2013 NCAA Tournament: No. 7 San Deigo State vs. No. 15 Florida Gulf Coast

How’s that bracket looking? Yes, I know, the No. 2 Georgetown Hoyas ruined your bracket, but they probably ruined just about every other bracket that was filled out as well. You are not alone.

Anyways, what a victory for the No. 15 Florida Gulf Coast Eagles. This is their first NCAA Tournament appearance and they managed to make history by knocking off a No. 2 seed in the second round.

The Eagles will have to take on the No. 7 San Diego State Aztecs. Although this may not be as good of a San Diego State team as ones in the past, it is still a very good one.

What to Watch For

Can Florida Gulf Coast create some more history by making it to the Sweet 16? I highly doubt it, but the thought of it is pretty cool. If the Eagles have any shot at doing so, Sherwood Brown and Bernard Thompson will have to continue where they left off. Both players combined for 47 points against the Hoyas and shot 6-12 together from behind the arc.

Jamaal Franklin is one to watch for the Aztecs. Franklin scored 21 points and grabbed eight boards against the No. 10 Oklahoma Sooners. Chase Tapley is also one to keep an eye on, despite not scoring as much as Franklin in the second round, but his 10 points were not bad by any means.

Prediction

As much as I–along with the rest of the world–want to see Florida Gulf Coast be this year’s Cinderella by making a Sweet 16 run, it is not going to happen. Give the Eagles all of the credit in the world for beating Georgetown, but San Diego State will be prepared for this team and it is very talented to say the least. However, those would be very bright slippers if the Eagles could pull off the victory.

San Deigo State 75 Florida Gulf Coast 62