The Florida Atlantic Owls are headed to their first Elite 8 since joining Division 1 college basketball back in 1993-94.
Dusty May’s squad entered Thursday’s Sweet 16 action against Tennessee inside Madison Square Garden as five-point underdogs. Even after defeating Memphis and Fairleigh Dickinson in the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament, no one really gave Florida Atlantic much of a chance against the Volunteers.
After all, Tennessee had just defeated the red hot Duke Blue Devils in the Round of 32 and were looking like a true juggernaut. Coming off a 27-point performance in that game, most figured Tennessee forward Olivier Nkamhoua would be too much for the Owls.
About that? Nkamhoua went scoreless until hitting on his first field goal with under five minutes remaining in the second half. The senior just didn’t have it as Tennessee struggled big time on offense in a 62-55 loss. He hit on 2-of-9 from the field with six points. The Vols hit on just 33.2 percent of their shots from the field while connecting on 6-of-23 from three-point range.
As for Florida Atlantic, the surprise performance of reserve guard Michael Forrest played a huge role in their win. He hit on 3-of-6 from distance, providing the Owls with necessary scoring off the bench.
It was a balanced effort for Florida Atlantic with three players scoring double figures as both teams struggled offensively. And in the end, this team earned its third ever NCAA Tournament victory and its first Elite 8 appearance.
Related: Ranking all eight Sweet 16 games
Florida Atlantic will have to score more against Kansas State
Kansas State is coming off an absolutely thrilling win over Michigan State in the Sweet 16. Guard Markquis Nowell dominated in that one, putting up a Tournament record 19 assists in leading the Wildcats to an overtime win.
FAU will now go up against Kansas State in Madison Square Garden on Saturday night for a trip to the Final Four on the line.
Unfortunately, the struggles we saw from the Owls on offense Thursday night doesn’t bode extremely well for Florida Atlantic. In particular, center Vladislav Goldin didn’t do much (three points on 1-of-3 shooting) after finding himself as FAU’s third-leading scorer during the regular season.
The 7-foot-1 center should have the advantage against a smaller Kansas State frontcourt once Saturday comes calling. Should he struggle to provide anything of substance on offense, it could be an issue for the Owls.
Kansas State ranked in the middle of the pack during the regular season on defense, yielding an average of 68.9 points per game. Florida Atlantic was in the top 32 in scoring. It’s going to be all about shooting and performing better on offense.
If FAU is able to do that, a shocking trip to the Final Four in Houston could very well be in the cards for this mid-major program.