Once upon a time, teams like Cincinnati, Houston, Louisville, Marquette and Memphis called Conference USA home.
Despite those high-profile programs, there were just three Final Four teams to come out of Conference USA since it was founded in 1995:
- 2002-03 Marquette (lost in Final Four)
- 2004-05 Louisville (lost in Final Four)
- 2007-08 Memphis (lost in NCAA championship)
No one would have guessed Florida Atlantic would join that list when the season began, but the Owls looked every bit a national title contender on Saturday on their way to cutting down the nets in the East Region.
Grit and determination was the story of the game, as the Owls pulled down 14 offensive rebounds and tallied 15 second-chance points.
Outside of a strong game inside from Vladislav Goldin, they also received strong individual performances from Alijah Martin (17 points), Bryan Greenlee (16 points, 4/5 3PT) and Johnell Davis (13 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists).
Tip of the cap to senior guard Michael Forrest who buried all four of his free-throw attempts in the final 20 seconds to seal the victory.
It wasn't the cleanest game, and the Owls actually committed a season-high 22 turnovers, but they still did enough to survive and advance.
Can they be the first team to bring a national championship home to the conference?
