March Madness: FAU isn’t as big of an underdog as you think
By Scott Rogust
The FAU Owls are headed to the Final Four of the NCAA Tournament as a No. 9 seed. Even with their seeding, they are actually not big underdogs.
The 2023 men’s NCAA Tournament has been nothing short of incredible. Underdogs have scored upset victories, while the top seeds have crumbled before making it towards the end of the tourney. With only four spots remaining in the NCAA Tournament remaining, the first team to clinch one of them was the No. 9 seed Florida Atlantic Owls.
Entering March, the FAU men’s basketball program had never won a single NCAA Tournament game. Now, they are just two wins away from taking home their first national championship after they defeated the No. 3 Kansas State Wildcats 79-76 on Saturday night.
Even though the Owls are a No. 9 seed, are they really gigantic underdogs?
Why FAU aren’t big underdogs in the NCAA Tournament
This year’s Owls team is the first since the 2018-19 Virginia Cavaliers to win 35 or more games in a men’s college basketball season, per CBS Sports. That is the very Virginia team that went on to win the national championship that season, where they beat Texas Tech 85-77.
Florida Atlantic is the first team since Virginia in 2018-19 (35-3, won title) to win 35+ games pic.twitter.com/qHLBu3HhIC
— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) March 26, 2023
Additionally, FAU’s 35 wins are tied for the most in a season since the 2017-18 Villanova Wildcats. That Villanova team won 36 games and the national championship.
FAU has now secured the most wins in college basketball this season no matter what happens next, now 35-3 on the season.
— Chris Vannini (@ChrisVannini) March 26, 2023
Tied for the most in CBB since Villanova in 2017-18 (36).
FAU entered the NCAA Tournament with a 31-3 record, and the Conference USA regular-season and Tournament championships. The Owls opened up the tourney with a 66-65 win over the No. 8 Memphis Tigers for their first-ever NCAA Tournament victory. From their FAU defeated the No. 16 Fairleigh Dickinson Knights 78-70, the No. 4 Tennessee Volunteers 62-55, and No. 3 Kansas State to reach the Final Four for the first time ever.
The Owls now await the winner of the March 26 Elite Eight game between the No. 5 San Diego State Aztecs and No. 6 Creighton Blue Jays.
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