Alijah Martin, Vlad Goldin and ninth-seeded Florida Atlantic became the first and lowest-seeded team to reach this year’s Final Four as the Owls withstood another huge game by Kansas State’s Markquis Nowell to beat the Wildcats 79-76 on Saturday night in New York City.
FAU (35-3), making just its second appearance in the NCAA tournament, won the East Region at Madison Square Garden and will head to Houston to play the winner of Sunday’s South Region final between Creighton and San Diego State.
THE SLIPPER STILL FITS ????<a href=”https://twitter.com/FAUMBB?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@FAUMBB</a> IS HEADED TO THE FINAL FOUR ????<a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/MarchMadness?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#MarchMadness</a> <a href=”https://t.co/UdXbmj9NwG”>pic.twitter.com/UdXbmj9NwG</a>
—@MarchMadnessMBB
The winningest team in Division I this season had never won an NCAA tournament game before ripping off four straight, all by single digits, to become the first No. 9 seed to reach the Final Four since Wichita State in 2013 and the third to get that far since seeding began in 1979.
Martin scored 17 points, including a huge 3 down the stretch, the seven-foot-one Goldin had 14 points and 13 rebounds, and Michael Forrest made four clutch free throws in the final 20 seconds for the Owls.
Nae’Qwan Tomlin was the only other player in double figures for Kansas State (26-10) with 14 points.
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