Florida Atlantic University Athletics
Photo by: Alex Dolce
Owls Ramp Up Practice as Final Four Nears
3/30/2023 8:17:00 PM | Men's Basketball
HOUSTON – On early Thursday morning, the Final Four bound Florida Atlantic University's men's basketball team (35-3) stepped on the floor of NRG Stadium, host venue of the 2023 NCAA Tournament Semifinal and Championship, for the first time.
The East Region champion and No. 9 seed Owls, one of the four remaining teams in the 2023 NCAA Tournament, participated in an intense practice followed by a media session for Saturday's win-or-go-home Final Four matchup against the South Region champions and No. 5 seed San Diego State (31-6).
The game will be nationally televised on CBS with tip-off scheduled for 6:09 p.m. EST.
Head Coach Dusty May
"I think these two days are important just to get comfortable. Any different environment or surrounding you want to acclimate yourself and feel more comfortable when it's time to perform. I still don't think our guys are going to be fazed by the 70-plus-thousand [fans], the lights, the attention, because they love ball. They love to compete. And they have a lot of faith in their teammates. I think it's what's gotten us to this point. We have a lot of guys who are really good players, and some of them are exceptional on given nights. So I'm very confident they're going to show up and do what they've done for the last, I guess, close to 40 games when you consider exhibitions and scrimmages.
Sophomore Guard Johnell Davis
"We aren't feeling any pressure. We go out and play our game, like Coach [May] said, and have confidence."
Sophomore Guard Alijah Martin
"No pressure in there, just ball. And we've been playing this whole month, so we belong to be here and we're just going to trust it."
Junior Guard Bryan Greenlee
"We're not scared of any challenge. We love playing under the bright lights. We just play our game and try to execute everything as best we can and have fun."
Gallery: (3-30-2023) Final Four Practice at NRG Stadium
The East Region champion and No. 9 seed Owls, one of the four remaining teams in the 2023 NCAA Tournament, participated in an intense practice followed by a media session for Saturday's win-or-go-home Final Four matchup against the South Region champions and No. 5 seed San Diego State (31-6).
The game will be nationally televised on CBS with tip-off scheduled for 6:09 p.m. EST.
Quotes from the Owls
The Owls on Preparing for the Final FourHead Coach Dusty May
"I think these two days are important just to get comfortable. Any different environment or surrounding you want to acclimate yourself and feel more comfortable when it's time to perform. I still don't think our guys are going to be fazed by the 70-plus-thousand [fans], the lights, the attention, because they love ball. They love to compete. And they have a lot of faith in their teammates. I think it's what's gotten us to this point. We have a lot of guys who are really good players, and some of them are exceptional on given nights. So I'm very confident they're going to show up and do what they've done for the last, I guess, close to 40 games when you consider exhibitions and scrimmages.
Sophomore Guard Johnell Davis
"We aren't feeling any pressure. We go out and play our game, like Coach [May] said, and have confidence."
Sophomore Guard Alijah Martin
"No pressure in there, just ball. And we've been playing this whole month, so we belong to be here and we're just going to trust it."
Junior Guard Bryan Greenlee
"We're not scared of any challenge. We love playing under the bright lights. We just play our game and try to execute everything as best we can and have fun."
Social Feed
Taking it all in 🏟 pic.twitter.com/LQUwest9Ex
— FAU Men's Basketball - Final Four Bound (@FAUMBB) March 30, 2023
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