There will be no March Madness run for Florida Atlantic after frustrating loss to Northwestern

NEW YORK — Florida Atlantic decamped from Conference USA for the American Athletic Conference this past summer and brought along almost every piece from last year's Final Four team, providing a change of address without impacting the immense hype berthed from one of the most unexpected runs in NCAA men's tournament history.

New conference, same goals: FAU was ranked in the preseason poll for the first time and at No. 9 in that ranking stood among the best teams outside of the Power Six. With almost an identical cast and coach Dusty May back in the fold, the Owls were seen as a group capable of making another postseason push.

But March Madness doesn’t come with rollover dates. One year after putting themselves on the national map with that magical run, No. 8 FAU lost 77-65 in overtime to No. 9 Northwestern in the first round to end a pressure-filled, scrutinized season that barely scratched the surface of the Owls’ expectations.

Despite the experience and pedigree, FAU was never able to recapture last season’s magic amid the onslaught of publicity and notoriety that stemmed from last year’s Final Four berth.

“I just think it’s important to stay together no matter what,” said junior guard Nick Boyd. “Ups and downs, highs and lows. We had a bunch of that this year. I just think this year was a learning lesson for us, you know? With all the lights, all the cameras, all the attention. We had to stay together and stay focused.”

Taken in total, the 25-9 finish and first-round exit from the East Region paints FAU as one of the most disappointing teams in this year’s tournament while highlighting the near-impossible task of turning a Cinderella run into something much more permanent.

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Even for teams that bring back nearly the entire rotation from a Final Four team, it can take something close to perfection to survive and advance. For the Owls, this flawed performance against the Wildcats fits snugly into the story of their season.

FAU beat Texas A&M and Arizona in non-conference play but also suffered headscratching losses to Bryant and Florida Gulf Coast that impacted their NCAA Tournament seeding. The Owls lost four games in AAC play and were bounced from the semifinals of the conference tournament by Temple.

Against the Wildcats, FAU was undone by turnovers, weak perimeter defense and a surprising inability to seal the deal when given the opportunity late in the regulation — one of the hallmarks of last March.

"We weren't able to do that," said May. "We turned the ball over tonight, we didn't rebound well enough, and they made timely shots."

The Owls committed 21 turnovers, nine from guard Johnell Davis, that Northwestern turned into 21 points. They had just 10 assists on 22 field goals. They shot 38.6% from the field and a putrid 18.5% from 3-point range, connecting on just 5 of 27 attempts from deep.

“I think we passed on a bunch of open shots we all had,” Boyd said. “They’re a good team, a veteran team. We just didn’t execute. We were in position to win the game. The tournament always comes down to one possession.”

FAU was unable to clamp down on Northwestern guard Boo Buie and Ryan Langborg, who combined for 49 points. A key part of the Princeton team that reached last year’s Sweet 16 before transferring into the program this past offseason, Langborg led all scorers with 27 points while adding four rebounds, three assists and two steals.

After a sloppy first half — the two teams combined for just 39 points — Northwestern pulled ahead by as many as nine points with 6:30 left before FAU began clawing back, triggering flashbacks to last spring’s back-and-forth wins against Memphis, Tennessee and Kansas State to reach the national semifinals.

But the Owls were unable to close. Up two points, 58-56, with just over a minute left, FAU forced a Northwestern turnover with 47 seconds left but missed a jumper on the ensuing possession. After the Owls regained possession after an official review of a ball tipped out of bounds, center Vlad Goldin was followed by missed the front end of a one-and-one with 26 seconds left, giving the Wildcats a chance to tie the game in regulation.

Brooks Barnhizer’s layup tied the game with nine seconds left. Oddly, May decided not to call his final timeout; the ball was inbounded to Davis, who missed badly on a 30-foot heave as time expired.

"Credit Northwestern," May said. "They were statistically better in almost every facet of the game, and we were just not at our best and they made enough plays to win. But credit them. They made plays when they needed to."

The loss sets up what will be a very different type of offseason. An emotional postgame locker room knew the score: This brief blip of an era is over for FAU, which is set for an overhaul that could impact every player and coach on this roster.

Three key cogs in the backcourt — Bryan Greenlee, Brandon Weatherspoon and Jalen Gaffney — have exhausted their eligibility. Rising seniors Davis, fellow guard Alijah Martin and 7-foot-1 center Vlad Goldin could test the transfer portal; that would be the second transfer for Goldin, who started his career at Texas Tech.

And May continues to be a hot candidate for major-conference openings, including Louisville, Michigan and Vanderbilt. He’s posted a winning record in all six of his seasons and gone a combined 60-12 the past two years.

With so many moving pieces and such uncertainty about the near future, this feels like the end of the road for this iteration of FAU.

"I've been doing this 20-some years and there's never been a year where I didn't end the season extremely disappointed that I didn't coach better, and I don't think I ever will," May said.

"So very, very proud to be a part of this group. Did we let anyone down? Did we disappoint? I don't think so. We fought. We battled. Did it go all our way all the time? No. But it went our way last year most of the time. That's the randomness of winning. But it was a blast. It was a blast."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Florida Atlantic exits March Madness early after Final Four run