, on FAUsports.com, at the FAU Box Office located next to the Tom Oxley Athletic Center on the Boca Raton campus, or by calling 1-866-FAU-Owls. Tickets will also be available in the lobby of FAU Arena once doors open. There is no charge for parking during FAU men's and women's basketball games.
Saturday's game will be the last chance to take part in FAU's Toys for Tots drive. Bring an unwrapped toy to donate and you will receive $2 off admission to the game. As always, youth league members will be able to purchase their tickets for only $1 if they wear their team's jersey to the game.
If you have a few more names on your gift list this holiday season, take a look at Pepsi's Sun Belt Basketball Power Pack. Choose any four men's and any four women's Sun Belt Conference games for just $40 and you will receive a year's supply of Pepsi product per order. In addition, your name will be entered into a drawing to win a dual LCD portable DVD player. For more information about the Pepsi Sun Belt Basketball Power Pack call 1-866-FAU-Owls or log on to FAUsports.com.
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