One of the most incredible stories in South Florida sports history just happened.
I just can’t decide which one it is.
Was it Florida Atlantic University’s men’s basketball team coming out of nowhere the past two weekends, surprising the basketball world and snipping the nets in Madison Square Garden on Saturday night after beating Kansas State to advance to the Final Four for the first time in school history?
Or was it the University of Miami, down 10 points late in the second half against Texas on Sunday, the curtain falling on its season, everyone feeling the end coming … when suddenly the Hurricanes found their footing, made some shots, stole the game and now are off to the Final Four for the first time in their school’s history.
It’s us in the Final Four. And us. We’re two of the four. Somehow, some way in this crazy NCAA Tournament, a sports market that pays casual attention to college basketball walks into Houston next weekend already as the big winners. Who’s got it better than us?
Florida Atlantic plays San Diego State in one side of the bracket.
Miami plays Connecticut in the other side.
If each wins that game – and who’s counting against them now? – then the two most incredible stories merge into the championship game next Monday night.
If Florida Atlantic played Miami in the opening game of the season in November, it normally wouldn’t draw attention from football season. But now they have a chance to play in the final game of the season, and the entire nation would be watching.
Florida Atlantic, of course, is the more improbable story just because of the size of the basketball school from playing in a 3,100-seat arena to being a member of Conference USA to having played in one NCAA Tournament before this season and never winning a game.
On Saturday night, here’s what their dream came to: Two more free throws from the fifth-year senior with an engineering degree, the kid from Pompano Beach’s Blanche Ely High, the guard in coach Dusty May’s first recruiting class to Florida Atlantic University who helped change this losing program into one just these free throws from the Final Four.
“The biggest free throws of his life,” the CBS voice said.
Florida Atlantic’s Michael Forrest had just made two free throws with 17.9 seconds left. There were now 6.9 seconds left. The Owls led by a point. He took his customary dribbles on the foul line again and …
Swish.
FAU led, 78-76.
Swish.
And, when Kansas State couldn’t get off a shot, when the final seconds left the scoreboard, that was it. The dream was reality. The little team that could actually did. Soon, Florida Atlantic players were going up a step-ladder, one by one, to snip the nets in Madison Square Garden after their 79-76 win against Kansas State.
There’s a surreal quality to all of this: FAU in the debate of surprise runs to the Final Four through the years; the Empire State building lit up in the school’s red-and-blue colors; Charles Barkley and Kenny Smith breaking down the Florida Atlantic offense at halftime, just after Barkley admitted, “Before this game, I had no idea [Vladislav] Goldin was alive.”
How many of us did before this tournament?
And no one could have thought FAU would be playing.
Miami was a more rational pick. It won the Atlantic Coast Conference this regular season. It looked strong in three opening NCAA games. It then seemed to go splat through three-quarters of the game against Texas, trailing by double digits, having more turnovers than assists, struggling in ways that suggested their season was done.
“We weren’t done,” forward Jordan Miller said.
He was perfect on the night, making all seven shots and all 13 free throws. He did for Miami what Forrest did for Florida Atlantic, making free throw after free throw in the final minute to close out the game.
Don’t bother you didn’t see this coming. Don’t ask if the college basketball world is ready for this. Is South Florida?
We hadn’t ever had one team go to the Final Four. Now we have two?
“When you draw up plays with Xs and Os on some teams all the Os don’t have to be guarded so you can put your Xs in the right spot to make it tough on the offense,” Kansas State coach Jerome Tang said of FAU. “Every one of his Os can score. That puts your defense in a bind.”
“All the credit goes to Miami,” Texas coach Rodney Terry said. “They hung tough in this game when a lot of teams wouldn’t have.”
Only one comes out standing in the end. FAU has a chance. Miami has a chance. They go to Houston for next weekend’s Final Four.
Is this some odd parallel universe? College basketball rules in South Florida? It’s not just FAU and the Miami men. The Miami women advanced to the Elite Eight before losing to LSU on Sunday night. Nova Southeastern won the Division II national title on Saturday.
FAU, like Miami, trailed in the second half. Down six points, it didn’t bend. FAU’s moment was sealed by Forrest at the foul line. He comes off the bench. He had two points before being fouled twice in the end, first with those 17.9 seconds left, then with the game fully on the line with 6.9 seconds left.
“I was thinking, ‘Mikey’s got this,’ ” May said.
This is the fun of this tournament, a run out of nowhere from a team from Boca Raton. Or the fun of this tournament is Miami playing is n the final minutes Sunday like a team not giving up on its dream.
FAU won. Miami won. They’re half the Final Four. They could meet for the national championship. Who saw this coming? And who has it better than us?
