By Marisol Nicholson

BROOKLYN – Playing in the NCAA Tournament in consecutive seasons for the first time in program history, No. 9-seed Northwestern meets No. 8-seed Florida Atlantic in a First Round matchup at 11:15 a.m. CT at Barclays Center on Friday, March 22. Ian Eagle (play-by-play), Bill Raftery (analyst), Grant Hill (analyst) and Tracy Wolfson (sideline) will have the call on CBS, while Dave Eanet (play-by-play) and Billy McKinney (analyst) have the radio call on WGN Radio 720.

Northwestern is making its third all-time NCAA Tournament appearance, all coming under the leadership of Sullivan-Ubben Head Men’s Basketball Coach Chris Collins. Northwestern is 2-2 all-time in the event and 2-0 in the First Round, recording wins over Vanderbilt (68-66) in 2017 and Boise State (75-67) in 2023.

The Wildcats finished tied for third in the Big Ten standings, tying the program record for most conference wins in a season (12, 2022-23). NU recorded a top-three finish in the Big Ten in consecutive seasons for the first time since 1958-59 (t-2nd) and 1959-60 (t-3rd). Northwestern tied its program record, winning 21 regular season games (2016-17, 2022-23) this season, and for the first time in program history, won 21 regular season games in back-to-back campaigns.

First Team All-Big Ten and Honorable Mention All-American Boo Buie leads the Wildcats, averaging 19.2 points and 5.1 assists per game, and is the only high-major player in the country averaging 18-plus points and five-plus assists this season. Buie leads the nation with eight games of 20-plus points and seven-plus assists. The next closest high-major player has recorded four games.

The Albany, N.Y. native leads all Wildcats from beyond the arc, converting on 85 made three-pointers after making 64 all of last season. He improved his three-point percentage from 31.6% (64-for-201) in 2022-23 to 44.3% (85-for-192) from deep in 2023-24, which leads the Big Ten and ranks fifth nationally.

Brooks Barnhizer earned Third Team All-Big Ten and All-Defensive Team recognition, joining Chase Audige (2022-23) as the only players in program history to be named to the All-Defensive Team and All-Big Ten in the same season.

Barnhizer ranks tied for third among Northwestern players since 1996-97 with nine double-doubles this season, including seven against Big Ten opponents. Barnhizer is averaging 14.6 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 1.8 steals per game. Barnhizer is one of two high-major players nationally averaging 14.0-plus points, 7.0-plus rebounds, 2.5-plus assists, and 1.8-plus steals per game (Devin Carter, Providence).

Northwestern is 1-0 all-time against FAU, defeating the Owls 69-59 on November 21, 2005 in Evanston. Vedran Vukusic scored 27 points, while Tim Doyle added 13 points and six assists.

Florida Atlantic is also participating in the NCAA Tournament for the third time in program history and second consecutive season, reaching the Final Four in 2023. The Owls (25-8, 14-4 AAC) are led offensively by Johnell Davis, who averages 18.2 points and 3.0 assists per game.

The winner of Friday’s game will square off in the Second Round with the winner of No. 1-seed UConn vs. No. 16-seed Stetson on Sunday, March 23, at Barclays Center.

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BROOKLYN, N.Y. – Let the madness begin. The Florida Atlantic men’s basketball team heads to Brooklyn, New York for the NCAA Tournament’s Round of 64.

As the No. 8 seed in the East region, the Owls will take on No. 9 Northwestern at the Barclays Center. The game will be aired nationally on CBS, tipping off at 12:15 p.m. EST.

This will be the seventh NCAA tournament game in FAU’s history. They currently own a 4-2 record in such contests, thanks to a Final Four run in 2023 that will be remembered forever as one of only five schools to ever make it to the Final Four despite not having a previous tournament win to their name entering the season.

But Florida Atlantic is writing a new chapter for the history books despite much of the same core, coaching staff, and fundamentals intact. In the 2023-24 campaign, FAU proved to be no fluke on their way to a 25-8 record with a 4-2 record against teams who are heading to the Big Dance. 35 of last year’s 68 teams are returning to the tournament; the Owls are one of them and one of just 20 to improve their seeding. Just two of the five programs who made the Final Four without a previous tournament win to their name were able to make it back to March Madness the following season: the Owls are one of them.

