SAN ANTONIO – The UTSA men’s basketball team (4-8) will end the calendar year opening up American Conference play, set for a New Year’s Eve conference matchup at Florida Atlantic (8-5). The Roadrunners and Owls will face off in Boca Raton on Abessinio Court at Eleanor R. Baldwin Arena, tipping off at 12 p.m. CT on ESPN+.
On the Air and on the Web
Wednesday’s 12 p.m. CT tipoff with the Owls at Baldwin Arena will be streamed on ESPN+, with Frank Forte (play-by-play) and Chris Williams (analyst) on the broadcast call.
The radio broadcast will appear on Sports Radio AM 760 The Ticket with Andy Everett (play-by-play) covering the action live from Boca Raton. The broadcast will feature a 30-minute pregame and 15-minute postgame show – available online at Ticket760.com or via the free iHeartRadio app.
UTSA Athletics will also provide Live Stats.
About the UTSA Roadrunners
The Roadrunners come out of non-conference play at 4-8 and look to snap a five-game losing skid after a challenging schedule over the last month. A series of tests to prepare for the American schedule, the past five opponents carry a combined 47-14 record and have an average NET ranking of 87th, topped by No. 14th-ranked Alabama. Last time out, the Roadrunners saw a setback in one of the closest games of the year, falling to Seattle, 71-68, after taking a four-point lead with 2:33 remaining. Macaleab Rich rose to the occasion against the Redhawks, scoring 25 points on 11-for-15 shooting. UTSA heads to the road for the first of two away contests to open American Conference play, scoring 71.3 ppg on 39.6 percent shooting, while ranking fourth in the American (52nd NCAA) with 40.3 rpg, holding opponents to 40.6 percent (65th NCAA) field goal shooting and 29.5 percent (44th NCAA) three-point shooting – both second in the American.
Steady as can be, graduate guard Jamir Simpson earned his seventh 20-point game against Seattle and has logged double figures each game this season, ranking second in the conference and 58th nationally with 18.8 ppg, averaging an American-third (89th NCAA) 2.67 threes per game. Rich has jumped to the No. 2 UTSA scoring spot, averaging 8.9 ppg on 57.1 percent shooting, while freshman Kaidon Rayfield averages 8.3 ppg and leads the team on the glass with 6.5 rpg.
About the Florida Atlantic Owls
An international-heavy roster this year, the Owls have opened the second season under John Jakus at 8-5, with American play up next and heading into Wednesday with back-to-back losses at RV Saint Mary’s (75-88) and a neutral-site setback vs. UCF (80-85). The Owls move with pace but have an efficient offense, putting up 82.9 ppg with 14.5 fast break ppg and 46.4 percent shooting – still dropping threes at a 9.2 per game rate to rank third in the American. Defensively, the opposition has found the scoreboard frequently, putting up 73.6 ppg while shooting 44.4 percent. However, the Owls are No. 10 in the nation in blocks per game (6.3) as a team.
Returning redshirt sophomore Devin Vanterpool paces the Owls with 16.7 ppg on 46.9 percent shooting, also leading FAU with 7.0 rpg, team highs of 24 threes and 18 steals, while ranking second with 2.6 apg. A junior transfer from Indiana, Kanaan Carlyle plays the most minutes and is averaging 14.7 ppg with a team-best 3.2 apg. A transfer from USC, Isaiah Elohim rounds out the double-figure scorers, adding 10.9 ppg.
Series History
The Owls and Roadrunners will meet for the 19th time on Wednesday in a series that dates to 2014 when UTSA joined Conference USA. Florida Atlantic is leading the overall at 12-6 and the Roadrunners are 1-6 in Boca Raton. UTSA has lost five straight in the series, with six consecutive road losses. After an overtime nailbiter in 2024 at the Convo, last season was a long-range shootout that saw 26 total threes fall, but KyKy Tandy’s 8-for-10 long-range performance pushed FAU to the 94-74 win in Boca Raton. UTSA’s last and only road win in the series was Feb. 7, 2015, 74-59. The last series victory for UTSA was an 86-75 victory on Feb. 13, 2021, following up an 84-80 victory the prior night during the COVID season.
Up Next
UTSA will head north to face Temple in Philadelphia on Jan. 3 in a nationally televised ESPNU matchup with the Owls. UTSA will next play at home in the Convocation Center on Wednesday, Jan. 7 against Charlotte for the Lights Out Game. Next Saturday, UTSA will host Tulane in the Salute to First Responders.
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