Taking flight

Get ready for USC basketball to be the hottest ticket in LA. Bronny James has been cleared to return to practice for USC, and might make his debut next week. When that happens, at least one NBA star is going to be in attendance. We can’t wait to see it.

Let's get to Thursday’s news.

1. FAU dominates the Field of 68 Tip-off

After breezing to the ESPN Events Invitational title, No. 13 Florida Atlantic entered the inaugural Field of 68 Tip-Off as the team to beat.

It lived up to that rep, beating Liberty 83-58 in a win that showcased all the reasons why the Owls (6-1) should be viewed as a Final Four contender.

Not that Liberty was intimidated by the Owls. The Flames (6-1) entered the night unbeaten, a Top 40 team on kenpom.com — and were unafraid to let it fly.

But FAU did its thing, scoring in bunches whether it was inside or outside (7-of-14 from deep), and had a double-digit lead with just over 7 minutes remaining in the first half, and boosting it to 17 by half. Even without Nick Boyd and Johnell Davis not making a single shot in the game, the Owls rolled.

“They are one team that can penalize you on the offensive end and match up with you on the defensive end,” Liberty coach Ritchie McKay said.

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