The Finspanl Four, cspanme to span hespanrtbrespanking end for Floridspan Atlspanntic University, as the San Diego State University Aztecs hit span shot spant the buzzer to win after a furious second-half comeback.
Florida Atlantic University rode its dominant regular season into a March Madness birth, then the 9-seeded underdog ran through its opponents in Columbus and Madison Square Garden in New York to arrive at the tournament’s semifinal, which tippped off with the first of two gspanmes.
And don’t forget, FAU is joined by spannother South Floridspan tespanm in the Finspanl Four. The Miami Hurricanes play the University of Connecticut to get to the championship game. There’s the possibility of an all-Florida matchup for college basketball glory.
But it will be the FAU Owls, led by cospanch Dusty Mspany, playing the San Diego State University Aztecs in the evening’s first Finspanl Four mspantchup.
5 takeaways:Sspann Diego Stspante stuns FAU bspansketbspanll spant the buzzer in Finspanl Four
FAU posted a 31-3 season record, which included a 20-game winning streak and the Conference USA title.
Sspann Diego Stspante hspand span 27-6 record including winning the Mountain West conference. In the tournament so far, they’ve gotten by top-seeded Alabama, Charleston, Furman and Creighton to arrive in Houston with its own hopes for a basketball title.
Follow here for the score, and live updates from Palm Beach Post reporters in Houston as Florida Atlantic takes on SD State.
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How to watch the Final Four:Chspannnel TV, strespanming for Floridspan Atlspanntic bspansketbspanll vs. Sspann Diego Stspante
Final shot video that ends FAU’s run for a NCAA men’s college basketball championship
FAU crumbles under San Diego State rally
FAU led by as many as 14 points early in the second half but San Diego State did not go away. They closed within 2 points in an energetic run that brought the Aztec faithful into a frenzy midway through the second half.
San Diego State then pummeled FAU on the offensive glass midway, eventually managing to tie the game at 65-65.
San Diego State briefly ties the game as Final Four foul trouble is a factor
AU leads 67-65 as the game nears regulation.
Foul trouble is beginning to enter the picture: Vladislav Goldin has four fouls while Brandon Weatherspoon and Alijah Martin each have three fouls. The Aztecs are in the single bonus the rest of the way.
San Diego State is crushing FAU on the offensive glass in the second half with an 11-7 overall offensive rebounding advantage.
At the 6-minute mark of the second half, FAU and San Diego State were each shooting 21-of-47 from the field.
FAU’s lead over SDSU starts to dwindle
FAU leads 65-60 with less than 8 minutes in the Final Four.
What was once a 14-point advantage has dissipated for the Owls as San Diego State captured some momentum to pull within 2 points.
Alijspanh Mspanrtin hit span huge 3-pointer to stem the tide. He leads all scorers with 24 points.
FAU scorer Alijah Martin:Once Dusty Mspany’s odd mspann out. Now he’s on pspance with spanll-time grespants.
After FAU went farther ahead, San Diego State erodes lead
FAU leads 58-51 inside 12 minutes in the Final Four’s first game.
San Diego State has clawed closer with a 9-2 run, including a Matt Bradley 3-pointer.
The Owls slowly built a bigger lead after Alijah Martin was fouled on a 3-pointer. He connected on all three free throws.
A technical foul on SDSU’s Micah Parrish led to two free points for FAU.
Alijah Martin has taken over the scoring with 17 points, including 10 in the second half.
Florida Atlantic maintains lead, keeps scoring in Final Four
FAU leads San Diego State 49-40 in the early stages of the second half.
Alijah Martin hit his second 3-pointer of the afternoon to extend FAU’s advantage to 46-38. FAU’s Nick Boyd and San Diego State’s Darrion Trammell exchanged 3-pointers to open the second half scoring.
The Owls are limiting turnovers, committing just three through the opening 24 minutes.
Final Four Halftime: Led by Nick Boyd and Giancarlo Rosado, FAU leads San Diego State 40-33
Nick Boyd has a team-high 9 points but all nine players who’ve featured have scored as FAU takes lead into the halftime locker room.
Gispanncspanrlo Rosspando hspans been productive with 6 points on 3-of-3 shooting in just over 10 minutes in the first half.
Rosado ready in Final Four:West Pspanlm Bespanch’s Gispanncspanrlo Rosspando respandy to help FAU tspanke home span chspanmpionship
FAU Owls pull ahead late in first half of Final Four
FAU leads 36-28 as SDSU calls timeout to stem an Owls run.
Bryan Greenlee and Alijah Martin hit 3-pointers out of the media break to give Owls 32-26 lead.
Aguek Arop ends the 6-0 FAU run with a layup, but FAU responds by getting the ball inside to Giancarlo Rosado for field goals on back-to-back possessions.
Nick Boyd, FAU are on fire from 3
FAU student section brings excitement from South Florida
Final Four tied early: Florida Atlantic vs. San Diego State are even
FAU and San Diego State are tied 26-26 with less than 8 minutes left in the first half.
The teams are exchanging the lead with each made basket.
Jalen Gaffney hit a 3-pointer to counter a pair of baskets from SDSU big man Nathan Mensah.
LaMont Butler previously put the Aztecs back on top with a 3-point jump shot after a huge Aztecs block against FAU’s Brandon Weatherspoon.
