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FAU head coach Dusty May was ecstatic in the locker room following his team's 62-55 upset win over Tennessee in the Sweet 16. May unhesitantly warned the remaining teams in the NCAA Tournament, claiming the Owls are far from done after continuing their impressive run.
Here's what the fourth-year head coach with FAU said (via NCAA March Madness on Twitter):
"Once again, who knows who it is, but somebody in here is going to step up and make the plays... Fellas, we are not done! Three more."
In only their second NCAA Tournament appearance in university history, No. 9 seed Florida Atlantic made its maiden trip to the second round, Sweet 16 and Elite Eight. It caused upsets against #8 Memphis in Round 1 with a 66-65 win, beating 16th seed Fairleigh Dickinson 78-70 and recording its latest upset win over No. 4 Tennesse on Thursday.
Despite being the No. 16 seed, Fairleigh Dickinson wasn't an easy matchup for Dusty May's team as FDU came off a first-round upset over No. 1 Purdue.
Dusty May's FAU beat the odds to overcome in-form Tennesse in Sweet 16
FAU seems to have gotten used to the grind after prevailing against an in-form Tennesse team who were coming off a 65-52 second-round win over the streaking Duke Blue Devils. Tennessee entered its game against Dusty May's Florida Atlantic as the heavy favorites.
It was the favorites to prevail in the Sweet 16. However, FAU had other plans. May's team struggled to cope with Tennessee's physical defensive schemes in the first half. The Owls committed nine turnovers. The Vols protected the paint and dared FAU to shoot from beyond the arc, but May's team could only make three of its 14 attempts from deep.
Despite its solid effort defensively, Tennessee couldn't build a significant lead at the break, only taking a five-point advantage. That gave Florida Atlantic the opening it needed to find its way back into the game. Florida Atlantic attacked the rim more, hoping to resolve its offensive struggles, and it worked.
Center Michael Forrest inspired Florida Atlantic's comeback with a personal 8-0 run midway through the second half. Florida Atlantic rode on that to extend that run to a 18-2 advantage, giving it a 10-point lead over Tennessee.
The Vols' offensive struggles continued to hamper them in the second half. They never recovered from it after Dusty May's team tightened things up defensively, making the Vols work hard on every possession. Tennessee shot only 33.3%, while Flordia Atlantic connected only 42.0% FGs. Florida Atlantic will face No. 3 seed Kansas State in the Elite Eight.
Since the field expansion in 1985, Florida Atlantic is only the fourth winless team in NCAA Tournament history to make the Elite Eight.
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