NEW YORK (AP) — As the horn blew for the biggest win in Florida Atlantic track history, Nick Boyd and Bryan Greenlee climbed onto the press row table to celebrate.
Instead of going to the locker room, some of the Owls players went up to the stands to sing “New York, New York” with their fans.
The Boca Raton, Florida-based school, which has only been competing in Division I for the past 30 years and had only one previous NCAA Tournament appearance, is now one win away from the Final Four.
The Owls used a second-half push led by Michael Forrest to defeat fourth-seeded Tennessee 62-55 Thursday night at the Sweet 16.
Ninth-seeded FAU (34-3) will play third-seeded Kansas State in the Eastern Region final at Madison Square Garden on Saturday.
“Yeah, our guys definitely feel like they belong on this stage,” fifth-year coach Dusty May said.
Even before the tournament started, this was undoubtedly the best season in FAU history. Now the Owls are one of the biggest stories in all of sports.
“We’re just a rudimentary bunch,” Boyd said. “Unbreakable.”
Johnell Davis led Conference USA champions with 15 points and Forrest finished with 11, including eight straight as FAU took control in the final 10 minutes.
The Volunteers (25-11), seeking the second Elite Eight appearance in program history, shot just 33%, including 6-for-23 from 3-point range. Josiah-Jordan James and Jonas Aidoo each scored 10 points.
“Certainly proud of the effort these guys have given us all year, through tough times with injuries, but when it ends like this, it’s always disappointing because we want it all and come up short,” Tennessee coach Rick Barnes said. .
Barnes has made 27 NCAA appearances with four schools, but has reached the Elite Eight just three times and has gone to one Final Four.
The game progressed Tennessee style and pace. The No. 1 defense in the country, by KemPom metrics, out of the rocky Southeast Conference was making the FAU work hard for shots.
The Owls then began to hit the 3-pointers that they had missed for much of the first 30 minutes.
“We had great shots even in the first half when they were a little bit inside of us,” Boyd said. “The second half, they went down, we opened it up a little bit.”
Forrest made back-to-back 3-pointers to put FAU up 41-39 with 9:49 to play, the Owls’ first lead since the opening minute.
Forrest capped a personal 8-0 run with a layup that put the Owls up four.
Meanwhile, Tennessee couldn’t buy a bucket. The Vols had a six minute stretch during which they scored four points.
“Obviously we missed open shots, they missed open shots. But we were disappointed in the way we played. We knew we had to play harder, but we were five points up, so…” James said, his voice low.
Brandon Weatherspoon’s reversal of a missed 3-pointer off the side of the backboard made it 51-41 with 6:47 remaining.
The Vols had one more push left. James made a 3-point snap with 3:33 remaining to cut the Owls’ lead to 55-50.
The Owls improved the defense, getting a key stop that led to a fast break layup by Boyd to put FAU up 57-50 with 2:31 remaining.
The Owls blew it up with free kicks from there, as the orange-clad Vols fans were emptied of MSG and the outnumbered FAU fans took over.
Owls fans serenaded May’s wife, Anna, with a “WOW!” chant before finally leaving The Garden.
May had compared Tennessee’s defensive physique to rugby union in the run up to the game. He meant it as a compliment, and his Owls showed they could play hardball, too.
“We feel like we’re also physical,” Boyd said.
BIG PICTURE
FAU: The Owls outrebounded the bigger Vols 40-36, including 12 offensive rebounds that converted into 14 second-chance points.
“We know we’re not the tallest team,” said 7-foot-1 center Vlad Goldin. “So we know we have to be quick on the ball. We have to be physical. We have to elevate our physique. But it’s not something to be afraid of.”
Tennessee: The Vols were challenged offensively for much of the season, and were further limited when they lost point guard Zakai Zeigler.
Zeigler hurt his right knee against Arkansas on the last day of February, but there was no way the Long Island native would miss a return trip to New York. Zeigler was on the sidelines, using a scooter to roll around the court at times to join team groups and provide encouragement.
Tennessee went 7-8 from February 1 through the end of the season.
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