With Florida Atlantic scheduled to take on Kansas State in Saturday's Elite Eight game, all eyes will be on the Owls in their attempt to reach the Final Four. Ahead of the March Madness game, we’ll be making our Florida Atlantic vs. Kansas State predictions.

Florida Atlantic would be the most unlikely team to reach the 2023 Final Four. As the No. 9 seed in the East region, Florida Atlantic is the lowest seed still alive in March Madness. Kansas State is a No. 3 seed and favored to make the Final Four for the first time in six decades.

In the Sweet 16, Florida Atlantic dispatched No. 4 Tennessee 62-55 at Madison Square Garden. A couple of hours earlier, Kansas State outlasted No. 7 Michigan State 98-93 in overtime in arguably the best game of the entire NCAA Tournament. Wildcats point guard Markquis Nowell became the star of March Madness with 20 points and 19 assists. Two days later, Florida Atlantic and Kansas State are back on the MSG hardwood with a trip to the Final Four on the line.

Kansas State is the higher seed from the better conference. The Wildcats have the best player. But there are reasons to believe that Florida Atlantic will upset Kansas State to reach the Final Four.

Let's move on to our Florida Atlantic vs. Kansas State predictions.

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3 reasons Florida Atlantic will upset Kansas State to reach Final Four

3. Kansas State’s outside shooting will cool off

Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo was ripped for saying that Kansas State made some “lucky plays” to beat the Spartans in the Sweet 16. There is some truth to what Izzo said. The Wildcats had an uncharacteristically hot shooting night. Some of the 3-pointers that Kansas State made earlier in March Madness are unlikely to fall against Florida Atlantic in the Elite Eight.

Kansas State went 11-24 from 3-point range against Michigan State, making 45.8% of its attempts from behind the arc. In 35 games this season, the Wildcats are shooting just 34% on 3-pointers. Florida Atlantic is better than most when it comes to defending the 3-point line. The Owls have held their opponents to 31.4% shooting from distance.

Tennessee only scored 55 points against Florida Atlantic in the Sweet 16 because the Volunteers missed 17 of their 23 attempts from 3-point range. Prior to scoring just 65 points in their first-round loss against Florida Atlantic, No. 8 Memphis averaged 83.3 points during its AAC Conference Championship run. Kansas State's offense could suffer a similar fate.

2. Kansas State Guard Markquis Nowell won’t be as effective after suffering an ankle injury

Nowell has carried Kansas State to the Elite Eight by averaging 21.3 points and 14.0 points per game. Not only did the point guard dish out an NCAA Tournament record 19 assists in the Sweet 16, but he did so after rolling his ankle and temporarily leaving the game. Nowell wasn't moving quite at the same speed when he had his ankled taped and returned to the court. The 23-year-old still managed to run the Kansas State offense to perfection in a performance that will go down in March Madness lore.

Just 48 hours later, Nowell will have a hard time looking like the second coming of John Stockton. On Friday, Nowell told reporters that his ankle was feeling between 85% and 90% healthy. That missing 5-10% could prove to be a significant factor against Florida Atlantic's defense. Nowell was terrific on Thursday, but he also took advantage of Michigan State's embarrassing pick-and-roll defense. Florida Atlantic ranks 18th in defensive efficiency in the country and should have a better plan to stop Nowell and the Kansas State offense.

Standing at just 5-foot-8, any lack of burst due to his ankle injury will hurt Nowell's ability to score. Nowell shot just 7-18 from the field against Michigan State and missed several ill-advised 3-pointers. Florida Atlantic can turn Nowell into more of a scorer instead of a distributor. Forcing the point guard to take some difficult shots will improve the Owls' upset chances.

1. Florida Atlantic’s balanced offensive attack will prevail

Kansas State's offense runs through Nowell and Keyontae Johnson. Both players average more than 17.0 points per game. If either Nowell or Johnson has an off-night, the Wildcats could be in trouble. Florida Atlantic isn't reliant on one or two offensive players, and it could work to the team's benefit on Saturday night.

Johnell Davis is Florida Atlantic's leading scorer with 13.9 points per game. Davis is averaging 18.7 points per game in March Madness. Four other Owls' players average at least 8.5 points per contest. When Davis was held to just 12 points on 12 field-goal attempts in the first round, Giancarlo Rosado scored a team-high 15 points off the bench to lead Florida Atlantic to a win over Memphis.

The Owls' 34 wins are tied for the most of any team in the NCAA Tournament. Florida Atlantic's balanced offensive attack has been a winning recipe all season long, and it could lead the team past Kansas State and into the Final Four.