FORT WORTH, Texas – The Charlotte 49ers (11-21) will look to ride the momentum of their first conference tournament victory in nearly a decade when they face fifth-seeded Florida Atlantic (17-14) in the second round of the 2025 American Athletic Conference Championship on Thursday, March 13 at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas.

The Niners advanced to the second round by defeating the Rice Owls on Wednesday, March 12. The winner of this second-round matchup will move forward to face fourth-seeded Tulane on Thursday, March 13, in the quarterfinals.

Florida Atlantic won both of the regular-season matchups this year. Thursday’s meeting, which tips off at 2:30 p.m. ET, will be simulcasted on ESPNU and ESPN+, HERE, and fans can follow along with live statistics, HERE. 

As always, Niner Nation can also listen to the action on ESPN 730 The Game with the Voice of the Niners Matt Sweirad and Charlotte alum, Trevor Wilt, calling the game, HERE.

LAYUP LINES
– 13th-seeded Charlotte will face 5th-seeded Florida Atlantic in the second round of the 2025 American Athletic Conference Championship on Thursday at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas.
– The winner advances to play 4th-seeded Tulane on Friday in the quarterfinals.
– The 49ers advanced to the second round after defeating Rice 64-61 in Denton, Texas on Wednesday.
– Playing in the first round, the 49ers must win 5 games in 5 days to claim the AAC Championship title.
– Thursday marks the third meeting this season between the 49ers and the Owls. Florida Atlantic swept the regular season series.
– With the victory over Rice on Wednesday, the 49ers won their first conference tournament game since the first round of the 2016 Conference USA Championship Tournament in Birmingham, Ala.
– Prior to Wednesday’s win, Charlotte was 0-6 in conference tournament games.
– The regular season concluded Sunday. The 49ers hosted UTSA for Senior Day. In a pregame ceremony, Isaiah Folkes, Dean Reiber, Giancarlo Rosado, Nika Metskhvarishvili, and Tyler Fearne were honored.
-Folkes, Reiber, and Rosado have exhausted their collegiate eligibility, along with Robert Braswell IV, who was honored on last year’s Senior Day.
– Redshirt junior Fearne and sixth-year Metskhvarishvili participated in Senior Day despite having more college eligibility.
– Fifth-years Kylan Blackmon and Jeremiah Oden intend to use their final year of eligibility in 2025-26.
– Rosado gets one final crack at his former team. The graduate student played four seasons at Florida Atlantic before transferring to Charlotte for 2024-25.
– Entering the conference tournament, Graves ranked 13th nationally in free throws made (166) and 18th in attempts (216). Charlotte ranked 17th in the country in free throws made per game (17.3).
– Graves ranks fourth in the conference in scoring, averaging 17.6 points per game.
– The Niners are averaging just 10 turnovers a game, the fewest in the AAC and 29th-fewest in the NCAA.

SCOUTING THE OWLS
– Florida Atlantic finished as the fifth seed in the AAC after dropping four of its last six games. However, the Owls ended the regular season emphatically with an 81-53 win over ECU. 
– A trio of Owls—Tre Carroll, Kaleb Glenn, and Baba Miller—earned second team All-AAC honors. 
– Redshirt junior Carroll led the team in conference play with 12.8 points per game on 49.2% shooting from the field and 34.9% from deep. The forward ranks second in rebounds per game (5.5).
– Carroll was also named the conference’s Most Improved Player after averaging 4 points and 1.8 rebounds per game last season.
– Over the full season, sophomore forward Glenn leads the team with 12.8 points per game, and junior forward Miller is averaging 11.2 points, along with team-highs of 7.0 rebounds and 1.7 blocks. He is tied for 2nd in the AAC in blocks per game.
– Center Matas Vokietaitis was named the AAC Freshman of the Year after averaging 9.5 points and 5.3 rebounds per game on 65.8% shooting.
– John Jakus was tapped in March 2024 to helm the Owls, replacing Dusty May, who left for Michigan. 

