Sweet 16 - Florida Atlantic basketball players turn into tourists in New York City

Zach Weinberger

March 23, 2023 at 5:30 AM·3 min read

NEW YORK — The Florida Atlantic basketball team took some time off from practice and preparing for its Sweet Sixteen matchup with Tennessee to play tourists in the Big Apple.

The Owls and Volunteers are playing Thursday night in the Mecca of sports venues, Madison Square Garden.

“Extremely excited to be playing in the Garden in the Sweet Sixteen,” FAU head coach Dusty May said. “What a moment for our guys and we're here to compete.”

The Owls traveled straight to New York after defeating Fairleigh Dickinson on Sunday night in Columbus, Ohio. They took a much-needed day off on Monday to explore New York and relish where they’re playing.

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May said that the squad checked out the sights close to the team hotel such as Times Square and Broadway.

Redshirt freshman Nick Boyd, who’s a New York native, showed his teammates around the city.

Mar 22, 2023; New York, NY, USA; Florida Atlantic Owls center Vladislav Goldin (50) practices a day before facing the Tennessee Volunteers at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

“It was fun. It was a time for us to wind down and get away from basketball a little bit," Boyd said during Wednesday's media day. "We've been on the road consecutively from the conference tournaments and haven't really been home. So to be able to roam around in a new area where people really haven't been to, it was fun. We saw a lot of different things, a different culture.”

Sophomore Giancarlo Rosado said that before setting their full attention on Tennessee, it was important to get a time to relax.

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“It was a great day. I was out with Nick Boyd and the boys, but it was just a good day to decompress, to wind out, get everything out in Ohio, get a feel for Madison Square Garden,” Rosado said. “I'm from West Palm so there's a lot going on here. It was just a good day to get everything going.”

It was Johnell Davis' first time in New York and the Indiana-native was “soaking everything in” before the focus went to Tennessee.

Rosado said that after years of watching basketball games on TV that take place in Madison Square Garden, it’s surreal for him to step foot in the venue.

Three-point shots not falling for Owls

Turning to basketball, the Owls have been shooting between 27 and 29 percent from three-point range in the postseason after using the deep ball to win many of their games.

Fortunately for FAU, the rest of the tournament teams have not shot the deep ball that well either as it’s about 30 percent for the field.

“We haven't shot the ball well in seven or eight games and that's typically what we've hung our hat on,” May said. “We've turned the ball over, which has negated our three-point shooting and our offensive rebounding ability. Fortunately our guys believe that we can find a way to win because we are scrappy, gritty, we rebound the ball, and our defense has come a long way.”

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Florida Atlantic Owls turn tourist in New York before Sweet 16 game

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Three-point shots not falling for Owls

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