Florida Gulf Coast headed back to NCAA tournament with Atlantic Sun title
Dunk City is back.
Florida Gulf Coast clinched its second consecutive NCAA tournament berth and third in five years with a 77-61 victory over North Florida in Sunday’s Atlantic Sun tournament championship game.
And while you might not remember the Eagles from last March — they won a play-in game, then lost as a 16-seed to North Carolina — you almost certainly remember them from 2013. That’s when Gulf Coast, a 15-seed, captured the imagination of hoops fans across the country with a shocking upset of 2-seed Georgetown.
That year, the Eagles then went on to beat 7-seed San Diego State before falling to Florida in the Sweet 16. This year, they enter March Madness with a similarly ranked team to the one that made the run.
Gulf Coast was the top-seeded team in the Atlantic Sun after winning the conference’s regular season title. It will head to the Big Dance with a record of 26-7 and a KenPom ranking slightly above 100. Back in November, the Eagles held second-half leads against both Baylor and Michigan State before coming up short in both games.
No players remain from the 2013 team, and the coach is also knew. Andy Enfield left for USC after the Cinderella year, and was replaced by Joe Dooley. Dooley has the Eagles in position to be a dangerous 14-seed or 15-seed four years later.
