Is Florida Atlantic the most unlikely college basketball program to reach the Final Four? | D'Angelo
HOUSTON — Here is an analogy South Florida sports fans understand. Imagine Howard Schnellenberger's vision for Florida Atlantic football being realized. And the Owls running onto the field for a College Football Playoff game. Or even playing in an Orange Bowl.
Hard to envision, right?
This is no different.
FAU had never won an NCAA Tournament game, had not been a part of March Madness, for more than two decades. The program never has had a player on an NBA roster and plays in a gym half the size of the biggest high school venues in Indiana.
Because of this, FAU is the most unlikely program to reach a Final Four since the tournament was born in 1939.
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This is the biggest underdog in terms of tradition, profile and the country just knowing who FAU is, than any team ever to play in the Final Four.
Bigger than Loyola. Bigger than VCU or George Mason. And, yes, bigger than Jacksonville.
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And, please, do not mention the Ivy League schools or any team from basketball meccas of the Northeast. These were powerhouses back in the day.
"They have a lower profile and traditions," said ESPN analyst and former coach Seth Greenberg about the Owls. "VCU has a rich tradition. Loyola has it going way back. George Mason ... Jim (Larranaga) had success.
"They don't have that long-term tradition. They don't have the infrastructure. What they do have is a state that produced athletes and a destination that is attractive."
And they have talent. While ESPN analyst Dalen Cuff agrees it's surprising to see a team like FAU in the Final Four, he does not consider it a "Cinderella" after watching the Owls play. FAU won 35 games, the most in the country, including eliminating Tennessee and Kansas State in the East Regional semis and final. The closest in the Final Four is its opponent in Saturday's semifinal, San Diego State with 31 wins.
Greenberg agrees.
"They have a lot of damn good athletes and dudes," he said.
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They may, but they do not have the pedigree that would make anyone think Final Four. Not when their university did not start admitting freshmen and sophomores until 1984 and basketball was not a thing until 1988.
And not when the program had 20 losing seasons in its first 25 years after moving from Division II to Division I in 1993.
By then, Loyola's basketball program was a year away from celebrating its 80th anniversary. That's tradition. Still, the Ramblers were the darlings of the 2018 Final Four as an 11 seed.
But Loyola resides in basketball-rich Chicago and not only had played in a Final Four but won the championship in 1963.
To purists, Loyola is a basketball brand.
FAU is a commuter school.
Even George Mason, Jim Larranaga, had NCAA name recognition
George Mason was an 11 seed when Larranaga, the current Miami coach, led the Patriots to the 2006 Final Four before losing to eventual champion Florida.
George Mason, like FAU, had never won a tournament game before 2006. But it had more name recognition, having been in the NCAA Tournament three times, including five years prior, and having played in the NIT twice in the previous four years.
"FAU's run is very similar to George Mason's because no one anticipated it," Larranaga said. "I think anybody that makes the dance is good. (Do you) look at the upsets and say 'that team was no good but they still won'? No, they're good."
Five years after George Mason crashed the Final Four, another university from the commonwealth of Virginia made a similar run as an 11 seed.
VCU's history, though, was much richer than that of its commonwealth compatriot and FAU's. VCU had experienced March Madness nine times prior to its only Final Four appearance, including advancing to the second round five times. The Rams beat Duke in the first round in 2007. It also had sent eight players to the NBA.
"It's an opportunity for those outside of the national spotlight to be on the big stage and show what they can do," FAU coach Dusty May said. "I think it's great for the game to have new faces, new people on the scene. I think it's really cool."
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Move over Loyola, VCU, George Mason ... FAU top surprise to make Final Four
