The Florida Atlantic men’s basketball team will be tested once again on the road when it faces conference opponents Louisiana Tech University and the University of Southern Miss later in the week.

The Owls (8-15, 4-8 Conference USA) are looking to win their fourth straight road game and fifth overall of the season. Both would be their first time since the 2010-11 season.

After road wins against Charlotte and Old Dominion University two weeks prior, the Owls came back home and lost to the University of North Texas and Rice University in overtime.

FAU has not won 10 games since the 2013-14 season when it finished 10-21, and will be looking to achieve that feat as early as this week.

Here’s what you need to know about both teams:

Louisiana Tech:

It has been a solid season for the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs (18-8, 10-3 Conference USA), as the team ranks second in the conference standings and is currently on a four-game winning streak. The Bulldogs have played exceptional basketball at home with a 12-2 record.

They are coming into this game with postseason aspirations and looking to win the regular season conference title, which they currently trail Middle Tennessee by two games for.

Louisiana Tech is led by their 6’8” senior forward Erik McCree, who is averaging 17.8 points per game and 8.9 rebounds. McCree is also shooting 49 percent from the field and 39 percent from long range.

He has help from junior guard Jacobi Boykins who stands at 6’6” and averages 14.3 points per game. These two players can cause matchup problems due to their size, and it will call for many different defensive strategies to slow them down.

Southern Miss

After winning five out of their first six games Southern Miss (7-18, 4-9 Conference USA) went on a nine-game losing streak between Nov. 30 and Jan. 7. Currently the Golden eagles are on a three-game losing streak.

All seven of their wins have been on their home floor which is where they will host the Owls. With at 7-5 record at the Reed Green Coliseum, it will be a difficult task for the Owls to leave with a victory.

Nonetheless, the Owls have a real chance of extending Southern Miss’ losing streak. The Golden Eagles are only shooting 39 percent from the floor, 28 percent from three-point range and are averaging just 60 points per game while giving up 70.1.

Southern Miss is led by senior forward Quinton Campbell who averages 12.3 points and six rebounds per game. Although he is the leading scorer for the team, he is only shooting 38 percent from the field.

If FAU is able to hold Campbell to the same field goal percentage, the Owls should be able to pick up the win.

The Owls will play Louisiana Tech on Thursday, Feb. 16, at 7:30 p.m. They will then travel to take on the Golden Eagles on Saturday, Feb. 18, at 5 p.m.

Jordon Edwards is a contributing writer with the University Press. For information regarding this or other stories, email [email protected] or tweet him at @koolkidklassic.