Florida Atlantic downs No. 3 seed Kansas State to book March Madness Final Four spot
Florida Atlantic topples No. 3 seed Kansas State to book a berth in the March Madness Final Four for the first time in their HISTORY… as the No. 9 seed’s miracle streak continues with incredible win at MSG
Dusty May’s team didn’t see themselves as underdogs, and the players wouldn’t admit it for the entire month of March, but the Cinderella slipper fits the bill perfectly on Florida Atlantic.
Now, the ninth-seeded Owls are heading to their first Final Four in only their second all-time NCAA Tournament appearance.
Alijah Martin scored 17 points, Michael Forrest made four pivotal free throws late in the game and FAU defeated third-seeded Kansas State 79-76 on Saturday in the Eastern Region final at Madison Square Garden.
FAU (35-3) will face either fifth-seeded San Diego State or sixth-seeded Creighton, who will play Sunday in the South Region final. The Owls will head to Houston on an 11-game winning streak.
FAU is the third No. 9 seed to reach the Final Four, joining Wichita State 2013 and Penn 1979, and the ninth No. 9 or lower seeded team to reach that far.
Florida Atlantic University defeated Kansas State 79-76v to make their first Final Four
Alijah Martin (15) led the way for FAU with 17 points in the historic upset win over KSU
Bryan Greenlee was 4 of 6 from the arc to score 16 points. He drilled his fourth 3-pointer of the game to split the lead in half at 60-57.
Wildcats star Markquis Nowell responded with his fourth 3-pointer of the night on the other end, but Kansas State (26-10) wouldn’t make a field goal for the next 6:52 of playing time.
FAU scored the next 10 points, Vladislav Goldin giving the Owls the lead for good at 64-63 with a rebound and a dunk.
Nowell made his fifth 3-pointer of the night to end the shooting drought and cut the margin to 72-69.
FAU’s Nick Boyd missed the front end of a one-on-one chance, but Martin got the offensive rebound and Davis scored for a five-point game with 1:17 left.
Boyd went 1-for-2 at the line again, and Cam Carter’s 3-pointer came in to bring Kansas State’s deficit to 75-74 with 24 seconds remaining.
Kansas State committed its 10th foul, and Forrest made both shots. Nae’Qwan Tomlin made a reverse layup to cut it to one, but Forrest scored two more and the Wildcats failed to get a shot in the final 6.9 seconds.
Goldin had 14 points and 13 rebounds, and Johnell Davis had 13 points and eight rebounds as FAU held a huge 44-22 rebounding advantage.
Nowell scored 30 points and dished out 11 assists for Kansas State. Tomlin had 14 points and Johnson scored nine before fouling out.