Florida Atlantic basketball

2023 - 3 - 25

Post cover — Image courtesy of "Palm Beach Post"

Game recap: Florida Atlantic basketball defeats Kansas State to ... (Palm Beach Post)

Johnell Davis and Vladislav Goldin lead the FAU Owls against Markquis Nowell, Keyontae Johnson and the Kansas State Wildcats Sunday, March 25, 2023.

FAU leads Kansas State 26-22 at the under-8 timeout. FAU and Kansas State are tied at 34-34 at the under-8 timeout. The Owls are dominating the glass with 22 rebounds to Kansas State's 9 ... [The Wildcats were favored](https://www.palmbeachpost.com/story/sports/college/owls/2023/03/24/fau-vs-kansas-state-prediction-march-madness-experts-florida-atlantic-basketball-ncaa-tournament/70045817007/) with the betting line set a -2 for Kansas State as of noon Friday. Kansas State scored a quick layup on its next possession and called timeout with 8.6 seconds left. Kansas State defeated No. FAU defeats Kansas State to reach Final Four] Alijah Martin then hit a 3-pointer to restore FAU's lead. [Few picked FAU basketball to reach Final Four. 3 seed [Kansas State](https://www.palmbeachpost.com/story/sports/college/basketball/2023/03/24/kansas-state-basketball-things-to-know-march-madness-florida-atlantic-fau/70046267007/) (26-10) in the Elite Eight on Saturday night at 6:09 p.m. 9 seed Owls](https://www.palmbeachpost.com/story/sports/college/basketball/2023/03/24/fau-basketball-right-where-they-believe-they-belong-in-elite-eight/70040679007/) (35-3) first had to face No. 4 seed Tennessee](https://www.palmbeachpost.com/story/sports/college/owls/2023/03/21/fau-vs-tennessee-prediction-march-madness-experts-florida-atlantic-basketball-vols/70033325007/) 62-55 after completing a furious second-half comeback.

Florida Atlantic vs. Kansas State - Men's College Basketball Game ... (ESPN)

Visit ESPN for the game recap of the Florida Atlantic Owls vs. Kansas State Wildcats NCAAM basketball game on March 25, 2023.

[Ismael Massoud](http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/player/_/id/4431761/ismael-massoud) outside the 3-point line —- and never got it back. [Vladislav Goldin](http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/player/_/id/4700818/vladislav-goldin) had 14 points and 13 rebounds, and [Michael Forrest](http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/player/_/id/4397485/michael-forrest) made four clutch free throws in the final 20 seconds for the Owls, who held steady as the Wildcats made one last push. FAU didn't even have a basketball program until the late 1980s and has only been in Division I for the last 30 years. They were picked fifth in the C-USA preseason coaches' poll. But first: a trip to Texas. “I maximized everything I had inside of me to see these guys happy.” And they closed out hard to him, and he didn’t get his shot off.” In the Sweet 16, Nowell set the NCAA Tournament record with 19 assists in an overtime win against Michigan State. [Cam Carter](http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/player/_/id/4898380/cam-carter) made a 3 from the wing with 22.8 seconds left to cut FAU’s lead to 75-74 and Kansas State sent Forrest to the line with 17.9 seconds left. [@MrNewYorkCityy on Twitter](https://twitter.com/MrNewYorkCityy) — was incredible again at Madison Square Garden, with 30 points, 12 assists and five steals. 9 to get that far since seeding began in 1979. 9 seed to reach the Final Four since Wichita State in 2013.

Michael Forrest's Clutch Free Throws Propel Florida Atlantic To First ... (Forbes)

Florida Atlantic defeated Kansas State, 79-76, in Saturday night's East Region men's basketball final to advance to the Final Four next weekend in Houston.

