Some people look at Florida Atlantic University in this NCAA Tournament and see a balanced basketball team led by a rising coach that sits one more dramatic win on Saturday from the never-promised land of the Final Four.
Other people see Cinderella. They see an unknown team from a non-descript conference playing in an arena and with a budget that’s a fraction the size of most tournament teams and recognize the kind of run for the ages that demands standing on a table and celebrating.
That’s how Florida Atlantic guard Nick Boyd felt late Thursday night in New York’s Madison Square Garden. Everyone on FAU’s team felt the needs to express the emotion of their win against Tennessee in some defining manner.
Senior guard Mike Forrest hugged teammates on the court. A few players ran over to their fans’ section to celebrate. Coach Dusty May, proper as ever, went down the line shaking hands with Tennessee players and coaches.
Boyd saw that courtside table and couldn’t resist taking it like FAU took New York.
“I had to stand up there to celebrate on that table,’’ the Owls freshman guard said.
Holy, heavenly Hoot.
What’s happening here?
Outside of some in Boca Raton — outside of those who watched much of FAU’s 34-win season from its 3,100-seat arena — who knew such a moment could happen? Who could have known? Was FAU a dreamer or a sleeper, in NCAA Tournament parlance?
“We don’t feel like we’re Cinderella,’’ forward Alijah Martin said.
They’d only been to the NCAA Tournament once before, in 2002. They’d never won a tournament game before winning the three this March. They’d never advanced to the Sweet 16.
They’re now in the Elite Eight.
They can rightfully declare this is the dramatic byproduct of a breakout season. FAU won the Conference USA regular season. The Owls won the conference tournament. So NCAA Tournament wins against Memphis, Fairleigh Dickinson and Tennessee aren’t so surprising.
The larger basketball world is surprised, bordering on shocked. Florida Atlantic? Sure, tiny Gonzaga advanced on Thursday, too. But it’s a known basketball powerhouse, having played at this level for years.
Florida Atlantic had seven straight losing seasons before May arrived in 2018. He came for the interview in Boca Raton not even interested in the job. He was a Florida assistant and saw the losing record, the roster that needed a complete re-haul, and the resources that made him chuckle this week when a reporter suggested Tennessee might have a larger budget — and he still fell in love with the area on that trip.
FAU had a history of star-gazing at bigger-name coaches like Sidney Green, Matt Doherty, Mike Jarvis and Michael Curry. The Owls began their trip to the edge of the Final Four with his hiring. He found players like Forrest from Blanche Ely High and Boyd from an Indiana prep school.
“It was a lot of work by our players, every day, to get here,’’ May said.
The NCAA Tournament is the most democratic of all sporting events. No matter who you are, no matter where you’re from, no matter if someone’s heard of you, you have chance to do exactly what FAU did this tournament.
If your shots go in ...
“In the second half, we began making shots,’’ May said of the 62-55 win against Tennessee.
If you take over important parts of the game ...
“The big thing was offensive rebounds for them,’’ Tennessee guard Santiago Vescovi said.
FAU struggled in the first half but only trailed by five points. It came alive on an 18-2 run in the second half.
“We’re known for our spurt-ability,’’ May said.
Forrest hit a couple of game-tilting 3-point shots on that run. He was scoreless in the first two tournament games. He had 11 points to underline against Tennessee.
“I don’t even know how to explain it,’’ he said.
He doesn’t know how to explain it? Imagine the rest of us. Florida Atlantic has danced to the doorstep of the Final Four. One more win Saturday against third-seed Kansas State and they’re in. The question isn’t if the NCAA Tournament is ready for the shock of that.
Is Boca Raton?
