CHARLOTTE — A pair of trips to Florida await Charlotte Men’s Basketball to end the American Conference race, and the 49ers will head to Florida Atlantic for the first on Sunday at 2 p.m. 

They’ve won back-to-back games after a season-long four-game losing streak to set up a crucial season-ending stretch as they look to capture a top-four seed in the tournament. Charlotte enters Sunday in a tie for fourth place with UAB, and the victor of the race will earn a double-bye in the tournament. 

The Owls lead the series history, 11-7, and have won each of the teams’ last three meetings, including their latest on March 13, 2025. 

GAME DAY DETAILS

Charlotte (15-13, 9-6 American) at Florida Atlantic (16-13, 8-8 American)
March 1, 2026 — 2 p.m.
Eleanor R. Baldwin Arena — Boca Raton, Fla. 

GAME COVERAGE

Television » ESPN+
Radio » Charlotte49ers.com
Statistics » Statbroadcast

Scouting the Owls

Last Time Out
Florida Atlantic rallied from a six-point halftime deficit to defeat Temple, 77-72, Thursday night at home. Temple shot 63.6% and made seven 3-pointers in the first half to take a 44-38 lead, but FAU held the Owls without a made three after halftime, opened the second half on an 8-0 run to regain control and converted late free throws and an and-one in the final minute to secure the season sweep.

Hard to Win in the Owls’ Den

FAU continues to boast one of the nation’s strongest home-court advantages, fueled by an electric atmosphere and passionate fan base. Since March 2022, the Owls are 50-11 at Eleanor R. Baldwin Arena. In 2025-26, FAU is 10-4 at home, averaging 91.4 points per game in those wins with an average margin of victory of 21.8 points.

A Valiant Leader in Vanterpool

Devin Vanterpool spearheads the Owls’ high-flying offense with his 15.8 points per game, including a season-high 30 against Coastal Georgia. He’s been a do-it-all force for FAU during conference play, averaging 15 points, 5.5 rebounds, and sporting a 35.4% mark from 3-point range alongside 26 assists, 19 steals and 11 blocks. 

Block Party

The Owls’ defensive effort is led through their ability to block shots. They’ve averaged 5.66 blocks per game this year, the top mark in the American Conference by nearly a full block over second-place Tulane (4.89). Devin Williams leads the way with a conference-high 81 swats this year, a far cry from second-place East Carolina’s Giovanni Emejuru (51). 

Mixing It Up

Injuries, in part, have caused the Owls to send out multiple starting lineups this year. Nine players have earned a starting nod this year as Vanterpool and Kanaan Carlyle — the team’s leading scorers — have each been forced to miss multiple games this season. Williams is the lone FAU player to appear and start every game this season after transferring in from UCLA. 

Wins, And Lots of Them

Since 2022, the Owls have recorded 94 victories, a top-30 total in the country in that span, highlighted by consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances, including a 2023 Final Four run, and an NIT berth in 2025.

A Fellow Well-Traveled Bunch

Like Charlotte, FAU boasts eight international players. In total, the Owls are represented by seven different countries: the United States, Canada, Germany, Italy, Belgium, Senegal, and France.

Game Notes

Relief From a Rough Stretch
Charlotte rebounded from a season-worst four-game losing streak when it took down rival East Carolina last Saturday to complete a season sweep of the Pirates before adding another win over North Texas on Wednesday. Charlotte aided the winning effort with standout defense, holding the Pirates to 34.5% shooting, the lowest mark by a Charlotte opponent this season.

A Hot Start to 2026

The 49ers rang in the new year with seven wins in eight games to rise into first place in the American Conference standings. It marked Charlotte’s best calendar-year start since opening 2024 with an 8-1 record, courtesy of an eight-game conference winning streak, and came after the program was picked to finish last in the American preseason coaches poll.

A New High Against North Texas

North Texas entered Wednesday’s game as the league’s best defense by opposing scoring average, but ceded a season-best effort to Charlotte. The 49ers shot a season-high 60.5% against the Mean Green, their highest single-game percentage from the field since March 22, 2023, against Eastern Kentucky. It’s also the first time they’ve made at least 55% of their shots in both halves of a game since Nov. 4, 2024, against Presbyterian. 

Return of the Bonke

Anton Bonke has rebounded from a tough three-game stretch in his last three outings. He scored 17 points against Tulsa before adding 12 against ECU to set the stage for his late-game heroics against North Texas. The big man hit a pair of free throws in the final seconds after a pair of offensive rebounds to salvage Charlotte’s final possession. He finished the team’s win over North Texas with 14 points, five rebounds and a pair of blocks. It followed a three-game span in which the 7-foot-2 center totaled just nine combined points against Wichita State, Memphis and UTSA — all Charlotte losses during its season-worst skid.

Record Watch

Bonke is on pace to enter the program’s top-10 single-season shot blocking ranks soon. His 44 blocks are just two behind 10th place all-time, Charlie Coley. If he reaches 49, he’ll surpass a tie at eighth place, too, to sit behind Cedric Maxwell’s 55 in seventh place. 

Mingo Magic

Dezayne Mingo added another American Conference honorable mention to his season ledger Monday, his third this season after leading Charlotte to a split week. He registered his third double-double of the year with a 10-point, 10-assist effort against the Pirates on Saturday after scoring a team-high 19 points against Tulsa with nine assists. He entered the week second in the American during conference play with 75 assists and leads the team in league scoring at 14.7 points per game, the 13th-best mark in the conference. Last week’s efforts marked his fourth and fifth games with at least eight assists, part of 123 total this year, which ranks fifth in the American.

Lethal from Deep

Mingo, Arden Conyers and Damoni Harrison play a large role in what has become one of the league’s most effective teams from beyond the arc. Charlotte owns the second-best 3-point percentage in conference play at 36.2%. It has been a collective effort, as four players are shooting at least 35.5% from 3-point range, led by Ethan Butler’s 66.7%, albeit on an 8-for-12 mark in 12.4 minutes per game. Despite the loss to UTSA, the 49ers made 14 3-pointers, their second-most in a game behind a program-record-tying 17 against Lafayette on Dec. 18, 2025. They added another 11 against Tulsa but were undone by the Golden Hurricane’s program-record-tying 18 makes from deep as the league’s top 3-point shooting team in conference play.