SERIES HISTORY
– All-time, the 49ers are 7-10 against the Owls. FAU has won four of the last five matchups.
– The Owls won the January 8 meeting in Halton, 75-64, led by Miller (20 points, 7 rebounds) and Carroll (15 points, 9 boards, 3 blocks, 2 steals).
– At home, FAU won the primetime ESPN2 matchup on February 10, 87-75, behind 18 points from Kaleb Glenn and 17 from KyKy Tandy.
–  Last season, on January 6, 2024, Charlotte knocked off then-No. 17 FAU for its first ranked win at Halton since 2010 and its first victory in the AAC.
-As an Owl, Rosado went 5-2 against Charlotte.

CHARLOTTE DROPS HARD-FOUGHT BATTLE TO UTSA 83-80
– All-time, the 49ers are 7-10 against the Owls. FAU has won four of the last five matchups.
– The Owls won the January 8 meeting in Halton, 75-64, led by Miller (20 points, 7 rebounds) and Carroll (15 points, 9 boards, 3 blocks, 2 steals).
– At home, FAU won the primetime ESPN2 matchup on February 10, 87-75, behind 18 points from Kaleb Glenn and 17 from KyKy Tandy.
–  Last season, on January 6, 2024, Charlotte knocked off then-No. 17 FAU for its first ranked win at Halton since 2010 and its first victory in the AAC.
-As an Owl, Rosado went 5-2 against Charlotte.

49ERS RALLY TO DEFEAT RICE IN FIRST ROUND OF AAC TOURNAMENT
– Trailing by 11 at halftime, the Charlotte 49ers (11-21) stormed back in the second half to edge past 12th-seeded Rice (13-19) 64-61, securing a spot in the second round of the 2025 American Athletic Conference Men’s Basketball Championship.
– With Wednesday’s (March 11) victory at The Super Pit in Denton, Texas, the Niners earned their first win in a conference tournament since the 2015-16 season.
– Charlotte capitalized on a missed go-ahead jumper by Rice and a crucial pair of free throws from Giancarlo Rosado to take a 64-61 lead with 6.4 seconds remaining. On the ensuing Rice possession, the Owls turned the ball over on the inbound, and Nik Graves intentionally missed a free throw to prevent Rice from attempting a final heave as the buzzer sounded.
– In the second half, the 49ers shot 52.2 percent (12-of-23) from the field and 37.5 percent (three-of-eight) from deep to outscore the Owls 41-27. Rice shot 34.6 percent (9-of-26) from the field in the final frame after shooting 48.3 percent (14-of-29) in the first. Charlotte held Rice without a field goal for eight minutes, flipping a 49-41 deficit into a 58-55 lead.
– Graves and Rosado led all scorers with 18 points each. Kylan Blackmon was a crucial spark in the Niners’ comeback, scoring 12 of his 16 points in the second half.

A LOOK BACK IN CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT HISTORY
– Dating back to the 2018-19 season, Fearne’s first year as an assistant coach, the Niners have qualified for the tournament in six of the past seven seasons. Charlotte has earned a double-bye twice (2019-20, 2023-24) and advanced to the second round the other four times, including this year.
– Last season, the Niners’ first year in The American, Charlotte clinched a double-bye as a three seed. In the quarterfinals, the 49ers were upset by 11th-seeded Temple, which went on to reach the championship game before falling to UAB.
– The last time the 49ers played in the second round of a conference tournament was in 2022, when Charlotte lost to Rice, 73-61. The Niners lost to UTSA 72-62 in the second round of the 2021 C-USA Tournament.
– In the 2022 loss, Austin Butler (16 points, 12 rebounds) and Clyde Trapp (12 points, 12 rebounds) each recorded double-doubles in Frisco, Texas at the Ford Center. Jordan Shepherd (20 points) and Jahmir Young (19 points) combined for 39 in the 2021 loss to the Roadrunners in Frisco.

