Howard Smith – USA TODAY Sports
No. 15 seed Florida Gulf Coast upset No. 2 Georgetown 78-68 in the program’s first NCAA tournament game. The school itself has only existed for 11 years and just recently made the transition to Division I. In addition, they have only been eligible for the NCAA Tournament the last two years.
The Eagles got off to a hot start, and never allowed Georgetown to intimidate them, which is not very surprising as FGCU’s season started off with a victory against Miami University. They also fought hard in a game against Duke earlier this season.
In this game, the Eagles attacked Georgetown from the get go and played with no pressure on their shoulders. Not only did they play with confidence, they played smart and their shots fell. The three pointers fell, the free throws fell, and the inside play was on point as well.
Because of this shooting that was on point, the Eagles out-shot the Hoyas favorably. Florida GC shot 40% from three and 42.9% on field goals compared to Georgetown’s 37.5% field goal shooting and 25.9% from beyond the arc. Another key to this historic win was the free throws. As the game wound down and Georgetown was closing the deficit, the Eagles hit the free throws to keep their lead intact. Without hitting those free throws, it would have been very likely that Georgetown would have won the game.
The hot shooting by Florida GC allowed them to control the game. That was a key part to the upset as it seemed like Georgetown was playing like a fifteen seed instead of as the two seed. It was a dominating performance by the Eagles that sees them continuing a truly successful season.
As a result of the win, the Eagles became the third No. 15 seed to upset a No. 2 Seed in the last two years. It was truly an inspiring game by the underdog that reminds us why the games are always played. Basketball is more than what is written on the paper statistically. I hope that the Eagles’ run and confidence can continue as they await their next opponent.
Phil Naegely is a Soccer writer for www.RantSports.com. He also writes about College Basketball, MLB, NASCAR, and NBA news. Like him on Facebook, follow him on Twitter @afriendofgod512 and add him to your circles on Google+.
