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FAU coach Dusty May explains comparing Vols’ style to 'Australian rugby rules'

IMG_3593by:Grant Ramey03/22/23

GrantRamey

Florida Atlantic v Memphis
COLUMBUS, OHIO - MARCH 17: Head coach Dusty May of the Florida Atlantic Owls looks on during the second half of a game against the Memphis Tigers in the first round of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Nationwide Arena on March 17, 2023 in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

NEW YORK — Florida Atlantic head coach Dusty May admitted Wednesday that he felt bad about his quote Sunday night saying he needed “to study Australian rugby rules” to prepare to face Tennessee in the Sweet 16.

He combined two sports in the quotes, and he knows better than that, he said during his team’s press conference at Madison Square Garden.

“There’s Australian rules football and then there’s rugby,” May said. “And I should’ve known that, but it was the first thing that came into my mind.”

It was the first thing that came to mind because of the reputation the Vols have for playing one of the most physical, intense and aggressive brands of defense in college basketball.

“It’s the most physical sport without pads that I’ve ever watched or have seen,” May said, continuing to describe the rugby comparison.

But what he said wasn’t meant to be a dig at Tennessee.

“And I know that was taken, I guess, in different ways,” May said. “If you said that our team is extremely physical, extremely aggressive and extremely intense, I would tell the staff and the players that you guys are doing a great job, because that’s what I want them to say about us defensively.”

Florida Atlantic’s 7-foot center, Vladislav Goldin, described Tennessee as “dirty” in the FAU locker room on Wednesday.

“They can play dirty sometimes, is what I’ve seen,” Goldin told Knoxville’s WBIR. “We just have to stay focused and play through everything. Don’t pay attention to any outside factors.”

FAU head coach Dusty May: ‘Coach Barnes is a legend’ 

No. 4-seed Tennessee (25-10), which advanced with a 65-52 win over Duke in the second Round in Orlando on Saturday, will face No. 9 Florida Atlantic (33-3) on Thursday at Madison Square Garden. The NCAA Tournament East Region semifinal game will tipoff at 9 p.m. Eastern Time and will be televised by TBS.

On Monday at Pratt Pavilion, asked how he interpreted that quote, Tennessee coach Rick Barnes went back to a good memory from early in his career as a head coach.

“Well, you know what,” Barnes said, “I took a Big East All-Star Team to Australia back in ’90. We went to a match and I enjoyed it. I thought it was good.

“I liked the way the referee does all that stuff,” Barnes continued, motioning to signal with his arms. “I enjoyed watching it. You know what, I would probably pay to go see it. We were free that day, but I would pay to go see it.”

Up Next: No. 4 Vols vs. No. 9 FAU, Sweet Sixteen, Thursday, 9 p.m. ET, TBS

The storyline coming out of Tennessee’s win over Duke on Saturday was how physical the Vols played for 40 minutes.

It started with two Uros Plavsic fouls in the opening minutes, when he made contact twice with Duke’s Kyle Filipowski, sending the freshman 7-footer to the floor.

Barnes on Monday was asked about the narrative surrounding his program this week, but said he hadn’t heard the talk.

“I think playing good, hard basketball, it’s not something nice to look at,” Barnes said. “I know our guys played hard. I know Duke played hard, too.

“I’m on the Rules Committee and the referees did what they thought was right. And I thought they officiated the game the way they felt it went. But from our perspective, I didn’t see anything dirty from either team.”

May, in his fifth season as head coach at FAU, is plenty familiar with the Vols. He was an assistant coach under Mike White at Florida between 2015 and 2018, before taking over at Florida Atlantic.

“I didn’t see the Duke game, I have no idea,” May said. “I just heard through Twitter and some comments made. I say that in the most complimentary way possible. Coach Barnes is a legend. And it hasn’t changed. When I was at Florida, the same way. It was hard to make a pass, let alone score a basket against them.”

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