Under the Radar Game of the Day: Florida Gulf Coast at Florida Atlantic

Florida Gulf Coast at Florida Atlantic, 7:00 PM Eastern, cusa.tv (subscription required)

Conference play is starting this week, but a few teams are still finishing up their non-conference schedules, and that is the case for tonight’s Under the Radar Game of the Day as the Atlantic Sun’s Florida Gulf Coast Eagles travel to Boca Raton to take on Conference USA’s Florida Atlantic Owls.  This game will be the final out-of-conference contest against D1 competition for both teams (FGCU does have a game against Florida Tech on New Year’s Eve).  The host Owls enter tonight’s game with a record of 4-6 and a KenPom rating in the 200’s.  They have disappointing losses to SIU Edwardsville and Texas State on their resume already; however, they also have one of the most shocking wins of the season to their credit, having beaten Ohio State in Columbus by 2 points in overtime.  Adonis Filer came off the bench in that game and hit 5 three-pointers en route to a team high 23 points.  Filer got the start in his team’s last game, and if he can continue to light it up from beyond the arc, his team may make some surprising noise in C-USA this year.

The FGCU Eagles have been the most impressive team out of the Atlantic Sun so far this season, entering play tonight at 9-5 with a KenPom rating inside the top 100.  Their wins include a home overtime win over Long Beach State and a home win over Texas-Arlington, a pair of teams that should contend for their respective conference championships.  They are coming off a one point road win at Louisiana Tech on December 20 (and a home win over non-D1 Florida National on December 22), and will be looking to take down another C-USA team on the road tonight.  The Eagles are led by the duo of Brandon Johnson and Zach Goodwin, either of whom can light up the scoreboard on any given night, but don’t overlook Christian Terrell who has the ability to knock it down from long-range as well.  A win tonight, and against Florida Tech on Saturday, will give this team a ton of momentum as they head into conference play, which begins with a trip to top rival Stetson on January 7.