Could Florida Atlantic make another NCAA Final Four this year? See who stands in the way.
Florida Atlantic was the biggest beneficiary of No. 1 Purdue's loss to No. 16 Fairleigh Dickinson in last year's NCAA Tournament. It was only the second time in NCAA tournament history that a 16 seed upset a 1 seed.
The Owls still came up with quality wins on their way to a Final Four appearance, and proved they were among the best in the country regardless of who they faced. They continued the trend early this season with monster wins over Arizona and Texas A&M before hitting speedbumps as the season went on.
But how far can the Owls go this year, and who is standing in the way of another Final Four run?
March Madness updates: The latest from FAU basketball vs Northwestern
FAU got placed in the toughest region of the tournament
The Selection Committee did the Owls no favors by slotting them in the East Region, which has three of last year's Final Four teams in FAU, San Diego State and defending national champion Connecticut.
As the eighth seed, FAU's first hurdle will be against ninth-seeded Northwestern in Brooklyn on Friday, March 22. The first game of the day there - 12:15 p.m. start - will be a solid matchup between two bubble teams, but FAU has proven it can rebound from tough losses in memorable fashion, something it has done all season long. You can read our prediction for that game here.
But after downing the Wildcats, FAU most likely will face one of the most dominant teams in college basketball in the Huskies, who cruised to the championship last year and look poised to repeat. Should they somehow get past UConn, they could be facing San Diego State or Auburn, two more schools playing at a high level at the right time.
A basketball giant awaits the Owls in the second round
UConn is 62-11 in the last two years, and has two NBA lottery picks in 7-foot-2 Donovan Clingan and Big East Freshman of the Year Stephon Castle. The Huskies have handled business all season and earned the tournament's No. 1 overall seed.
The Huskies have the second largest scoring margin in the country (17.1), are ranked No. 1 in the KenPom index, and No. 2 in the NET and BPI. They average 81.5 points per game, while giving up 64.4, both top-25 marks in the nation
On paper, however, FAU matches up well with the Huskies. But the reality is that UConn is in a league of its own this year, while the Owls have struggled throughout the season.
Never count the Owls out, especially in the NCAA Tournament
It's difficult to count a team led by Coach Dusty May and AAC Co-Player of the Year Johnell Davis out early in the tournament. They proved last year that they can line up against the best in the nation, and again this season with wins over Arizona and Texas A&M, No. 2 and No. 10 seeds, respectively.
FAU has the experience required to make another run, and one could argue that taking more lumps this year has given the Owls plenty of fuel to stoke the fire. If they had gotten a draw in any other region, FAU would almost certainly be a shoe-in for a Sweet Sixteen appearance at minimum.
FAU plays as a complete unit, which matters most in March
The Owls have shown this year that if one key player is struggling, another will step up. Vlad Goldin and Alijah Martin have had plenty of big performances, plus Nick Boyd, Bryan Greenlee and Brandon Weatherspoon have proven they can step up when it matters most.
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Their ability to gang-rebound sets the tone for tons of fast-break scoring, and they are fluid defensively. All five starters have the ability to blow open a game on their own in a three-minute stretch. Having Davis and the conference's most dominant big in Goldin never hurts your chances, either.
When FAU is firing on all cylinders, there are few teams in the country that can keep up. The problem is, those few teams just happen to have been seeded in the same region as the Owls.
How far will FAU go in this year's tournament?
In the end, the Huskies will likely bounce the Owls in the Round of 32 on the way to repeating as National Champions. It's no knock on the Owls. There are just few teams, if any at all, that will be able to stop UConn this year.
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But it's called March Madness for a reason, and if FAU finds a way to get past UConn, it will be all downhill sledding on the way to a national championship game berth that the Owls were one possession away - and one last-second shot - from last year.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: FAU falls early in our March Madness predictions. Here's why
