Dusty May, head coach of Florida Atlantic Owls, is reportedly set to become the new head coach of the Michigan Wolverines after their March Madness elimination. May led FAU to a surprise Final Four appearance in 2022-23 and has agreed to take over the struggling Wolverines, who finished the season with a program record 24 losses. May went 126-69 in his six years at FAU and previously served as an assistant at various universities before starting his coaching career.
The San Diego State Aztecs and Florida Atlantic Owls will face off in the first semifinal of the Final Four at Houston's NRG Stadium. Despite being from opposite coasts, the two teams are more similar than one might think, with both having deep rosters of underappreciated players hungry to prove their worth. The game will likely be decided by who handles the moment in the 72,000-seat NFL stadium with a 27-inch elevated court and golf carts transporting players from the bus to the locker room. The Aztecs have played the harder schedule and are older, but the Owls have proven that the stage doesn't matter to them.
Florida Atlantic Owls, led by head coach Dusty May, are the underdog team of this year's NCAA men's basketball tournament, making their first-ever Final Four appearance. May signed on as head coach in 2018 without seeing the university's facilities, but his intuition and imaginative spirit have led the team to a conference regular season championship and a Final Four berth. Despite a notable loss earlier in the season, three CBS Sports experts predict FAU advancing to the National Championship game. Regardless of the outcome, May is likely to have suitors from larger powerhouse conferences.
The NCAA men's Final Four features historic firsts as none of the top-three seeds made it this far. Three teams, Miami, San Diego State, and Florida Atlantic, are making their first Final Four appearance. UConn, the highest-ranked team left, is hoping to restore order in a tournament marked by wild upsets. Miami has the top-scoring offense, while San Diego State has the highest-rated scoring defense. FAU has the best record of any Division I team in the country. Either FAU or San Diego State is guaranteed a spot in the final, keeping hopes alive for an underdog story to have the happiest of all endings.
Florida Atlantic Owls' Alijah Martin attempted a windmill dunk in the final seconds of their win over Fairleigh Dickinson, despite the Knights not looking to foul them any longer. The move was deemed unnecessary and disrespectful by fans and FDU players, who did not shake Martin's hand after the game. Social media also criticized Martin's decision. The Owls will face the Tennessee Vols in the Sweet 16.
The Memphis Tigers lost to the Florida Atlantic Owls, 66-65, in a dramatic back-and-forth game during the opening round of the 2023 men’s NCAA tournament. The game was defined by a controversial call when Memphis appeared to call a timeout before Florida Atlantic tied them up, but the refs didn't award it. Twitter reactions were heated, with many feeling that Memphis got "jobbed." The loss was a tough one for Memphis, who also had to deal with injuries and foul trouble. Florida Atlantic will now face Fairleigh Dickinson in the second round.
