College basketball is at its peak right now with one of the biggest tournaments in the world with the NCAA Division 1 National Championship on the line. Sixty-Eight teams battle for a chance to be the best division I basketball school in the nation. This tournament has a series of teams from all over the United States with tons of talent and it is anyone’s game.
The teams are ranked in seeds from 1-16 and to be honest with you, it does not matter what seed you are to win the tournament. The best teams with the best records fall in the first round. There is one team right now that has made it further than they were even projected to make it.
Florida Atlantic University, this was their first time making it into the “March Madness” tournament since 2002 and they are in it with their coach who joined the owls in 2018 making it his first appearance as well. The owls finished their regular season record with 35 wins and 3 losses and taking home the American Conference Champions over UAB punching their ticket into the tournament.
They were seeded at number 9 in the tournament and started their first game against number 8 seeded Memphis. The owls ended up pulling off the win by one point at the last second advancing them to the round of 32.
They went up against fellow cinderella FDU who were seeded 16 after their huge upset against number 1 seed Purdue. The owls were back and forth with FDU the entire game but continued to keep their lead and pulled away winning 78-70.
Advancing to the sweet 16 they went up against number 4 seed Tennessee who just came off an incredible win over number 5 seed duke. The game was in Tennessee favor, and they had control majority of the game but FAU took control with some turnovers and clutch 3s to give them the win in a close game till the end extending the lead with free throws to 62-55 advancing the to the elite 8 which has not been done by a 9 seed in a long time.
They end up facing Kansas State a number 3 seed who has been on a roll and been projected to win the whole tournament and if the owls pull off this win it would put them in a huge spot to win the national championship. The Owls controlled the boards for much of the first half and the game as a whole as they built a 42-38 lead at the break.
Kansas State didn’t have a great answer for Florida Atlantic’s 7-foot-1 center Vladislav Goldin, who had more offensive rebounds in the first 20 minutes (four) than Kansas State had as a team (two). The Owls’ 7-2 advantage in second-chance points in the first half made up the game margin, and it didn’t help matters that K-State forward Keyontae Johnson sat out the final 12 minutes of the first half after being whistled for his second foul — an offensive foul on a loose ball in the lane. Johnson later picked up his third and fourth fouls in the opening six minutes of the second half and returned to the bench.
The Owls go to the Final Four by doing what they do. They never left the Wildcats put them away, got the 3-point shooting they lacked in earlier tournament games and had four starters in double-figures. This team continues to show it belongs and is not to be taken lightly.