The Florida Atlantic men’s basketball team will spend Thanksgiving at Disney World. Well, the Wide World of Sports Complex, to be precise, as coach Dusty May and the Owls will play in the eight-team ESPN Events Invitational through the weekend.
FAU (2-1) opens against Butler (3-1), which is coming off a 74-54 loss to Michigan State, in its tournament opener Thursday and will face either Penn State (4-0) or No. 13 Texas A&M (4-0) on Friday. The Owls will play in a third game on Sunday, and they’re hoping that’s the championship.
FAU, a surprise Final Four team last season, fell to No. 20 in the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll after its first loss of the season, 61-52 at home to Bryant. Center Vladislav Goldin enters the tournament as FAU’s leading scorer at 15 points per game, with guards Nick Boyd (10.7 ppg) and Johnell Davis (10 ppg) close behind.
The other teams in the ESPN Events Invitational field are Iowa State (4-0), VCU (3-1), Boise State (2-1) and Virginia Tech (3-1).
Watch live: How to watch FAU basketball with fuboTV (free trial)
Here’s everything you need to know about the game, including time, TV and streaming info and more:
What time is the FAU basketball game?
- Date: Thursday, November 23
- Time: 2:30 p.m.
FAU vs. Butler is scheduled to tip off at 2:30 p.m. Thursday, November 23 from State Farm Field House at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Kissimmee, Florida.
The winner plays the winner of Penn State vs. Texas A&M at 11 a.m. Friday, November 24. The loser goes to the consolation bracket and plays at 1:30 p.m. Friday.
The tournament championship is at 1 p.m. Sunday, November 26.
What channel is FAU basketball on in the ESPN Invitational?
FAU vs. Butler on Thursday, Nov. 23
FAU-Butler will air on ESPN2. Dave O’Brien will be on the play-by-play with Cory Alexander as the analyst.
If the Owls win, their game Friday will also be on ESPN2. If they make the championship Sunday, they will play on ESPN (Channel 206 on DirecTV, Channel 140 on Dish).
If the Owls lose Thursday or Friday, FAU could play on either ESPN2, ESPNU (Channel 208 on DirecTV, Channel 141 on Dish) or on ESPN+. See the official bracket for details.
Streaming options for Thursday’s game include fuboTV, which offers a free trial to potential subscribers. Some games can only be seen via streaming on ESPN+.
FAU basketball schedule 2023
| Date | Opponent |
| Wednesday, Nov. 8 | vs. Loyola (Chicago)+: W 75-62 |
| Tuesday, Nov. 14 | vs. Eastern Michigan: W 100-57 |
| Saturday, Nov. 18 | vs. Bryant: L 61-52 |
| Thursday, Nov. 23 | vs. Butler# |
| Thursday, Nov. 30 | vs. Liberty% |
| Saturday, Dec. 2 | vs. Charleston% |
| Tuesday, Dec. 5 | vs. Illinois^ |
| Wednesday, Dec. 13 | vs. FIU |
| Saturday, Dec. 16 | vs. St. Bonaventure$ |
| Saturday, Dec. 23 | vs. Arizona (in Las Vegas) |
| Saturday, Dec. 30 | at FGCU |
| Tuesday, Jan. 2 | vs. East Carolina* |
| Saturday, Jan. 6 | at Charlotte* |
| Thursday, Jan. 11 | at Tulane* |
| Sunday, Jan. 14 | vs. UAB* |
| Thursday, Jan. 18 | vs. Wichita State* |
| Sunday, Jan. 21 | at UTSA* |
| Wednesday, Jan. 24 | at Rice* |
| Sunday, Jan. 28 | vs. North Texas* |
| Saturday, Feb. 3 | vs. Tulsa* |
| Thursday, Feb. 8 | at UAB* |
| Sunday, Feb. 11 | at Wichita State* |
| Thursday, Feb. 15 | vs. Temple* |
| Sunday, Feb. 18 | at USF* |
| Thursday, Feb. 22 | vs. SMU* |
| Sunday, Feb. 25 | at Memphis* |
| Saturday, March 2 | vs. Tulane* |
| Wednesday, March 6 | at North Texas* |
| Saturday, March 9 | vs. Memphis* |
| March 13-17 | AAC Tournament |
FAU basketball roster
| Number | Player | Year | Position |
| 0 | Brenen Lorient | Sophomore | Forward |
| 1 | Johnell Davis | Junior | Guard |
| 2 | Nick Boyd | Sophomore (R) | Guard |
| 3 | Giancarlo Rosado | Junior | Forward |
| 4 | Bryan Greenlee | Senior | Guard |
| 5 | Isaiah Gaines | Junior | Foward |
| 11 | Jakel Powell | Freshman | Guard |
| 12 | Jalen Gaffney | Senior | Guard |
| 13 | Jack Johnson | Freshman (R) | Guard |
| 15 | Alijah Martin | Junior | Guard |
| 21 | Alejandro Ralat | Junior (R) | Guard |
| 22 | Devin Vanterpool | Freshman | Guard |
| 23 | Brandon Weatherspoon | Senior | Guard |
| 25 | Tre Carroll | Sophomore (R) | Forward |
| 30 | Leo Beath | Freshman (R) | Forward |
| 50 | Vladislav Goldin | Junior | Center |