NCAA announces East All-Region team after FAU books trip to Final Four

The NCAA Tournament just flies by. Two weeks to the day after the initial bracket was revealed, the tourney field was whittled down to just the Final Four teams. The winners of the four regionals this past weekend will meet in Houston, Texas next weekend for the semifinals and then the game for all the marbles next Monday night.

In between now and then, it’s time to honor the stellar performances we’ve seen thus far through March Madness.

So, let’s look at the region of chaos, the East, where No. 9 seed FAU emerged amid the rubble in Madison Square Garden. Here was who the NCAA named All-Region after two weeks of fun in the East:

• G: Markquis Nowell | Kansas State
• G: Johnell Davis | FAU
• G: AJ Hoggard | Michigan State
• F: Keyontae Johnson | Kansas State
• C: Vladislav Goldin | FAU

So, mostly guys from the two clubs who sparred in the Elite Eight. However, Michigan State’s Hoggard was the only non-regional-final participant to grab an All-Region spot. He received the honor after averaging 16 points a game in the tourney while playing 40 minutes and dropping 25 points in the most exciting game of the entire region — KSU’s 98-93 Sweet 16 overtime triumph over the Spartans. Hoggard’s team lost, but he definitely deserved recognition for that performance.

FAU shocked everyone by storming through the East region, beating (8) Memphis, (16) Fairleigh Dickinson, (4) Tennessee and (3) Kansas State to make the program’s first ever Final Four. A heck of an achievement by the Owls and thanks to their tremendous guard play and rock down low. Their two stars from the last couple weeks both made the East’s All-Region team — guard Johnell Davis, who averaged 17.3 points through four tourney games, made it, as well as Vladislav Goldin, the team’s only true big who battled tough against the Tennessee and Kansas State front lines.

Lastly, Nowell, the New York kid, gave one of the more memorable tournament performances of any player to exit before the Final Four. He and former Purdue legend Carsen Edwards belong in their own category in that regard. Get ready to laugh because the stats about to be shared with you are downright silly. In four NCAA Tournament games, Markquis Nowell recorded the following:

• 23.5 points per game
• 13.5 assists per game
• 4.0 steals per game
• 3.5 rebounds per game
• Shot 41.9% from 3 on 7.8 attempts per game
• Shot 92% from the free throw line on 6.3 attempts per game
• 61.1% true shooting percentage
• Broke the single game NCAAT assist record with 19 assists vs. MSU

The 5-foot-7 hooper from Harlem gave it everything he had. Just an outstanding two weekends for the senior Manhattan mainstay, the only dude to see his whole career through with the Wildcats. He dazzled the college hoops world and went out with a bow.