Lane Kiffin sends message to Tennessee, Florida Atlantic following FAU Final Four berth
Ole Miss head football coach Lane Kiffin has been around long enough that he has ties to several different programs across the country. He’s been the head coach for the Tennessee Volunteers and the Florida Atlantic Owls, both teams that have made impressive NCAA Tournament runs in this year’s version of March Madness. The Vols fell to the FAU Owls in the Sweet 16, whereas the Owls punched their tickets to the Final Four on Saturday night with a 79-76 victory over Kansas State in an absolute classic of an Elite Eight matchup. It’s the first time in school history that FAU has ever made an appearance in the Final Four. Before this season, the only other time they even made an appearance in the NCAA Tournament was in 2002, when they didn’t get past the first round. On Saturday night, Kiffin, an avid sports fan outside of college football, decided to tweet congratulations to the Volunteers and the Owls on their amazing seasons.
Check it out as he tweeted a picture of the Owls slapping the sticker on their spot in the Final Four.
It’s wild to even dream of Florida Atlantic making it to the Final Four. Heck, it would have been mind- blowing even if the Owls made it to the Sweet 16. It’s an incredible accomplishment for a school that is only making their second appearance ever in the NCAA Tournament.
Florida Atlantic won 79-76 in one of the best games of the 2023 NCAA Tournament thus far, a classic back-and-forth thriller that involved both teams making a variety of impressive plays down the stretch. The Owls got a dominant performance from their big man, Vladislav Goldin. He poured in 14 points and dominated the glass, grabbing 13 rebounds. He also dished out two assists.
Let’s not forget the clutch free throws down the stretch. Give Michael Forrest all the credit in the world. Those four free throws he hit in the final 18 seconds of the game undoubtedly cemented him in the hearts of Florida Atlantic fans for a lifetime.
Florida Atlantic absolutely obliterated Kansas State on the boards, holding a commanding 44-22 rebounding advantage. The Owls had three players bring down seven rebounds or more in the winning effort. Florida Atlantic also pulled off a rarity in the box score, winning a high-level basketball game despite turning the basketball over 22 times.
FAU also got some big-time performances from Alijah Martin and Johnell Davis on Saturday night. Davis stuffed the stat sheet with 13 points, eight rebounds, and six assists. Martin filled the stat sheet with 17 points, four rebounds, and two assists. Davis was the man that delivered a historic performance in Florida Atlantic’s second-round win over the Fairleigh Dickinson Knights, when he stuffed the stat sheet with 29 points, 12 rebounds, five assists, and five steals. That mind-boggling performance was good enough to propel the Owls to a hard-fought 78-70 victory over FDU.
Florida Atlantic will await the winner of the San Diego State/Creighton matchup on Sunday night. The Final Four will begin on Saturday, April 1st in Houston, Texas.