FLASHBACK TO FEB. 10: NINERS’ HOT SHOOTING OUTPACED BY FAU IN ROAD LOSS
– Charlotte’s hot shooting turned cold in the second half, and 16 turnovers proved too costly in an 87-75 loss to Florida Atlantic in AAC action on February 10 at Eleanor R. Baldwin Arena.
– The 49ers made seven of 13 shots from behind the arc in the first half before going two-of-11 from deep in the second half. Charlotte also committed an uncharacteristic 16 turnovers, tied for the second-highest mark this season. The Owls converted those turnovers into an 18-6 advantage in points off turnovers.
– Charlotte shot 47.3 percent (26-of-55) from the field and 37.5 percent (9-of-24) from long range, but the Owls topped that by shooting 54.2 percent (32-of-59) from the field and 48 percent (12-of-25) from deep.
– Off the bench, Robert Braswell IV finished with a game-high 20 points in 24 minutes. Nik Graves added 18 points on 5-of-11 from the field and pulled down a game-high 7 rebounds.

FLASHBACK TO JAN. 8: FLORIDA ATLANTIC PULLS AWAY LATE
– A six-point game with seven minutes remaining, Florida Atlantic pulled away late to take the 75-64 victory over Charlotte in AAC action at Halton Arena on January 8.
– The 49ers were outscored 17-0 in points off turnovers, as the Owls converted 13 Charlotte turnovers into points while the Niners could not turn their nine steals into offense. After shooting 52 percent (13-of-25) from the field in the first half, Charlotte shot 34.4 percent (11-of-32) in the second. The Niners also shot just 55.6 percent from the free throw line (10-of-18), which is their second-worst mark of the season.
– Jaehshon Thomas and Giancarlo Rosado each scored a team-high 14 points. 
– A 9-1 Charlotte run trimmed a 56-42 deficit to 57-51 with 9:08 remaining. Instead of the lead shrinking to three, the Owls responded with an 8-2 run to to take a double-digit lead with under four minutes to play.

SENIOR DAY
– Isaiah Folkes, the longest-tenured 49er, has appeared in 118 games over five seasons with Charlotte. The Gainesville, Va., native has played a key role in the Niners’ success. He made the game-sealing basket with less than a minute to go in the 2023 CBI Championship, and Charlotte went 14-5 with him as a starter in 2023-24.
– After four seasons at Florida Atlantic, Giancarlo Rosado is enjoying career highs this season in starts (22), points (11.7), rebounds (5.8), and assists per game (3.4). The graduate student is 23 points away from reaching 1,000 points in his collegiate career.
– After seven seasons and 143 games, Robert Braswell IV’s collegiate career is coming to a close. In his fourth season with the 49ers, the former Syracuse forward is posting career highs in starts (27), points per game (11), rebounds per game (2.5), total steals (24), and blocks (21).
– Dean Reiber has provided a steady presence and vocal leadership for Charlotte. The Greensboro, N.C., native has appeared in 61 games over two seasons for the 49ers.
– Tyler Fearne has appeared in a total of 12 games for Charlotte, battling back from a torn ACL in January 2023.
– After dealing with injuries in the offseason and preseason, Nika Metskhvarishvili had a slow start to his Charlotte career. Now healthier, his play has improved in conference play, averaging 5.1 points against AAC foes versus 2.8 points in non-conference games.

