There was a certain relief felt by FAU coach Dusty May to finally tip off his team’s season Wednesday, two days after most of the nation got their 2023–24 campaigns underway and 221 since the team’s dream 2022–23 season came to a close.
Closure was the word May used to describe it, officially starting a new chapter for a team looking to elevate itself from one Cinderella run into a consistent power. The No. 10 Owls, who return all five starters from last year’s Final Four team and inherit near-impossible preseason expectations as a result, rolled past Loyola Chicago, 75–62, in its opener.
Charles Rex Arbogast/AP
