The first of four Elite Eight matchups this weekend will take place Saturday evening at Madison Square Garden as Florida Atlantic and Kansas State face off in the East Region final. The winner will advance to the Final Four in Houston, while the loser will head home.
This is the first meeting between the two programs, and one that very few saw coming. FAU, a 9-seed, has become one of the biggest underdog stories of this year’s tournament after taking down Memphis, Fairleigh Dickinson and Tennessee to reach this stage. Kansas State, a 3-seed, eliminated Montana State and Kentucky before defeating Michigan State in an overtime thriller on Thursday to advance to the Elite Eight.
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This is uncharted territory for the Owls. In FAU’s 30 years as a Division I program, this is just its second March Madness appearance. It had never even won a tournament game until this year. The team is led by head coach Dusty May and star guard Johnell Davis.
MORE: Watch March Madness live on Sling TVKansas State’s March Madness run has been spearheaded by Markquis Nowell. The senior guard from New York turned in a historic performance in the Sweet 16, dropping 20 points and a tournament-record 19 assists to help eliminate the Spartans. With head coach Jerome Tang at the helm, this team has championship aspirations.
MORE: Did Markquis Nowell, Jerome Tang fake an argument on clutch alley-oop vs. Michigan State?
Who will punch this year’s first ticket to the Final Four tonight? The Sporting News is tracking all the key moments from Florida Atlantic vs. Kansas State in the Elite Eight.
FAU vs. Kansas State score
| 1 | 2 | F | |
|---|---|---|---|
| FAU | – | – | – |
| Kansas State | – | – | – |
FAU vs. Kansas State live updates, highlights
(All times Eastern.)
7:06 p.m. — Goldin gets a bucket to make it 42-36, then he denies Nowell on an attempted layup at the other end. He’s given Kansas State a lot of trouble in this first half.
7:00 p.m. — A Johnell Davis layup to restore the Owls’ lead is followed by several scoreless minutes. As the clock creeps below 2:00, the drought is broken by buckets from Alijah Martin and then Nowell. FAU leads 40-36 with 44 seconds left in the first half.
Nowell is up to 15 points with that tough bucket 💪 #MarchMadness @KStateMBB pic.twitter.com/CeDUqa5BRZ
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 25, 2023
6:49 p.m. — Nowell is starting to heat up. After finding Sills with a nice feed to set up an easy layup, he gets fouled from beyond the arc and knocks down all three free throws. Moments later, he drills a three to give Kansas State its first lead of the game at 32-31.
6:40 p.m. — Sills gets fouled but manages to finish beautifully through contact for an opportunity at a three-point play. He misses the ensuing free throw, but his teammate Abayomi Iyiola quickly gets a steal and slams home a dunk to make it a two-point game. After two Weatherspoon free throws at the other end, it’s 26-22 FAU at the under eight timeout.
Crafty finish for the and-1 😮💨#MarchMadness @KStateMBB pic.twitter.com/aSCO8Jh2MG
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 25, 2023
6:36 p.m. — Goldin gets fouled and makes both free throws to extend FAU’s lead to 24-18. That was Kansas State’s seventh foul already, which means the Owls will be in the bonus for the rest of the half.
6:27 p.m. — Kansas State has started out hot from beyond the arc. Nae’Qwan Tomlin and Ismael Massoud both drain three-pointers to give the Wildcats the lead, then Nowell drives for a layup and gets fouled to earn a three-point play! But the Owls are hanging tough. Russian big man Vladislav Goldin gets a bucket of his own then finds Brandon Weatherspoon on a nice dish to give FAU a 22-18 lead with 10:26 left in the half.
6:20 p.m. — Alijah Davis just put KSU’s David N’Guessan on a poster! Wow, what an incredible one-handed slam! The Wildcats answer at the other end with a Desi Sills three-pointer, and after a Johnell Davis bucket this game is tied 7-7 at the first TV timeout.
