Owls on the Road for Field of 68 Tip-Off

Saturday, November 8

Lynchburg, Va.

6 p.m.

Florida Atlantic

Charleston

Photo by: Aaron Fertel

11/7/2025 12:17:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Live Stats for Charleston Game Notes #2 Live Stats for Liberty Watch Live Listen @FAUMBB

By: Ben Paul

LYNCHBURG, Va. – The Florida Atlantic men's basketball team will travel to Lynchburg, Virginia, for the third and final edition of the three-team Field of 68 Tip-Off, this year hosted by Liberty.

For the Owls' (1-0) opening game of the 2025 round robin, they will face Charleston on Saturday, Nov. 8 with the matchup against the Cougars (1-0) set to begin at 6 p.m. Sunday against the Flames (1-0) will begin at the same time with both games streaming on YouTube.

Since the event began in 2023, Florida Atlantic owns a 3-1 record versus the two teams.

LAST TIME OUT
The Owls began their 2025-26 season with an 83-78 overtime victory over Boston College at Eleanor R. Baldwin Arena, the program's first home win over a power conference school since December of 2002. Trailing by nine points with under five minutes remaining, Florida Atlantic staged a comeback culminating in a three-pointer from freshman guard Yohann Sissoko to tie the game. He later converted the go-ahead layup in overtime to take a lead that FAU did not relinquish. Five Owls scored in double figures, led by junior guard Kanaan Carlyle with 19.

ABOUT THE OWLS

Jakus enters his second season at the helm of the program. In his debut campaign in 2024-25, he was a finalist for the Joe B. Hall Award, given to the nation's top first-year head coach. Under Jakus' watch, the Owls participated in their fourth straight year of postseason play, selected to the 2025 National Invitational Tournament.
Returning for the Owls are redshirt junior guard Niccolo Moretti, redshirt sophomore guard Devin Vanterpool, and redshirt freshman guards Amar Amkou, Liam Dayco-Green, and Max Langenfeld.
Moretti dished out 115 assists during the 2024-25 season and had just 44 turnovers, ranked 28th nationally in assist/turnover ratio.
The Owls welcome 10 newcomers: four true freshmen, four from the transfer portal, and two international players.
Guard Josiah Parker was named the American Conference's Preseason Freshman of the Year.
Sissoko scored 15 points, the most by an Owl in their collegiate debut since 2018.
As a team, Florida Atlantic was ranked sixth in the American's preseason poll.
In total, the Owls are represented by seven different countries: the United States, Canada, Germany, Italy, Belgium, Senegal, and France.

ABOUT THE COUGARS

The Cougars are led by Head Coach Chris Mack in his second campaign with the team.
Charleston has achieved four straight winning seasons, with two NCAA Tournament appearances in three years.
The Cougars are 1-0 after defeating Tusculum by a score of 79-58 on November 3.
Redshirt sophomore center Chol Machot and graduate guard Kendall Taylor each recorded double-doubles in their season debut.
In the last meeting between FAU and Charleston at the 2024 Field of 68 Tip-Off, the Owls fell on a buzzer beater in double overtime by a score of 119-116, despite recording the second most points in a game in program history.

ABOUT THE FLAMES

Head Coach Ritchie McKay is in his 11th season in his second stint and 13th overall leading the team.
Liberty is fresh off a 28-7 season in 2024-25 and earned an automatic bid to the 2025 NCAA Tournament.
The Flames placed in first in Conference USA's preseason poll.
In its season opener, Liberty recorded a 98-57 victory over Kentucky Christian.
The Owls hold a 3-1 record over the flames, including wins in the last two years. FAU defeated Liberty in overtime by a score of 77-74 in the 2024 edition of the Field of 68 Tip-Off.

UP NEXT
Florida Atlantic will enjoy a week off from games before returning to action on Monday, Nov. 17 to host Coastal Georgia. Tipoff at the Elly is scheduled for 7 p.m. on ESPN+.

SCHEDULE
Click here for the 2025-26 schedule.

ROSTER
Click here for the full 2025-26 men's basketball roster.

FOLLOW THE OWLS
To stay up to date on all things FAU men's basketball, follow the Owls on social media @FAUMBB.

Florida Atlantic's 2025-26 season is sponsored by Phil Smith Kia/Phil Smith Acura.