Congrats to Men’s Basketball on a Wonderful Season

The men’s basketball team had a historic season, with 35 wins — the nation’s best record, a 20-game win streak — the longest in the nation, a perfect 17-0 record at home, winning both the Conference USA regular season and tournament championships, and making it to the Final Four of the NCAA Tournament — becoming only the third No. 9 seed in history to accomplish this feat. The Owls’ season ended last night with a 72-71 loss to No. 5 seed San Diego State in Houston.

I cannot overstate how incredibly proud I am of this team and I know the entire FAU community shares this pride. The team has inspired a renewed sense of spirit in our students, faculty and staff, alumni, and friends of the university. Regular-season games frequently sold out and NCAA Tournament watch parties quickly reached capacity. Last night, the FAU Alumni Association hosted more than 20 Final Four watch parties in Florida, from Ft. Lauderdale to Tallahassee, and nine watch parties across the country – the furthest taking place in Utah.

One of the great things about the team’s success is the tremendous attention it’s brought to the entire university. It’s given us a bigger platform to talk about all of the important work we’re doing outside of athletics, from our groundbreaking research to our extensive efforts to support underserved students on their path to a degree. In fact, right before the tournament began, The 74, a nonprofit news organization covering America’s education system, named Florida Atlantic No. 1 in its Social Mobility Tournament Bracket, which ranked the schools invited to the Big Dance by their success in helping students achieve upward mobility, based on access, affordability and post-collegiate earnings. 

I commend all of the humble, hard-working young men on the basketball team, who throughout the season have taken every opportunity to praise their coach and lift each other up; and the coaching staff, whose leadership and guidance has been transformational.

The 2023-24 season, which begins in November, promises to be just as exciting as this one, as most of our players and coaching staff are returning. Click here to purchase season tickets now and click here for information on purchasing Final Four merchandise.

Congratulations again to Head Coach Dusty May, the basketball staff, and of course, our players, on an exceptional season. You’ve made us very proud! Go Owls!