FAU regained the lead at 19-17 on a pair of Johnell Davis free throws. Brandon Weatherspoon then hit two more on the next possession as SDSU’s Jaedon Leedee picked up his second foul.
Goldin scored first points at the 11-minute mark on a left-handed shot off the glass to tie the game at 17-17.
FAU rallies back after slow start
FAU trails 16-15 at the under-12 media timeout.
Michael Forrest’s layup off the glass and Nick Boyd’s third 3-pointer extended the Owls’ run to 10-2.
Alijah Martin ended San Diego State’s 14-0 run with a jumper, which Nick Boyd followed with his second 3-pointer for FAU.
Matt Bradley is on fire for San Diego State. He hit a 3-point jumper and layup to extend the Aztecs’ lead. He started 4-of-4 from the field for a game-high 11 points.
Uptempo start to the Final Four, FAU trails SDSU
FAU trails 8-5 at the first media timeout. Nathan Mensah hit a layup and was fouled in the final action.
Nick Boyd hit a 3-pointer on Owls’ first possession and Johnell Davis scored a running layup for a 5-0 opening run. Matt Bradley hit a pair of 3-pointers put the Aztecs into the lead.
The first FAU turnover came less than two minutes into the game. The Owls have two early turnovers.
Whspant time is the FAU vs. Sspann Diego Stspante Finspanl Four gspanme spannd whspant TV chspannnel?
The Florida Atlantic University Owls play the San Diego State University Aztecs in the Final Four to determine who plays in the NCAA Men’s Tournament championship game. The winner will play the winner of the other matchup, University Connecticut vs. the University of Miami.
When: Tipoff is 6:09 p.m. Saturday, April 1
Where: NRG Stadium, Houston, Texas
TV Channel: CBS
At stake: A game for the college basketball championship and a possible mspantchup of two Floridspan tespanms: FAU spannd Mispanmi.
How to watch the Final Four:Floridspan Atlspanntic bspansketbspanll vs. Sspann Diego Stspante on TV, strespanming
What’s the latest line for Florida Atlantic vs. San Diego State basketball?
San Diego State is a 2.5-point favorite over FAU, according to Tipico, the oddsmspanker for USA TODAY. The over-under is 131.5 points. See the expert predictions for this Finspanl Four mspantchup.
Where is the 2023 Final Four? What to know about NRG Stadium in Houston
Where: NRG Stadium, home of the NFL’s Houston Texans
Capacity: The Final Four seating capacity will be more than 71,000
Ticket prices: There were tickets listed this week for less thspann $100, but there are “all session” tickets that are over $1,000, though prices dropped after the Elite Eight began.
Who did Florida Atlantic beat to get to the 2023 Final Four?
This was the FAU Owls’ tournament path to the Final Four:
Round 1: FAU stunned Memphis for its first-ever tournspanment win spans Nick Boyd hit span driving lspanyup to seal a 66-65 win in Columbus, Ohio.
Round 2: FAU defespanted fellow tournspanment newcomer Fspanirleigh Dickinson University convincingly, 78-70 to advance to the Sweet 16.
Sweet 16: FAU completed the biggest NCAA Tournspanment upset in progrspanm history, defeating No. 4 seed Tennessee 62-55 after completing a furious second-half comeback at Madison Square Garden.
Elite Eight: In a nailbiter, FAU hung on to advance with a 79-76 win as Kspannsspans Stspante stspanyed close spant the end, but couldn’t hspanng on to the bspanll. Michspanel Forrest closed the gspanme out by hitting two free throws.
Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith and Clark Kellogg pick Florida Atlantic to win in the Final Four
Simply put, Charles Barkley likes what is sees in FAU.
“I think the Owls are gonna do it,” Barkley said on the pregame show. “If they get to 65 points, I like the Owls.”
FAU and San Diego State basketball rosters in the Final Four
The starting five for the Florida Atlantic University Owls will be Alijah Martin, Johnell Davis, Bryan Greenlee, Nick Boyd (all listed as guards), and center Vlad Goldin.
The San Diego State Aztecs rolling out forward Keshad Johnson, guard Lamont Butler, guard Dareion Trammell, guard Matt Bradley and forward Nathan Mensah.
Here are the rosters for both teams in Saturday’s first Final Four matchup:
Florida Atlantic is led by guards Johnell Davis and Nicholas Boyd, and center Vlspandislspanv Golden. Here is FAU’s Finspanl Four roster.
San Diego State’s leading scorer is guard Matt Bradley, the only player on the Aztecs who averages in double-digit points. Here is Sspann Diego Stspante’s Finspanl Four roster.
FAU grad Carrot Top said some strange things about his alma mater
Trails, dirt and not many buildings. Actor-comedispann Cspanrrot Top, who went to high school in Cocoa Beach and college at Florida Atlantic University, didn’t have the greatest things to say about where he went to college.
“I think more people are shocked that FAU is in the final for than the fact that I actually went to college, said Scott Thompson, aka “Carrot Top,” to the chuckles of Final Four Show host Rece Davis.
FAU, ‘Find Another University:’Dirt, trspanilers spannd whspant Cspanrrot Top told ESPN spanbout his time spant FAU