With a 14-4 record in their inaugural American Athletic Conference play, Florida Atlantic earned the AAC’s second seed and clinched a bye in the first two rounds. They took on the seventh-seeded North Texas for the third time this season in the conference quarterfinals and achieved their third victory over the Mean Green with a 77-71 victory. Four players scored in double figures, led by junior center Vlad Goldin’s 21 points, also tallying a double-double with 10 rebounds. FAU advanced to the semifinals to take on No. 11 Temple and fell just short by a score of 74-73. Despite not earning an automatic bid, Florida Atlantic’s resume put them well in position for an at-large selection.

• Goldin’s late-season tear continues. Ranked third in the nation in field goal percentage (.670), the Nalchick, Russia native has scored 20+ points in eight of his last 10 games. All 10 of his 20-point outings have come in his career-best 2023-24 season, in which he is second on the team in points per game (15.6) and leads in rebounds per game (6.8) as well as total blocks (52)
• Junior guard Johnell Davis, the Co-AAC Player of the Year, leads the team in points per game (18.2) and assists (3.0)
• Florida Atlantic has the nation’s 16th-highest-scoring offense at 82.5 points per game. In their 25 wins, they are averaging 85.6 which would rank sixth in the nation if applied to the whole season
• When FAU scores, they score quickly with 13.5 fastbreak points per game, ranked 36th nationwide
• The Owls rank 25th in the nation in field goal percentage (48.1%) and 32nd in effective field goal percentage (.550)
• FAU and Northwestern have only faced off once before: back on November 21, 2005, the Wildcats defeated the Owls at home by a score of 69-59
• Entering the Big 10 Tournament as the No. 5 seed, Northwestern fell to No. 4 Wisconsin in the quarterfinals to give them a record of 21-11
• Northwestern is the fifth-best three-point shooting team in the nation (39.41%)
• The Wildcats’ offense is led by graduate guard Boo Buie who leads the team in both points per game (19.2) and assists per game (5.1)

Head Coach Dusty May
Opening statement
“We are extremely excited to bring our group back up to New York where we have a lot of fond memories, especially being in Brooklyn. New York City is the mecca of college basketball, this is going to be a great environment and another memorable experience for our players.”

On how the season has gone
“I tend to look at everything as the glass half-full, but there have been times where we have been frustrated at our attention to detail when we played teams where we were the prohibitive favorite. We were battling human nature for most of the season, but overall, the big moments and body of work certainly overshadows those bumps in the road and those are part of our experiences which make us, us. We are very excited to be where we are. To earn an at-large bid is extremely difficult for us with the schedule and the games we play. It is a testament and tribute to our guys’ longevity and consistency because it has been a longer season than last, at least it seems.”

On playing a slow-paced team like Northwestern
“The first thing we said to our team was ‘just think North Texas.’ We are getting ready to play a team that is just a different version of the Mean Green and they do a lot of the same things. They have dangerous guards who can make shots from different spots and angles, they have really good one-on-one players.”

Junior Guard Johnell Davis
On preparing to play on the March Madness stage
“We just kind of just pay attention to all the details so we can be focused for the game tomorrow.”

On the biggest difference between this and last season
“Last year, I say we were hunting people and now people are coming at us, and we just have to surpass the energy and be better.”

Junior Guard Alijah Martin
On preparing to play on the March Madness stage
“Definitely want to soak in the moment, but also put that switch in and lock in to get the win.”

On the difference between this and last season
“Comparing the last two years of the regular season, it was more about us. And this year was more so about us, but we knew that the other team was coming for us. And sometimes we’ll try to match their energy, but like he said, we have to surpass their energy and be all about us.”

Redshirt Sophomore Guard Nick Boyd
On preparing to play on the March Madness stage
“Leading up to this moment, getting into the tournament, we are excited. But after that, we just really focused on walking in that locker room, get little chills, you know you’re ready to go and play hard.”

On the difference between this and last season
“A lot of ups and downs this year. Man, everybody’s after us, after what we did last year. I mean, but it’s going to make the story even more special. We’re just looking forward to, you know, proving ourselves once again under these bright lights.”

On returning to his home area for the second March Madness in a row
“It’s great. I have a lot of family and friends coming. A blessing to be in the tri-state area again and try to do something special with a great group of guys. I mean, compared to last year, I think we are a little more hungry this year. We didn’t win the regular season. We didn’t win the postseason. So we definitely got something to prove and we got a chip on our shoulder.”

If the Owls earn a victory on Friday, they will play the winner of the No. 1 UConn vs. No. 16 Stetson matchup on Sunday, Mar. 24 in the Round of 32.

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