Florida Atlantic adjusting to new reality ahead of stretch run

Coming into the season, it was obvious that the Owls (18-5, 8-2) would be hard-pressed to match the heights they reached last season.

The program, which had only played at the Division I level since 1993, won 35 games, captured the Conference USA regular-season and tournament titles and reached its first Final Four.

If not for a dramatic buzzer-beater by San Diego State’s Lamont Butler, the Owls would have faced UConn for the national title.

Sure, FAU brought back its core, including Davis, Alijah Martin and 7-foot-1 center Vladislav Goldin. And May, the new darling of men’s college coaching, dismissed any immediate speculation about him leaving FAU by signing a 10-year contract extension in April.

But the Owls also joined a new league, departing Conference USA in favor of the new-look AAC. That alone is a challenging transition, but when you’re the preseason No. 10 team in the country and coming off a Final Four appearance, the target that inevitably appears on your back makes it even harder.

Add in a difficult non-conference slate — which saw FAU knock off the likes of Butler, Texas A&M, Virginia Tech and Arizona and lose to Bryant, Illinois and Florida Gulf Coast — and this was never meant to be a cakewalk to March.

It certainly hasn’t been. The Owls already have more losses (five) than they had all of last season (four), the product of a tougher schedule and FAU now being an opponent that teams circle on their respective calendars.

But a single loss, particularly one on the road to a UAB bunch that boasts five players averaging double-figure scoring totals, is not the end of the world. The Owls are just a game back of South Florida for first in the conference, and face the Bulls on the road a week from Sunday.

Winning the double AAC title is still attainable, an accomplishment that could help the Owls secure a top-four seed — ESPN’s latest bracketology projections have FAU penciled in as a No. 5 seed.

But the Owls aren’t focused on the big picture, at least not according to their head coach. They’re taking things game-by-game, with Sunday’s road matchup against Wichita State serving as the next step on their journey.

"It’s life on the road," May said. "We’ll have to figure out a way to clean up a few things and bring our best game, our A-effort against the Shockers."