THE OLD ADAGE: BASKETBALL IS A GAME OF RUNS
– The March 2 game against East Carolina was a prime example of how basketball is indeed a game of momentum swings. Charlotte’s first-half lead evaporated when the Pirates went on an 11-0 run. An 8-0 ECU run early in the second half extended their lead from 40-36 to 48-36. The Niners trailed by as many as 13 points, but as the game showed, things can change in an instant.
– Charlotte made back-to-back triples in just 4.5 seconds, turning a 78-70 deficit into a two-point game. The Niners ended up being one shot short of pulling off the dramatic comeback.
– Charlotte’s 14-point loss at Tulane on February 26 can be traced back to a 14-0 run that Charlotte surrendered to the Green Wave in the first half, which turned an 11-6 Tulane lead to 25-6. The Niners were forced to play catch-up from that moment as the Green Wave grew their lead to 21 points in the first half.
– A 13-0 run late in the first half by Florida Atlantic was the difference in the 87-75 loss to the Owls on February 10. Trailing 33-29, the Owls went on a game-altering 13-0 run that flipped the four-point deficit into a 42-33 Florida Atlantic lead. In that three-minute span, the 49ers turned the ball over on five straight possessions. Charlotte finished the first half with 11 turnovers as Florida Atlantic took a 46-37 lead into halftime.
– Against East Carolina on February 15, Felton’s second-half surge turned the tide for the Pirates. The guard scored 17 points on five-of-six shooting from long range in the second half alone as ECU erased its 35-29 halftime deficit.
– To start the second half versus the Pirates, Rosado and Graves executed a perfect pick-and-roll to take a 37-29 lead. The eight-point advantage matched Charlotte’s largest lead. In response, the Pirates made a pair of triples en route to a 10-0 run that gave them a 39-37 lead. The Pirates hit seven of their last eight three-pointers to stretch a 48-45 lead into a 73-56 advantage. In 97 seconds, Felton drained triples on three consecutive possessions to extend a seven-point lead to 14 with four minutes remaining.

EARLY NATIONAL SIGNING DAY
– Head Coach Aaron Fearne began building on his 2025-26 roster by signing two high school products— Jaylen Cross and Jairne Elouna Eyenga on Early National Signing Day on November 15.
– Cross, ranked No. 159 in the country and No. 8 in North Carolina by 247Sports’ Composite Rankings, is the highest-ranked recruit to sign with Charlotte since 2009.
– Cross is a six-foot-four guard out of Greensboro, N.C. The Caldwell Academy product is rated as a three-star recruit by On3, 247 Sports, and ESPN, and a four-star recruit by Rivals.
– Elouna Eyenga is a Belgian national currently attending JSerra Catholic High School in San Juan Capistrano, Calif. The six-foot-nine forward was a member of the Under-18 Belgian National Team, who participated in Division A of FIBA EuroBasket this summer.
– On July 28, 2024, Elouna Eyenga dropped eye-popping totals of 15 points, eight rebounds, and three assists against Turkey in the U18 Eurobasket, followed by a 10-point, seven-rebound, two-assist performance on the very next day against Germany. 

THE BOYS ARE BACK AGAIN
– Junior Nik Graves headlines the list of eight returners for the 2024-25 campaign. The point guard averaged 10.4 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 2.8 assists per game last season. He led the team with 85 assists, was second with 30 steals, and was the fourth-leading scorer on the squad.
– Isaiah Folkes is back after making 19 starts in 2023-24 for the 49ers. The 49ers were 14-5 with the Gainesville, Va., native as a starter. This will be his fifth season with the program after joining the team in the middle of the 2020-21 campaign.
– Robert Braswell IV is back for his seventh season of college. Over his six-year career, which started at Syracuse, the Jacksonville, Fla., native has made 110 appearances. In his three years in the Queen City, Braswell IV has averaged seven points per game while shooting 46.6 percent from the field and 36.6 percent from deep.
– Dean Reiber transferred to Charlotte last year after three seasons at Rutgers. He was a mainstay on the court for the 49ers as one of three players to appear in all 31 games last season.
– Nick Richart and Rich Rolf are also back for another season in the Queen City. This is their second and third seasons with the program, respectively. Richart did not play his freshman year after redshirting and Rolf appeared in three games before suffering a season-ending injury in 2023-24. 

