Florida Atlantic players deny 'Cinderella' tag in March Madness

They’re the beach boys, the C-USA champs, the winningest program in the country this season. But don’t call them a Cinderella.

Everyone is surprised Florida Atlantic is in the Final Four — except for Florida Atlantic.

Inch by inch, 9-seed FAU has outplayed its opposition all tournament long. Using the same philosophy that earned them 31 wins coming into the NCAA Tournament, they’ve scraped by every game they’ve been in since. It’s worked to perfection, and has earned them some of the most important victories in program history.

“We feel we’ve proved ourselves this whole year just by our body of work, our numbers, how we play as a team,” FAU guard Nick Boyd said. “I feel like a Cinderella team doesn’t play the way we play. We haven’t come into games and just shot people out or beat people by our offense. We beat these teams frame by frame defensively. I don’t think we’re a Cinderella team.”

FAU had never been to the Round of 32 before this season. It was the first time they won their conference in over two decades and they’ve been an unstoppable force all season long.

Center Vladislav Goldin says the Owls have played elite basketball the entire season — there just weren’t enough eyes on them. “We’ve been ready for this moment,” he said. “So for me, [my mindset is] the same because we didn’t track anybody that much.”

The biggest advantage the Owls had over nearly every team this season is their depth. Nine different players average over 20 minutes per game and can be on the court for FAU at any moment. The lineup combinations are limitless and being able to rotate fresh bodies is a luxury the Owls have used to its advantage all season long.

Florida Atlantic head coach Dusty May expressed the confidence he has in this group ahead of Saturday’s matchup against San Diego State, noting their depth as a key to taking down to Aztecs.

“We have a lot of guys who are really good players, and some of them are exceptional on given nights,” May said. “So I’m very confident they’re going to show up and do what they’ve done for the last, I guess, close to 40 games when you consider exhibitions and scrimmages.”

CBS’s coverage of the Final Four begins with the Owls and Aztecs at 6 p.m. ET Saturday night as both teams vye for a spot in the national championship game. The winner will face either Miami or UConn on Monday.