Jack May, Dusty’s son and a walk-on on the Florida basketball team, was in a jubilant mood, as well. They are the first Conference USA team since 2008 and first No. “All the time,” Rosado said. Cunningham noted that FAU played with a “beach mentality and played very chill and very loose,” according to FAU forward Giancarlo Rosado. I couldn’t be prouder of the team.” “I really tried to just tune the crowd out,” Forrest said. “I said, ‘Yeah, I’m committed to winning.’ As long as we had a group of guys that’ll stay together and love each other, that’s all that matters.” But we knew coming into the tournament that we’d be a tough matchup for a lot of teams.” But over the next six minutes, FAU went on a 15-1 run to take a 72-64 lead. 24 in the Associated Press poll in mid-January, the first time the school had ever achieved a national ranking. 9 seed in the East Region. It was a far cry from the 1,098 fans who

Why Florida Atlantic's historic run, UConn's march to Final Four are ... (NCAA.com)

No. 9 Florida Atlantic and No. 4 UConn won their Elite Eight games and might have surprised some with their runs to the Final Four, but it shouldn't come as ...

The Huskies were a top-five team for five weeks and a top-10 team for eight weeks. 3 Kansas State to advance to the Final Four, the Owls were ranked higher (No. After entering the tournament, only 9.86 percent of brackets predicted UConn to make the Final Four. The Owls making a run isn't shocking. Florida Atlantic rose to as high as 19 in this year's AP Poll and entered the tournament No. Florida Atlantic was also ranked 22nd in KenPom rankings entering the tournament. Florida Atlantic entered the NCAA tournament as a No. They entered the tournament on a seven-game winning streak and had a 21-1 record through January. The Owls had never won a tournament game before — EVER. 9 Florida Atlantic and No. The Owls and Huskies might have surprised some with their runs to the Final Four, but it shouldn't come as a total shock. The first two Final Four spots were booked on Saturday when No.

NCAA men's basketball: Florida Atlantic, UConn advance to Final Four (pressherald.com)

FAU becomes just the third No. 9 seed to reach the national semifinals, and UConn continues a dominant tournament run by trouncing Gonzaga.

As the Owls built their lead in the final minutes, Kansas State fans who had packed the building became anxiously quiet and the “F-A-U!” chants started to rise. FAU didn’t even have a basketball program until the late 1980s and has only been in Division I for the last 30 years. And they closed out hard to him, and he didn’t get his shot off.” The winningest team in Division I this season had never won an NCAA Tournament game before ripping off four straight, all by single digits, to become the first No. [Letter to the editor: Encouraged by the next generation](https://www.pressherald.com/2023/03/26/letter-to-the-editor-encouraged-by-the-next-generation/) [Letter to the editor: Back to the drawing board, PMA](https://www.pressherald.com/2023/03/26/letter-to-the-editor-back-to-the-drawing-board-pma/) In one of the most unpredictable NCAA Tournaments ever – all four No. The senior made both. FAU’s Johnell Davis swiped it away and time ran out. The Bulldogs shot 33% from the field – 7 of 29 in the second half – and went 2 for 20 from 3-point range to stumble in their bid for a third Final Four since 2017. With 6.9 remaining, he sank two more free throws. “Coach wanted Ish to set the screen, and I waved it off because I felt like on the right side of the court, that’s where Ish hits most of his shots.

Three takeaways from Kansas State basketball's 79-76 Elite Eight ... (The Topeka Capital-Journal)

The Elite Eight again proved to be too steep a hurdle for Kansas State to overcome, and another step on Cinderella journey for Florida Atlantic.

"I tried to get Ish a shot because the right wing is where he makes most of his threes at," Nowell said. "It's just part of the game." Kansas State twice trimmed FAU's lead to a single point in the closing seconds, only to have Forrest answer with two free throws on both occasions. When K-State's Johnson picked up his second foul on a charge with 12:01 left in the first half, Tang elected to sit him the rest of the half. "And so he happened to fall into that 10% who picks up his fifth foul." But it was two near the end of the game that derailed a frantic K-State comeback and ultimately secured the victory. "That was the key," K-State guard Desi Sills said. "They were tough," Tang said of the Owls. Florida Atlantic's season rebounding average might have raised some red flags for a Kansas State team that for much of the year struggled on the boards. "I'm just blessed and grateful," he said. "How great it was to live life (with them)." 3 seed K-State, which just a few months ago was picked to finish last in the Big 12, beat perennial powers Kentucky and Michigan State to reach the East Region championship game.