Florida Atlantic started March with grand total of zero NCAA tournament wins in program history.
Now it's going to the Final Four.
The No. 9 Owls beat No. 3 Kansas State 79-76 in an up-and-down thriller on Saturday to secure the East regional championship and punch the first ticket to next weekend's Final Four. They'll arrive in Houston as the tournament's lowest remaining seed.
They won on Saturday despite committing 22 turnovers while riding a dominant effort in the post from 7-1 center Vladislav Goldin and clutch free throws down the stretch from Michael Forrest. They held off a furious Kansas State rally in the game's final moments to advance.
In a back-and-forth first half, Kansas State took the early edge with a 16-12 lead. Florida Atlantic hit back with a 12-2 run open up a 24-18 edge. The Wildcats lost Keyontae Johnson to foul trouble in the process. The All-Big 12 forward picked up his second foul with 12:01 remaining and didn't see the court again before halftime.
FAU, meanwhile, leaned on Goldin, who controlled the post while Kansas State's defense focused on guarding the perimeter. He tallied eight points, eight rebounds, two assists and two blocks before halftime. With Johnson sidelined, breakout KSU star Markquis Nowell continued to shine on the Madison Square Garden stage with 15 points and seven assists before halftime while dazzling the crowd with his playmaking ability.
FAU rode a 53.6% shooting effort from the floor to a 42-38 halftime edge.
Johnson was back on the floor to start the second half and ready to make up for lost time. He scored the first two buckets of the half to spark a 6-0 Kansas State run to take a 44-42 lead. But foul trouble struck again. He picked up his third foul with 17:22 remaining. His fourth at the 14:10 mark sent him back to the bench. His bench stay was short this time, but he fouled with 2:44 remaining and FAU leading, 70-64.
Nowell — the hero of Thursday's Sweet 16 win — did his best to keep Kansas State in the game. He made four second-half 3-pointers in a xx-point, xx-assist effort. But a 15-1 FAU run turned a 63-57 Kansas State lead into a 72-64 FAU edge with 2:44 remaining. The Owls never trailed again.