FGCU becomes first 15 seed to advance to Sweet 16
How fun is this team to watch? 16 of their 33 made baskets were dunks/layups. Do you think they have a chance against Florida?
Provided Michigan beats Kansas and Gulf Coast beats Florida, on a scale of 1-10 how crushed would you be if they beat Michigan? Gotta admit it'd be fun to see this team in the final four, no matter how big the dong punch.
I don't think any Michigan fan would rather have a cute story of FGCU who won't win the title go instead of Michigan going to the Final Four.
a 10. Not every day you get a chance to get to the final four. Losing to Florida or Kansas is one situation, but FGCU? That would be killer.
blog will spontaneously combust if this indeed occurs.
I can't imagine the comments that would populate that snowflakes thread.
March 25th, 2013 at 12:03 AM ^
YOU ARE NO LONGER MICHIGAN MEN. CLEAN OUT YOUR LOCKERS IMMEDIATELY. IOWA STATE IS MORE YOUR STYLE ANYWAYS.
I was at such a loss as to how to react to this that I just started laughing.
How crushed would I be? Take the Wisconsin loss, wrap it around the OSU loss in the BTT, and stuff it with the last second IU choke.
March 24th, 2013 at 10:07 PM ^
aka the Horror 2.0
March 24th, 2013 at 10:13 PM ^
I don't know...no matter how you put it, the school only started taking students for COLLEGE EDUCATION in 1997. That would suck
March 24th, 2013 at 10:36 PM ^
It wouldn't be that bad. App State was our hell alone, whereas if we were to lose to FGCU, Georgetown, SDSU and Florida would share the misery. And by the Elite Eight, FGCU would no longer be considered a pushover.
Anyhow, I think they'd be a good matchup for us - another team that wants to push it up the floor - so I'd like to see the game happen.
March 24th, 2013 at 10:33 PM ^
Under Beilein we have never, in the three times we've advanced past the opening round, gotten to play a non-chalk opponent.
2009 - (round of 32) #2 Oklahoma
2011 - (round of 32) #1 Duke
2013 - (round of 32) #5 VCU, (Sweet 16) #1 Kansas
We're due to finally benefit from somebody getting upset.
March 24th, 2013 at 10:02 PM ^
As opposing teams study their films their weaknesses will be exposed. Of course, not every team can take advantage of that.
i'd feel probably about the same as when MSU lost to George Mason.
without the impulses to burn couches and talk about how I got into Michigan but chose sparty b/c I wanted to "have fun" in college.
March 24th, 2013 at 10:01 PM ^
I'd rather play Florida. I don't want us to be playing FGCU when all of Cowboys Stadium will be rooting against us and they also look pretty damn good.
March 24th, 2013 at 10:08 PM ^
March 24th, 2013 at 10:15 PM ^
Florida Gulf Coast is just one of those teams that show you how advanced stats and predictive algorithms sometimes miss things, especially when there is not much data in the first place like in the case of FGCU. By the numbers, even as early as this morning, you may not have thought much of FGCU's chances tonight, and yet here they are.
They arrived in the Sweet 16 in part by maintaining an effective field goal percentage of 61.9% despite being outrebounded by a fair margin too. They simply outran and outperformed SDSU, and it was extremely entertaining.
March 24th, 2013 at 11:02 PM ^
Should be an interesting match-up with Florida; they've alreayd played and beaten better teams in Miami and Duke, so they shouldn't be scared. If they get by Florida and UM beats KU, the transitive property of both playing VCU means UM should beat them by a million (they lost to VCU to start the season by 23).
March 24th, 2013 at 11:38 PM ^
Let's not be too crazy here. I'd rather play Florida Gulf Coast than Florida.
FGCU is an above average team that is playing hot in the tourney right now. Florida is an established and proficient offensive and defensive team who has it together right now.
You just saw what happened when a team who relies on turnovers and transition points plays Michigan. I really like FGCU and the way they're playing, but they are a less talented, but flashier version of VCU.
Also, Kansas is better than both teams, so let's worry about that.
March 24th, 2013 at 11:47 PM ^
March 24th, 2013 at 11:59 PM ^
One of the coolest things about a very low-seeded team upsetting one of the top seeds is that the lower-seeded team gets to take over the easier draw that the top team was supposed to get.
I guess MIami's loss to FGC doesn't look all that bad now. If FGC beats Florida, does that make them state champs?
I am at my vacation home about 6 miles from the FGCU campus. It was not thought of as much more than a community college. Things there will NEVER be the same.
The FGCU coach mentioned that he tried to schedule a scrimmage with Florida and they refused (may have had a good reason). Possible motivation. It is hard to describe how much of a towering giant U of F is considered compared to FGCU. A LOT of FGCU students were rejected from U of F.
Just another reason to hate the U of Florida.
March 25th, 2013 at 12:48 PM ^
Their former (and first) coach is a 1991 U-M alum and was a student manager on the 1989 National Championship team.
http://www.fgcuathletics.com/mbasketball/roster/2010-11/1780/dave-balza/