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Florida Atlantic defeats Middle Tennessee, 68-65, advances to C-USA championship game

Zach Weinberger
·4 min read
Florida Atlantic guard Alijah Martin (15) shoots between Middle Tennessee guard Teafale Lenard Jr. (12) and forward Tyler Millin (1) during the first half of a Conference USA NCAA college basketball semifinal game in Frisco, Texas, Friday, March 10, 2023. (AP Photo/Michael Ainsworth)
Florida Atlantic guard Alijah Martin (15) shoots between Middle Tennessee guard Teafale Lenard Jr. (12) and forward Tyler Millin (1) during the first half of a Conference USA NCAA college basketball semifinal game in Frisco, Texas, Friday, March 10, 2023. (AP Photo/Michael Ainsworth)

Florida Atlantic picked up its 30th win of the season and, more importantly, moved on to the Conference USA finals, squeaking by Middle Tennessee 68-65 on Friday in Frisco, Texas.

FAU head coach Dusty May said that once again, the team found a way to win in every type of situation and this game was no different.

“First of all, a great college basketball game. Great environment, great intensity, two teams going at it back and forth,” May said. “We had some adversity and I thought our guys stayed the course, they stayed together like they have all season and just found a way to win.”

This will be the first time the Owls (30-3) have reached the C-USA tourney finals, another notch in a season of firsts.

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The Owls will have a chance to gain an automatic bid into the national tournament when they play Alabama-Birmingham Saturday at 8:30 p.m. EST. UAB beat North Texas 76-69 in Friday's late semifinal.Here are three takeaways from FAU's win:

FAU picks up where it left off

It was all FAU in the first half as it looked like the Owls never left the floor from their quarterfinal performance against Western Kentucky.

On both sides of the floor, FAU was hitting easy and open shots and, defensively, they stifled the Blue Raiders (19-14). Middle Tennessee shot 29% from the floor and didn’t make one deep ball out of its nine attempts in the first 20 minutes.

FAU, meanwhile, shot 57% from the floor and 40% from deep in the first half, led by Alijah Martin's 12 points. Johnell Davis and Bryan Greenlee both contributed to FAU’s big half as well, combining for 16 points.

Martin admitted postgame that there was a chip on their shoulder going into the game since Middle Tennessee was one of the three teams that beat the Owls this season.

All FAU had to do was keep that same intensity in the second half and it would be an easy trip to the finals. However, if college basketball in March has proved anything, nothing comes easy for any team.

Dramatic second half for the Owls

The tide turned in the final half where the Blue Raiders proceeded to make a comeback and FAU lost most of its momentum.

There were numerous situations where Middle Tennessee would be on a scoring run, while FAU was in a drought.

Florida Atlantic center Vladislav Goldin (50) dunks the ball over Middle Tennessee forward Deandre Dishman during the first half of a NCAA college basketball game in the semifinals of the Conference USA Tournament in Frisco, Texas, Friday, March 10, 2023. (AP Photo/Michael Ainsworth)
Florida Atlantic center Vladislav Goldin (50) dunks the ball over Middle Tennessee forward Deandre Dishman during the first half of a NCAA college basketball game in the semifinals of the Conference USA Tournament in Frisco, Texas, Friday, March 10, 2023. (AP Photo/Michael Ainsworth)

May said Vladislav Goldin's foul trouble knocked the team's rotation off-kilter. He said Middle Tennessee was more physical in the second half.

“Credit to Middle Tennessee, I thought they played extremely desperate like they didn't want their season to end and this is what March is like. Every single possession is life or death,” May said. “Both teams really, really wanted to win and compete at a high level.”

A 16-point lead at one time led to a tie game in the second half. But the last couple of minutes saw FAU stay poised, make the right reads, and hit some key buckets.

Middle Tennessee's Deandre Dishman, who posted a double-double (17 points, 11 rebounds), had a chance to help his team take the lead, but Goldin made a significant block. The Owls then swarmed the basketball to ice the game with as much hustle as possible. Martin (17 points, six rebounds) would hit two clutch free throws to put the game away.

FAU now championship-game bound

A lot of “first-time” phrases have been said about this FAU team this season, and reaching the championship game and winning it would be a history-making feat.

Martin is not interested in history.

“We're gonna approach it just like any other game,” he said. “But also, with a chip on our shoulder, not allowing another team (from the conference) to make the NCAA Tournament as well. So we're gonna do what we can to stop them and to come out on top.”

May said that he wants to further prove that this team, unranked at the end of the regular season, is legit and the success isn’t an aberration.

“We want to prove that we can win in any way, shape, form, in any style of play,” May said. “We have to clean some things up if we're going to beat either one of these teams. We’re excited to play.”

C-USA Tournament Final8:30 p.m., Frisco, TexasFAU vs. Alabama-Birmingham TV: CBSSPORTS

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: FAU Owls top Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders in Conference USA semifinals