NEW TO THE QUEEN CITY
– Charlotte retooled its roster with seven new additions, including six transfers. Giancarlo Rosado, Ben Bradford, Kylan Blackmon, Aleks Szymczyk, Jaehshon Thomas, Jeremiah Oden, and Nika Metskhvarishvili are new to Charlotte and will be relied on heavily if the Niners wish to improve upon their success last season.
– Rosado is very familiar with the Queen City, but this time he’s on the other side of the court as a presumed Charlotte starter after four seasons at Florida Atlantic. The six-foot-eight forward appeared in 118 games with the Owls and he was instrumental in the 2023 run to the Final Four.
– The American is a tough league for freshmen to come in and play, but for guard Ben Bradford, maybe he will be an exception. He certainly has the skill after averaging 27 points per game at Gaithersburg High School. Coach Fearne and this Charlotte staff have a track record of playing freshmen. Graves appeared in 22 games in his first season and former players Brice Williams and Jahmir Young also saw a lot of action as freshmen.
– Blackmon is a silky smooth shooter who shot nearly 36 percent from deep on more than five attempts per game last year for Coastal Carolina. He arrives to the Queen City after two seasons with the Chanticleers. He was the team’s third-leading scorer with 11.4 points a game in 2023-24.
– Szymczyk gives the Niners another solid option in the frontcourt. The Frankfurt, Germany native and Florida transfer missed all of the 2023-24 season, but he did appear in 14 games as a true freshman.
– In Thomas, Charlotte has a player with three-level scoring abilities and a combo guard archetype. At Florida Southwestern State, the Aurora, Ill., native led his JuCo with 16 points per game en route to all-conference and all-state honors.
– Oden played at DePaul last season after spending three years at Wyoming. The most experienced player of all the newcomers, the six-foot-nine wing has made 86 starts in his career with averages of 7.5 points and 3.6 rebounds per game. In 2022, he started 32 games for Wyoming and helped the Cowboys to their first NCAA Tournament appearance in seven seasons.
– Nika Metskhvarishvili is a native of Tbilisi, Georgia and he transfers to Charlotte after three seasons with UL-Monroe. In 2023-24, the six-foot-eight forward was a third-team All-Sun Belt selection after leading the team in points (12.3) and rebounds (5.8) per game.

NON-CONFERENCE RECAP                                                      
– Charlotte finished the non-conference portion of its schedule with a 7-6 record.
– The 49ers started the season 3-1 with home wins over Presbyterian, Richmond, and Gardner-Webb.
– After suffering home defeats to LIU and ETSU, Charlotte bounced back by winning three of its next four games.
– The highlight of the non-conference schedule was a trip to Honolulu, Hawaii, for the 2024 Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic.
– In the 2nd of 3 games in the event, Charlotte and Murray State delivered “Game of the Year” vibes with a double-overtime thriller that the 49ers won 94-90. Nik Graves scored a career-high and game-high 31 points in the win.
– The Niners nearly forced a second straight overtime game against the College of Charleston on the final day of the event. Charlotte missed the game-tying three as time expired.

2023-24 SEASON RECAP
– Last year, the Niners went 19-12 overall with a 13-5 mark in their first season in The American. The 49ers recorded their first top-three league finish since 2006.
– The 49ers’ 13 conference wins and 13 wins at Halton Arena tied program records. Charlotte also recorded its first-ever eight-game conference winning streak, as well as the first win over a ranked opponent at home since 2013.
– The 49ers were led by Lu’Cye Patterson, who was a second-team All-AAC and second-team all-district selection in 2023-24. He had a team-high 14.6 points per game. 
– Igor Milicic Jr., last year’s leading rebounder and second-leading scorer, was a third-team All-AAC pick.
– The duo helped the 49ers outdo the expectations that picked them to finish 13th of 14 in the AAC.

NINER NUGGETS      
– Nine regular season games were featured on national television through the ESPN Family of Networks, including 5 Charlotte games on ESPN2.
– Last season, Charlotte’s first in The American, the Niners finished 13-5 in conference play, earning their first top-three league finish since 2006. The 49ers’ 13 conference wins and 13 victories at Halton Arena tied program records.
–  For Christmas 2024, Charlotte traveled to Honolulu, Hawaii, to play in the Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic. 
– With five fifth-year players, a sixth-year, and a seventh-year player on its roster, Charlotte trails only Oklahoma State (eight) for most players in their fifth year or longer of college.

UP NEXT
Wednesday’s winner advances to the quarterfinals to face fourth-seeded Tulane on Friday, March 14.