Low Expectations

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BOCA RATON – Conference USA coaches aren’t expecting much from new FAU coach Dusty May during his first season in Boca Raton.

C-USA’s preseason coaches poll predicted FAU will finish No. 12 in the 14-team league, the conference announced on Thursday.

It’s difficult to blame C-USA coaches for not knowing what to make of FAU this season. The Owls only return one starter, Jailyn Ingram, and three players overall from a team that went 12-19 last season.

No FAU players were selected to the preseason All-Conference team.

May, who replaced the fired Michael Curry in March, reshaped the roster with a blend of graduate transfers, junior college transfers and freshmen.

Unlike last year’s version of the Owls, which featured a plodding, largely ineffective offense, May’s promising an FAU squad that’s more athletic and looks to push the tempo.

FAU averaged fewer than 10 wins per season during Curry’s four-year tenure. The Owls have never won more than six games in C-USA play.

Here’s the full C-USA preseason poll with first place votes in parenthesis:

1. WKU (9)
2. Marshall (5)
3. Old Dominion
4. North Texas
5. UTSA
6. Louisiana Tech
7. Southern Miss
8. UAB
9. Middle Tennessee
10. FIU
11. UTEP
12. Florida Atlantic
13. Charlotte
14. Rice

    FAU opens its season by welcoming Florida Tech to The Burrow on Nov. 7.

Conference USA’s 2019 basketball tournament will begin on March 13 in Frisco, Tex., with the top 12 teams in the conference qualifying.