As if an overtime thriller wasn’t difficult enough for Northwestern in their NCAA Tournament opener, now comes the hard part. The really hard part.
The ninth-seeded Wildcats extended their March Madness story Friday, defeating No. 8 seed Florida Atlantic 77-65 in OT at the Barclays Center in New York and advancing to the Round of 32 for the second consecutive year.
Their reward? A second-round East Region matchup against No. 1 tournament seed and defending champion Connecticut on Sunday (6:45 p.m., truTV).
“I’m just so fortunate to be sitting up here with these guys,” coach Chris Collins said after the win Friday. “Our team, the toughness level and the heart of this team is like nothing I’ve ever been a part of.”
This is Northwestern’s third NCAA Tournament appearance, all under Collins. After the program’s historic breakthrough in 2017 in Collins’ fourth season in Evanston, the Wildcats (22-11) are seeking their first Sweet 16 berth. They have won their first-round game in each of their three trips.
Meanwhile, UConn (32-3) is trying to become the first team to repeat as men’s champion since 2007, when Florida did it under then-coach Billy Donovan with a team that included Joakim Noah and Al Horford.
The Huskies wasted no time in their tournament opener, scoring the first eight points en route to a 91-52 rout of No. 16 Stetson. The Huskies have won seven straight tournament games by double digits after their dominant run to a title last year as a No. 4 seed.
Ryan Langborg played the unlikely hero for the Wildcats on Friday, scoring 12 of his career-high 27 points in overtime. Last year he helped Princeton to a Sweet Sixteen appearance.
“For all three of us up here, we’re just having fun,” Langborg said postgame next to Boo Buie and Brooks Barnhizer. “I usually don’t celebrate a lot when I make shots, but I know I had my tongue out and things like that.”
The Wildcats limited FAU — which came in averaging 82.5 points — to 65.
“Our defense was just so on point in the first half,” Collins said. “Even though we really struggled offensively, being at halftime at 20-19, I actually felt really good because I knew we would settle in.”
They’ll have to be tough defensively again — and then some — against a UConn team averaging 81.5 points. All five Huskies starters, led by All-American guard Tristen Newton (15.1 ppg), average in double figures in scoring.
FAU appeared to have a defensive game plan centered around Buie, who was limited to three points in the first half. After a buzzer-beating layup from Johnell Davis over Buie sent the Owls into halftime with a one-point, Davis flexed on Buie.
Buie, a fifth-year guard from nearby Albany, N.Y., responded by hitting a deep 3-pointer on the opening possession of the second half. He finished with 22 points and five steals.
Only two reserves saw time for the injury-depleted Wildcats, with the starters scoring all but three of NU’s 77 points.
Ethan Ferguson is a freelance reporter for the Chicago Tribune.