FAU holds off Markquis Nowell and K-State to reach first Final Four

NEW YORK (AP) — Alijah Martin sent a messageearly for upstart Florida Atlantic, soaring to the basket for aone-handed jam and chirping with the Kansas State players about hisposter moment at Madison Square Garden.

“They’re going to label us whatever, but we’re some pit bullsand Rottweilers,” Martin said.

Now they can call the ninth-seeded Owls a Final Four team.

Martin and FAU withstood another huge game by Kansas State’sMarkquis Nowell and brushed off a deficit in the final eightminutes to beat the Wildcats 79-76 on Saturday night.

FAU (35-3), making just its second appearance in the NCAATournament and first since 2002, won the East Region and will headto Houston to play the winner of Sunday’s South Region finalbetween Creighton and San Diego State.

“I expect the prognosticators to pick us fifth in the FinalFour,” fifth-year FAU coach Dusty May said.

In one of the most unpredictable NCAA Tournaments ever — allfour No. 1 seeds were out by the Elite Eight — the Owls fromConference USA typify the madness.

The winningest team in Division I this season had never won anNCAA Tournament game before ripping off four straight, all bysingle digits, to become the first No. 9 seed to reach the FinalFour since Wichita State in 2013. The Owls are the third No. 9 toget that far since seeding began in 1979.

“Honestly, all the things people say just fuels us to go outthere and play even harder,” said Bryan Greenlee, who scored 16points before fouling out. “They can say whatever they want, saywe’re a Cinderella team, say we don’t belong, but we’ve constantlyproven people wrong all season.”

Nowell, the 5-foot-8 native New Yorker — @MrNewYorkCityy onTwitter — was incredible again at Madison Square Garden, with 30points, 12 assists and five steals. In the Sweet 16, Nowell set theNCAA Tournament record with 19 assists in an overtime win againstMichigan State. He didn’t get enough help this time.

Nae’Qwan Tomlin was the only other player in double figures forKansas State (26-10) with 14 points. Keyontae Johnson, theWildcats’ leading scorer, fouled out with nine points.

“Keyontae played 18 minutes, and that’s why he was neutralized,”said first-year Kansas State coach Jerome Tang, who took over ateam that went 14-17 last season.

Martin scored 17 points, including a huge 3 down the stretch,the 7-foot-1 Vladislav Goldin had 14 points and 13 rebounds, andMichael Forrest made four clutch free throws in the final 20seconds for the Owls, who held steady as the Wildcats made one lastpush.

Cam Carter made a 3 from the wing with 22.8 seconds left to cutFAU’s lead to 75-74 and Kansas State sent Forrest to the line with17.9 seconds left. The senior made both to make it a three-pointgame.

Nowell found Tomlin inside for a layup with 8.6 seconds left tocut the lead to one again, and again K-State sent Forrest to theline. With 6.9 remaining, he made them both.

With no timeouts left, Nowell rushed down the court, gave up theball to Ismael Massoud outside the 3-point line —- and never got itback. FAU’s Johnell Davis swiped it away and time ran out.

“I was trying to get Ish a shot,” Nowell said. “Coach wanted Ishto set the screen, and I waved it off because I felt like on theright side of the court, that’s where Ish hits most of his shots.And they closed out hard to him, and he didn’t get his shotoff.”

Nowell was named the most outstanding player of the region afterhis final collegiate game, but FAU turned out to be the bestteam.

“I gave my heart and soul to this university, to this team,”Nowell said. “I maximized everything I had inside of me to seethese guys happy.”

As the Owls built their lead in the final minutes, Kansas Statefans who had packed the building became anxiously quiet and the“F-A-U!” chants started to rise.

The Owls rushed the floor to celebrate a historic moment for theschool. FAU didn’t even have a basketball program until the late1980s and has only been in Division I for the last 30 years.

“I’m living the dream right now,” Forrest said.

FAU held up to Tennessee’s bully ball in the Sweet 16 anddropped a 40-point second half on the best defense in the nation toeliminate the Southeastern Conference team.

Against one of the Big 12’s best, FAU dominated the boards,44-22, and became the first team from C-USA to to reach the FinalFour since Memphis in 2008.

The Owls aren’t hanging around much longer. They’re moving tothe American Athletic Conference next season. But first: a trip toTexas.

BIG PICTURE

FAU: The Owls put together four straight winning records underMay before breaking through with a season for the ages that nobodysaw coming. They were picked fifth in the C-USA preseason coaches’poll.

Kansas State: The Wildcats were trying to get back to the FinalFour for the first time since 1964.

UP NEXT

Florida Atlantic is a combined 0-3 against San Diego State (0-2)and Creighton.