ALIJAH MARTIN RISES UP 😮#MarchMadness @FAUMBB pic.twitter.com/ETFfWCW7dc
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 25, 2023
6:15 p.m. TIP OFF — Here we go. The referee tosses the ball up into the air and the Elite Eight is officially underway. FAU controls the tip, and just seconds into the game Bryan Greenlee pulls up with no hesitation and buries a three to open the scoring.
6:13 p.m. — Nowell gets a big ovation from the crowd at Madison Square Garden as his name is called during starter introductions. He grew up about six miles away in Harlem.
6:09 p.m. — Kansas State had to beak out their viral Lil Baby hype song tradition in the locker room before the game.
Kansas State’s Elite 8 @lilbaby4PF pregame jam just dropped 🔥#MarchMadness @KStateMBB pic.twitter.com/fHU6KzbOtQ
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 25, 2023
6:00 p.m. — One thing to keep an eye on tonight is the status of Nowell’s ankle. He rolled it pretty badly in the second half of the game against Michigan State, but he toughed it out and played every minute down the stretch. It certainly didn’t seem to bother him too much, as he still dropped 20 points and a whopping 19 assists.
5:51 p.m. — FAU has won its last ten games in a row entering this Elite Eight showdown, making it one of the hottest teams left in the big dance. But Markquis Nowell might be the star of tournament so far with his incredible performances in K-State’s last two games. This should be a fun one.
5:37 p.m. — From Manhattan, Kansas to Manhattan, New York. The Wildcats are in the building.
Fight night#KStateMBB x #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/BKD4zh6Gda
— K-State Men’s Basketball (@KStateMBB) March 25, 2023
5:27 p.m. — The Owls look ready for the biggest game in their school’s history.
Ready for showtime ⏱ pic.twitter.com/C7CsKhXrAe
— FAU Men’s Basketball (@FAUMBB) March 25, 2023
FAU vs. Kansas State start time
- Date: Saturday, March 25
- Time: 6:09 p.m. ET | 5:09 p.m. CT
FAU vs. Kansas State is scheduled to tip off at 6:09 p.m. ET (5:09 p.m. CT) from Madison Square Garden in the heart of New York City.
What channel is FAU vs. Kansas State on?
- TV channel: TBS
- Live stream: March Madness Live, Sling TV
TBS will be broadcasting the FAU vs. Kansas State matchup, with Brian Anderson, Jim Jackson and Allie LaForce handling commentary duties from the Big Apple.
For those without cable, live streams will be available on the March Madness Live app or on Sling TV.
FAU vs. Kansas State series history
The Owls and Wildcats have never played each other in basketball. Saturday’s matchup will be the first meeting between the programs.
Florida Atlantic has only played eight times against Big 12 opponents in its history, compiling a 1-7 record. The Owls’ lone win against Big 12 opposition came against Oklahoma State in 1998.
2023 NCAA Tournament schedule, scores
Elite Eight
Saturday, March 25
| Teams | Time (ET) | TV | Stream |
| (3) Kansas State vs. (9) FAU | 6:09 p.m. | TBS | March Madness Live, Sling TV |
| (3) Gonzaga vs. (4) UConn | 8:49 p.m. | TBS | March Madness Live, Sling TV |
Sunday, March 26
| Teams | Time (ET) | TV | Stream |
| (6) Creighton vs. (5) San Diego State | 2:20 p.m. | CBS | March Madness Live, Paramount+ |
| (5) Miami vs. (2) Texas | 5:05 p.m. | CBS | March Madness Live, Paramount+ |
Final Four
Saturday, April 1
| Teams | Time (ET) | TV | Stream |
| TBD vs. TBD | 6 p.m. | CBS | March Madness Live, Paramount+ |
| TBD vs. TBD | 8:30 p.m. | CBS | March Madness Live, Paramount+ |
National championship
Monday, April 3
| Teams | Time (ET) | TV | Stream |
| TBD vs. TBS | 9 p.m. | CBS | March Madness Live, Paramount+ |
