The Florida Atlantic Owls pulled off yet another surprising win in the NCAA Tournament Saturday, and afterward, head coach Dusty May had a surprising request.
After the No. 9 seed Owls knocked off the No. 3 Kansas State Wildcats, 79-76, TBS Sports’ Allie LaForce tried to corral the winning coach for the obligatory postgame interview on the court.
May agreed, but only under one condition. As LaForce explained to viewers, “The beautiful thing about this team, coach wouldn’t do this interview unless all of you were standing around him.”
So the entire team joined May on camera for the interview.
https://twitter.com/MarchMadnessMBB/status/1639789533716975616
What made the moment memorable is the players received special “Final 4” hats as the interview progressed. The players donned their caps, stuck one on May’s head, then cocked it at a funny angle.
“When you see a group of guys, coaching staff, players, everybody pulling in the same direction, every single day, even when it’s hard, special things happen,” May said.
In an NCAA Tournament that has been historically crazy, with all the No. 1 seeds being upset before the Elite Eight for the first time in history, the Owls are the only true Cinderella team remaining. This is only FAU’s second NCAA Tournament appearance in the basketball program’s 30-year history. The Owls had never won a tournament game before this year.
Now they’re heading to the Final Four.
About Arthur Weinstein
Arthur spends his free time traveling around the U.S. to sporting events, state and national parks, and in search of great restaurants off the beaten path.