ANSAN
FRIDAY, MARCH 29, 2013
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
se
PAGE 9
once
conference
once
OVERSHADOWED BY THE UNDERDOG
Florida Gulf Coast's Dajuan Graf, from left, Eddie Murray and Brett Comer celebrate after winning a third-round game against San Diego State in the NCAA college basketball tournament Sunday in Philadelphia
Florida Gulf Coast won 81-71
Florida looking to end No.15-seed FGCU's fairy-tale run
GEOFFREY CALVERT
gcalvert@kansan.com
ASSOCIATED PRESS
ARLINGTON, Texas - It's only natural that a team becomes a national darling when it's the first No. 15 seed in a 75-year-old tournament to reach the Sweet Sixteen.
Florida's junior center Patric Young understands why Florida Gulf Coast, the upstart program the Gators will face at 10:07 Friday night, is receiving perhaps the most attention of any remaining team in the NCAA Tournament.
But he's ready for the fairy tale to end.
"It kind of motivates us because we're getting tired of seeing these guys get all the credit," Young said. "It's like [the media] are deciding that they won the game before the game even been played. That's not fair to us."
It's hard to fathom that a No. 3 seed could feel overshadowed, especially one like Florida, which won back-to-back national titles in 2006 and 2007. But even though the Gators are coming off consecutive Elite Eight appearances, Young seemed to possess an underdog mentality as his team prepared Thursday to end Cinderella's FGCU's run.
"We just want to go out there and prove that we're not just going to be some pushover team that they can just come in and then walk over us and do the same things that they've been doing." Young said. "We haven't really gotten credit for anything we've accomplished over these past few years so I'm used to it."
But Florida Gulf Coast hasn't lost its underdog persona, either. The No. 15 seed is in its 11th year of basketball and has a 194-147 all-time record. Florida, on the other hand, has 1,293 victories.
Should the Eagles advance, they would face either Kansas and its 2,101 all-time victories or Michigan and its 1,245 victories. Although any team that reaches the tournament's second weekend has proved
itself capable of handling the pressures of March basketball, Florida Gulf Coast sophomore guard Brett Comer said he thinks Florida might still be overlooking the Eagles.
"I feel like, you know, honestly deep down they might not be taking us as seriously, just like other teams, because we weren't the high-recruited guys." Comer said. "Everybody talks about Florida. Nobody talks about Florida Gulf Coast."
Dunks could be the Eagles' best chance at creating momentum.
which could be key since Florida junior guard Scottie Wilbekin said he expects the majority of the crowd to back Florida Gulf Coast. But senior center Erik Murphy said that when the Gators face their opponent, which has come to be known as "Dunk City" they have to remember a dunk isn't worth any more than any other sort of field goal.
--times to get a 3-point attempt is on a long offensive rebound, the Eagles know playing tight perimeter defense has to complement strong rebounding down low.
"A dunk, layup, two points, the same thing." Murphy said. "Those plays energize them, though, so we want to try to limit them."
If Florida is in rhythm shooting 3-pointers, it might not matter how many dunks Florida Gulf Coast accumulates. The Gators shoot 38 percent from long range as a team. Murphy, despite being a 6-foot-10 big man, is the team's best 3-point shooter at 46 percent and has connected on 72 attempts this season.
Three other Gators have made at least 50 deep-range shots, and no one who regularly shoots a 3-pointer shoots below 33 percent. Florida is also fairly formidable on the offensive glass. Since one of the best
"One thing we're going to try to take away is their wide-open threes," Florida Gulf Coast senior guard Sherwood Brown said. "I'm sure they got a lot of points off of missed threes and put-backs."
Florida Gulf Coast is the first team to win its initial NCAA Tournament game since Florida won its first two ever tournament games in
1987, although the NCAA later vacated the Gators' victories for committing NCAA violations.
Florida Gulf Coast sophomore forward Eric McKnight said the Eagles intended to win in their first ever NCAA appearance, but the Sweet Sixteen wasn't something they even considered.
"The Sweet Sixteen wasn't talked about," McKnight said. "But we knew we did not want to lose the first game because we would have felt like that'd have been pointless."
Edited by Madison Schultz
COMMENTARY
FGCU on honeymoon with tournament, Jayhawks keep it real
Who do those smug bastards from Florida Gulf Coast think they are?
Just look at them. They're smiling, laughing, having a good time and making a mockery of the NCAA Tournament.
And what right do they have?
The No. 15-seed Eagles lost 10 games this season. Hell, they lost to the Lipscomb Bison twice.
They wouldn't even be in the tournament if it weren't for a monster run through the Atlantic Sun Tournament in which they tore apart every foe they faced.
After that, people allow them to have fun in the insanely intense "win or go home" NCAAs.
Today at Cowboys Stadium, a few of the Eagles were even running around with a video camera trying to capture the moment.
"I'm a big believer that college basketball should be an enjoyable
experience" FGCU coach Andy Enfield said. "That's what college sports to me is all about."
Enjoyment? Oy vey, maybe there's a reason this guy is stuck in Fort Myers, Fla. He won't get anywhere if he doesn't believe in winning.
How could the NCAA allow this travesty to occur? Players should never be allowed to show boat like this.
All these dunks are destroying the game. The ball goes up in the air and you have no idea if
it's a shot or pass. Are they trying to make this simple game look incredibly tough? Or are they just good at making it look cool when they mess up?
"You've got to turn them loose in games," ESPN analyst Fran Fraschilla told USA TODAY. "I think that's been the lesson of the Eagles' success; Andy's willing to cede some control of the decision-making, particularly on offense, because he trusts his team."
So now you've got a team that has only been NCAA Tournament eligible for just its second year running around with a coach who refuses to reel them in.
Maybe they need to spend more time watching the No. 1-seed Kansas Jayhaws.
In their first two games in Kansas City, the Jayhawks played like statues.
There were hardly any smiles.
And clearly this is a formula that works as the Jayhawks employed it again two days later against North Carolina.
But look at how Kansas beat Western Kentucky; They came out feeling the pressure and fed off it. The Jayhawks trailed at half and played a tightly fought game from start to finish against a No. 16-seed.
"Being a one-seed," Kansas coach Bill Self said, "And playing in your backyard, sometimes you play not to lose rather than embrace the moment."
laughing was non-existent and it would be shocking if Tyler Self was spotted running around with a video camera — OK, maybe that last one isn't so much of a stretch.
Isn't that the point of a tournament? Not losing?
There will be detractors who
say that FGCU got to the Sweet Sixteen their way, but you've got to trust an upright Jayhawks team to advance.
Once you embrace that moment anything can happen. And it's terrifying to think of what could happen if Kansas did.
— Edited by Brian Sisk
Don't put your education on hold this summer.
Enroll in classes at Johnson County Community College!
- Extensive course selections
- Flexible times and locations
- Transferrable classes
- Online registration
Classes begin June 3.
Registration begins at 8 a.m., April 1. Call 913-469-3803 or visit
Call 913-469-3803 or visit
http://tinyurl.com/JCCCsummer for more information.
Note: If considering a class with a prerequisite requirement, JCCC requires proof of previous coursework (via unofficial transcript, etc.) before registering for summer classes.