Florida Atlantic Opens American Play

BOCA RATON, Fla. – The Florida Atlantic men's basketball team begins its third season of American Conference play with a home matchup against UTSA on Wednesday, Dec. 31, at 1 p.m., followed by a trip to New Orleans to face Tulane on Sunday, Jan. 4, also tipping off at 1 p.m. ET.

After closing their non-conference schedule with two contests away from Boca Raton, the Owls (8-5) are back in Paradise for the opening game of American play against the Roadrunners (4-8) on ESPN+. The afternoon is sponsored by GEICO.

For its meeting against the Green Wave (9-4), FAU will head to New Orleans for the second time in as many years to begin a two-game road trip.

LAST TIME OUT
The Owls completed non-conference play, coming up just short to UCF on Dec. 23 by a score of 85-80. Led by junior forward Xander Pintelon's first 20-point outing and a double-double from junior guard Kanaan Carlyle, Florida Atlantic maintained a lead through the first half and turned a late deficit into a one-point game with just under two minutes remaining.

ABOUT THE OWLS

Head Coach John Jakus is in 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.
FAU boasts eight international players. In total, the Owls are represented by seven different countries: the United States, Canada, Germany, Italy, Belgium, Senegal, and France.
Redshirt sophomore guard Devin Vanterpool has totaled two American Conference weekly honorable mentions and is off to a career-best start to the season. He leads FAU in points per game (16.7), rebounds per game (7.0), and steals (18), is second in blocks (8), and third in assists (31). His rebounds per game rank third nationally among guards 6'4 and shorter. Against Coastal Georgia, he scored 30 points, the first Owl to reach that mark since Johnell Davis in January of 2024.
Carlyle reached 500 collegiate career points on December 13 against UAlbany, leading all active Owls. He logged 20+ points in three consecutive games, the first Florida Atlantic player to do so since Vlad Goldin in March of 2024. He is second on the team in points per game at 14.5 and leads in assists per game (3.1). Against UCF, he hauled in a collegiate career high of 11 rebounds.
Guard Josiah Parker, the American Conference's Preseason Freshman of the Year, has won two weekly awards after scoring 16 points on 7-for-8 shooting in the Owls' comeback win over Florida Gulf Coast on Dec. 7 and then 17 points against Saint Mary's on Dec. 19.
Sophomore guard Isaiah Elohim has reached the double-digit scoring mark in five straight games.
As a team, the Owls are No. 11 in the nation in blocks per game (6.0). Leading the category individually is redshirt sophomore forward Devin Williams at 3.0 per game. He ranks No. 8 nationwide.
Florida Atlantic was ranked sixth in the American's preseason poll.

ABOUT THE ROADRUNNERS

UTSA is led by Head Coach Austin Claunch in his second season.
Graduate guard Jamir Simpson leads the team at 18.8 points per game, ranking second in the American.
Sophomore forward Baboucarr Njie leads the way in blocks with 18 on the season.
UTSA's defense holds opponents to 40.6% shooting from the field, second best in the conference.
The Owls and Roadrunners last faced off at the Elly on Jan. 29, with FAU winning by a score of 94-74. FAU holds a 12-6 all-time series lead and is 6-1 when playing UTSA at home.

ABOUT THE GREEN WAVE

Head Coach Ron Hunter is in his sixth season at Tulane.
Redshirt junior guard Rowan Brumbaugh is the Green Wave's top scorer at 18.5 points per game and has dished out a team-best 43 assists. He is also No. 1 in the conference with 2.1 steals per game.
Junior guard Curtis Williams Jr. contributes 13.4 points per game and leads Tulane in rebounding with 5.2 per game.
Converting 77.2% of their free throw attempts, the Green Wave is No. 33 nationwide.
Tulane leads the all-time series over the Owls, 7-2, and defeated FAU in the 2025 American Quarterfinals in March of 2025 by a score of 83-76.

UP NEXT
Florida Atlantic will remain on the road to face UAB on Wednesday, Jan. 7. Tip-off is at 7 p.m. ET 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.

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Players Mentioned

Kanaan Carlyle

Isaiah Elohim

Josiah Parker

Xander Pintelon

Devin Vanterpool

Devin Williams

Upcoming Events

Upcoming Event: Men's Basketball versus UTSA on December 31, 2025 at 1 p.m.

Upcoming Event: Men's Basketball at Tulane on January 4, 2026 at 1 p.m. ET

Upcoming Event: Men's Basketball at UAB on January 7, 2026 at 7 p.m. ET

Upcoming Event: Men's Basketball versus Memphis on January 11, 2026 at 1 p.m.

Upcoming Event: Men's Basketball versus Wichita State on January 15, 2026 at 9 p.m.

Upcoming Event: Men's Basketball at Temple on January 18, 2026 at 12 p.m.

Florida Atlantic University Athletics