How many No. 9 seeds have reached the men's NCAA tournament Final Four?
No. 9 Florida Atlantic accomplished a rare feat on Saturday night after the team defeated No. 3 Kansas State, 79-76, in the Elite Eight.
The Owls punched their ticket for the Final Four, becoming just the third No. 9 seed to make the prestigious final stage of the men’s NCAA tournament.
The other two teams are Wichita State, who made the Final Four in the 2013 tournament, and Pennsylvania, who made the Final Four in the 1979 tournament, per PrintYourBrackets.
It’s an incredible statistic for the Owls to join, even though some would argue that the team should’ve been seeded higher after a 30-plus win season.
The NCAA started seeding its men’s tournaments in 1979, which was the year No. 9 Penn reached the Final Four.
However, no No. 9 seed has won its first Final Four game and competed for a national title.
If FAU can keep playing like it has, the team could really continue to make men’s NCAA tournament history.