Kansas State-FAU key stats: Most important stats for Elite 8 matchup in 2023 NCAA Tournament

The No. 3 Kansas State Wildcats will meet the No. 9 Florida Atlantic Owls in the Elite Eight on Saturday to determine the winner of the East Region in the 2023 NCAA tournament. The game will take place at Madison Square Garden in New York City and will tip at 6:09 p.m. ET on TBS. K-State enters the game as a two-point favorite at DraftKings Sportsbook with the total installed at 144.5.

Here's a look at some of the key metrics and stats that will ultimately determine how this game unfolds.

Kansas State vs. FAU key stats

While neither team would are the fastest teams in college basketball in terms of tempo, they both operate at fairly brisk paces.

According to KenPom, Kansas State is ranked 50th in adjusted tempo on offense with an average possession time of 16.5. Not too far behind is FAU, whose average possession time of 16.9 seconds ranks 92nd in the nation. That means both teams are quick, but a little bit deliberate when it comes to shot selection on the offensive end. If both teams are executing well, that could make for a high-scoring affair similar to K-State-Michigan State from Thursday.

This has the potential to be one of the more competitive contests in the entire tournament considering that the two squads are well balanced on both ends of the floor.

The Owls are ranked 26th in adjusted efficiency on offense and 29th in the same category on defense. Meanwhile, the Wildcats are ranked 35th on offense and 27th on defense. There aren't many advanced stats categories where both teams rank among the nation's elite, but they're both solid across the board on both offense and defense. That could make for a really tight ballgame that could be decided in the final minute, so make your spread picks accordingly.

Both teams operate efficient and effective offenses, but have different methods of picking up a chunk of their points.

Per KenPom, 37.2% of FAU's points come from three and places it at 25th in the nation in that category. Meanwhile, 20.6% of Kansas State's points come from the free throw line and that places it at 54th in the nation in that category. The Owls' ability to fire it off from downtown vs. the Wildcats' ability to get to the line early and often may decide this contest.

  
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