Men's Basketball Plays Arizona in NIT :: Santa Clara and UAB also in Tucson bracket

Nov. 15, 2008

Florida Atlantic (1-0) @ Arizona (0-0)
2008 Dick's Sporting Goods NIT Season Tip-Off
Monday, Nov. 17, 2008 - Olson Court, McKale Center (14,545)
Tucson, Arizona - 11 p.m. ET
LIVE TV: ESPNU

GAME #2: Florida Atlantic plays the University of Arizona in Tucson Monday, November 17 at 11 p.m. ET in front of a national television audience courtesy of ESPNU. The NIT Season Tip-Off has the Owls playing twice at Arizona's McKale Center, drawing either UAB or Santa Clara Tuesday.

THE SERIES: FAU has never played Arizona, UAB or Santa Clara. The Owls will be making the school's first-ever appearance in the NIT (pre or postseason). Only once has FAU played a Pac-10 opponent (neutral site loss to USC in 1992).

TV/RADIO/INTERNET: ESPNU will broadcast Monday night's game between FAU and Arizona. Dave Pasch (play-by-play) and Len Elmore (analysis) will call the action. All of FAU's regular-season games (home and away) will air live on commercial radio WFTL - 640 AM with additional audio links available via FAUSPORTS.com. Dave Lamont (play-by-play) will call both games for WFTL in Tucson. Live play-by-play scoring via GAMETRACKER will be accessible for both games on FAU's official athletics website (FAUSPORTS.com).

GAME NOTES:
• Mike Jarvis is in his first season as FAU head coach.
• The Owls posted a 72-69 season-opening victory over Monmouth at the FAU Arena.
• FAU is making its first-ever appearance in the NIT.
• The Owls have never played Arizona, UAB or Santa Clara.
• FAU is picked to finish fourth in the SBC East Division, behind South Alabama, Western Kentucky and preseason league favorite Middle Tennessee St.
• FAU boasts two senior starters in the backcourt, Paul Graham III (14.0+ points per game in each of the past two seasons) and Carderro Nwoji (122 assists in 2007-08).
• Five players reached double-figures in scoring versus Monmouth, with Paul Graham III scoring a game-high 19
• While at George Washington (GWU) Jarvis won a pair of 1993 NCAA Tournament games at the McKale center (vs. New Mexico and vs. Southern) advancing to play Michigan's famed `fab 5' team in the Sweet 16.
• Jarvis has coached against UAB twice in his career, first while at GWU in a 1994 first round NCAA Tournament game in Uniondale, N.Y. and later while at St. John's, a third round 2003 NIT contest - winning both times.
• Since 2005 FAU is averaging just four wins per season away from home.
• Following Tuesday night's game against UAB or Santa Clara, FAU will play at least two more games in the NIT, opponents and sites TBD.

PROBABLE STARTERS: (based on last game)
PG - #12 Carderro Nwoji (6-0, 175, Sr., Wichita, KS)
Sun Belt's returning leader in assists (10 pts/3 assists vs. MU)
G - #25 Paul Graham III (6-5, 190, Sr., Philadelphia, PA)
Has averaged 14+ points per game for two-straight seasons (19 pts/6 reb vs. MU)
G - #24 Xavier Perkins (6-4, 225, So., Delray Beach, FL)
Averaged 15 points per game in FAU's two exhibition games (7 pts/2 reb vs. MU)
F - #50 Sammy Hernandez (6-5, 230, Sr., Miami, FL)
Played on George Mason's 2006 Final Four team (4 reb/2 pts vs. MU)
C - #40 Brett Royster (6-8, 220, So., Arlington, TX)
Set FAU's freshman record for blocks (41) last season (12 pts/4 reb vs. MU)

FLORIDA ATLANTIC: Mike Jarvis guided the Owls to a season-opening win against Monmouth, 72-69 on FAU's home floor Friday. Jarvis inherits a squad that returns three senior starters and has brought in a talented group of newcomers that have provided immediate contributions. Senior point guard Carderro Nwoji and senior off guard Paul Graham III both averaged double figures in scoring last season. Graham poured in 19, including a career-high five 3-pointers vs. Monmouth. Sophomore guard Xavier Perkins, freshman forward Chris Watson and freshman guard Shavar Richardson have impressed in the season's early stages.

ARIZONA: Interim head coach Russ Pennell begins his first season at the University of Arizona and his first overall as a college head coach. Pennell and the Wildcats are playing their season-opener Monday against FAU. Arizona is picked to finish fourth in the Pac-10 and enter the season unranked for the first time since 2001-02. The Wildcats beat Sonoma St. 78-54 and Incarnate Word 97-83 in its two exhibitions. U of A has produced nine current NBA players. Arizona has an outstanding class of juniors, including 6-foot-7 junior Chase Budinger, 6-foot-10 junior Jordan Hill and 5-foot-10 guard Nic Wise.

UAB: Third-year head coach Mike Davis and the Blazers return four starters from a team that went 23-11 in 2007-08. Guard/forward Robert Vaden averaged 21.1 points per game last year and is widely recognized as one of the nation's top players. The 6-foot-5 senior is projected to be the CUSA Player of the Year. FAU will play at UAB later this season, in Birmingham on Dec. 22.

SANTA CLARA: Former UCLA assistant coach Kerry Keating is in his second year at Santa Clara. His 2007-08 Broncos finished 15-16 and 6-8 in the West Coast Conference - which sent three teams to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in its league history. 6-foot-11 senior John Bryant - one of the nation's top centers - led SCU in both scoring (18.0 ppg) and rebounding (9.6 rpg) last season.

NEXT UP: Florida Atlantic is guaranteed four games in the 2008 Dick's Sporting Goods NIT Season Tip-Off Tournament. The winner of the four-team bracket in Tucson moves onto New York's Madison Square Garden over the Thanksgiving holiday for the semifinal and final doubleheaders November 26 and 28. The remaining 12 teams will play third and fourth round games on November 24 and 25. These games will be played on the home campus sites of the three highest remaining seeds. Participating teams will not play any team twice and third and fourth rounds will be assigned to the most geographically compatible site possible.

NEXT HOME GAME: Saturday, November 22 at 7 p.m. vs. UMKC. For tickets or more information call 1-866-FAU-OWLS.