BOCA RATON, Fla. — Florida Atlantic basketball is dancing into the NCAA tournament before leaving Conference USA.
One day after capturing their first C-USA championship in their final season in the conference, the Owls learned who they'll play and where they'll be headed in the NCAA tournament.
The Owls are the No. 9 seed in the East Region and will face No. 8 seed Memphis in a first-round game Friday in Columbus, Ohio.
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FAU (31-3) earned an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament Saturday night after blowing out UAB 78-56 in the C-USA Tournament title game.
This will be FAU's first trip to the NCAA tournament since the 2001-02 season and just the second time in school history.
FAU's 31 wins are also the most in team history.
Led by Johnell Davis and Alijah Martin, the Owls enter the tournament on a seven-game winning streak.
FAU was a perfect 17-0 at home and at one point won 20 consecutive games – going 83 days between losses.
This will be the second consecutive NCAA tournament appearance for Memphis (26-8), led by former NBA star and head coach Penny Hardaway.
The Tigers beat Houston — the No. 1 seed in the Midwest Region — to win the American Athletic Conference Tournament crown.
Houston is headed to the Big 12 Conference, while FAU will face the Tigers regularly when the Owls join the AAC next season.
"The suspense was gone because we knew we were in, but we were excited to see who we were going to play, where we were going to play and when," FAU head coach Dusty May said. "Obviously, Memphis is a great opponent, a storied program, well-coached. We're excited to see how we stack up with our future AAC opponent."
