Florida Atlantic Makes History with Stunning Upset to Reach Elite Eight

Florida Atlantic has made it to the Elite Eight for the first time.

In only their second appearance in the NCAA tournament, Florida Atlantic made a second-half comeback, led by Michael Forrest, to defeat Tennessee 62-55 on Thursday night and move within one win of reaching the Final Four.

The ninth-seeded Owls (34-3) will face the third-seeded Kansas State Wildcats in the East Region final at Madison Square Garden on Saturday. Prior to the tournament, this had already been the greatest season in FAU’s history, and now they are becoming one of the biggest stories in all of sports.

Johnell Davis was the top scorer for the Owls with 15 points, while Forrest added 11, with eight points coming during a critical second-half run that helped FAU take control of the game.

Tennessee (25-11), who were seeking just their second-ever Elite Eight appearance, shot only 33%, including 6 of 23 from 3-point range. Josiah-Jordan James and Jonas Aidoo both scored 10 points for the Volunteers.