Own the group chat with The Weekender, highlighting the biggest stories in college sports, standout writing from Eleven Warriors, and a glance at what's next.
FAU advances to its first-ever Final Four
Who doesn't love a good Cinderella this time of year? Flordia Atlantic, who entered this year's NCAA Tournament without having won a single tournament game in program history, eked past Kansas State 79-76 Saturday to clinch the program's first-ever Final Four berth.
“When you see a group of guys, coaching staff, players, everybody pulling in the same direction, every single day even when it’s hard, special things happen,” FAU coach Dusty May said after the win.
Alijah Martin led the Owls with 17 points, while Bryan Greenlee chipped in 16. FAU is the first program to go from zero NCAA Tournament wins to a Final Four berth in the same tournament since George Mason in 2006 and the second-ever No. 9 seed to make the Final Four (Wichita State in 2013).
FAU will face the winner of Creighton and San Diego State in the next round.
UConn looks dominant en route to Elite Eight win over Gonzaga
While the FAU vs. Kansas State matchup was a tightly-contested affair throughout, UConn vs. Gonzaga was anything but.
UConn dominated for most of the contest, defeating the Zags 82-54 to clinch a Final Four berth. The Huskies will face the winner of Miami vs. Texas.
Jordan Hawkins led the way with 20 points for UConn, who is 8-1 all-time in Final Four games. It's the program's first trip to the Final Four in nine years.
"I think it becomes a little bit of a mental hurdle, especially early rounds of the NCAA Tournament where you feel like maybe the burden and the history and tradition and first-round games," UConn coach Dan Hurley said. "The climb to get to this point has been real and it's been more challenging than I thought."
Even if No. 2 seeded Texas wins tonight, sure seems like UConn is the favorite to win it all the way the Huskies have been playing.
OSU men's hockey hoping for Frozen Four berth at 4 p.m.
Ohio State men's hockey has a chance to make its third-ever Frozen Four (1998 and 2018) if the Buckeyes can take down No. 2 overall seed Quinnipiac at 4 p.m. Sunday at Total Mortgage Arena in Bridgeport, Connecticut in an NCAA Tournament quarterfinal matchup on ESPN2.
OSU won its first-round matchup against Harvard 8-1 on Friday, while Quinnipiac bested Merrimack 5-0.
ICYMI
Ohio State Recruiting Intern, Former Club Football Quarterback Kellyn Gerenstein Chases NFL Dream at Pro Day
We mentioned loving a good underdog story earlier, and there's no greater one you'll read than Dan Hope's piece on Kellyn Gerenstein's attempt at making a name for himself in pro football.
Eight Standout Performers From Ohio State’s First Spring Scrimmage on Saturday
We've previewed Ohio State's first scrimmage of the spring for a while now, but who shinned the most? Griffin Strom highlights eight OSU players that made an impact on Saturday.
Ohio State’s Belief in Itself Propels Buckeyes to Biggest Win in 30 Years with Sweet 16 Victory over UConn
Ohio State women's basketball picked up arguably the biggest win in program history in the last 30 years in a Sweet 16 victory over UConn. How did they do it? Dan Hope breaks it down.
What's next
- Men's Lacrosse: vs. Rutgers, 7 p.m. Sunday (BTN)
- Women's Tennis: at Northwestern, 3:30 p.m. Sunday
- Men's Hockey: vs. Quinnipiac in NCAA Regional Final, 4 p.m. Sunday (ESPN2)
- Baseball: at Indiana, 3 p.m. Sunday
- Softball: vs. Michigan, 3:30 p.m. Sunday
- Women's Basketball: vs. Virginia Tech in the Elite Eight, 9 p.m. Monday (ESPN)
- Women's Lacrosse: vs. Louisville 4 p.m. Tuesday (B1G+)
- Football: Spring Game, 12 p.m. Saturday, April 15 (BTN)
