Remember Dunk City? Remember the 2013 NCAA Tournament run that Florida Gulf Coast went on that captivated the country for a week?
You may have forgotten about FGCU, but they are reminding us that 2013 was no flash in the pan for them. That was already the case, and Sunday’s 84-75 win over UMass in Springfield is just one more reminder. And this win was not unlike their two wins in 2013 that caught our attention.
Back then, FGCU wasn’t well-known, but they didn’t play like it. Only six times had a No. 15 seed knocked off a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament. All but one of those games was decided by five points or less, but the Eagles used big second-half runs to win two games quite convincingly and reach the Sweet 16. This time around, the Eagles had an 18-point lead with about three minutes to go before UMass made the score look a little more respectable with a late rally. The Minutemen actually did have a brief lead early in the second half, but the Eagles took over from there behind a balanced attack.
At the nerve center of this was Brett Comer, the point guard who was also a big part of the run two years ago. He had 14 assists on the afternoon to go with nine points, and he helped four Eagles score in double figures. Bernard Thompson, also a key player on the team of two seasons ago, led the way on Sunday with 18 points.
Last season, FGCU settled for an NIT bid after they were the top seed in the Atlantic Sun Tournament and lost to Mercer in the championship game. FGCU is 8-1 and looks like the favorites once again, although they have company this weekend as fellow Atlantic Sun members USC Upstate (Georgia Tech) and North Florida (Purdue) also scored road wins. USC Upstate is trying to keep with them at 8-2.
Dunk City hasn’t left us, at least not yet. Florida Gulf Coast has some staying power.
Side Dishes
Kansas forward Jamari Traylor and football wide receiver Rodriguez Coleman were arrested on Sunday morning. Coleman was arrested on a charge of battery, while Traylor is being charged with interfering with the duties of a police officer. As of Sunday afternoon, information was still being gathered about what happened.
A few ranked teams coasted to victory, from Kentucky (82-49 over Eastern Kentucky) to North Carolina (108-64 over East Carolina) to West Virginia (67-42 over Northern Kentucky).
Washington continued their hot start, moving to 7-0 with a 49-36 win over San Diego State. While the Huskies didn’t exactly shoot the lights out, they held San Diego State to just over 20 percent shooting on the evening.
It took overtime, but Clemson managed to knock off Arkansas 68-65 to cap off a two-loss week for the Razorbacks. Neither is a bad loss – at Iowa State and at Clemson – but such a week is never fun.
Early MAAC games are in the books, and Fairfield and Monmouth join Canisius as surprise 2-0 starters after the Stags went to Quinnipiac and took home a 56-52 win in overtime and Monmouth knocked off Iona 92-89.
Tonight’s Menu
A light slate is on tap this evening. Highlights:
- Fresh off its big win over Connecticut on Friday night, Yale heads south to take on Florida.
- SMU looks to continue to get back on track with a tough one, as they host Alan Williams and UC Santa Barbara.
- Miami (hosting Savannah State) and Butler (hosting Kennesaw State) are ranked teams in action at home.
- Two early MEAC games are on tap as well.
