Late block propels Florida Gulf Coast back to NCAA tournament
Florida Gulf Coast saved the Atlantic Sun from the embarrassment of a postseason-ineligible team winning its conference tournament.
The fourth-seeded Eagles edged Stetson 80-78 in overtime, capturing the Atlantic Sun tournament title and securing their first NCAA bid since their memorable 2013 Sweet 16 run as a No. 15 seed.
When Stetson’s Divine Myles attacked the rim off the dribble in the final seconds of overtime, it appeared he had an opportunity to score a game-tying layup and send the game to a second extra session. Instead Florida Gulf Coast’s Zach Miles recovered quickly enough to swat away Myles’ layup attempt, sealing a memorable win for the Eagles.
Florida Gulf Coast’s victory had to be a huge relief for A-Sun officials who had come under fire for allowing seventh-seeded Stetson to participate in the conference tournament. The Hatters were ineligible to earn a bid to the NCAA tournament after falling one point shy of clearing the NCAA’s minimum Academic Progress Report threshold.
Had Stetson pulled a third straight upset in Sunday’s title game, Atlantic Sun regular season champ North Florida would have been the recipient of the league’s automatic NCAA tournament bid. North Florida lost to Florida Gulf Coast in the Atlantic Sun semifinals on Thursday night by 33 points.
North Florida had hope Stetson would come through when the Hatters (12-22) opened a five-point halftime lead, but Florida Gulf Coast (20-13) quickly regained the lead in the second half. Only a 9-4 run from Stetson to end regulation allowed the game to get to overtime.
Florida Gulf Coast took a three-point lead on a layup from Johnson in the final 30 seconds and then held on for dear life. Antravious Simmons led the Eagles with 21 points off the bench, while Johnson had 19 points and five assists.
While Florida Gulf Coast is making its first NCAA tournament appearance since stunning second-seeded Georgetown and seventh-seeded San Diego State three years ago, Joseph Dooley’s Eagles bear little resemblance to Andy Enfield’s high-octane Dunk City squad.
Enfield’s team was among the 50 fastest-paced teams in the country; Dooley’s team is 247th in tempo.
Enfield’s team excelled forcing turnovers but also committed too many; Dooley’s team excels taking care of the ball but plays a conservative defensive style.
Enfield’s team showed its potential in November by upsetting future ACC champion Miami; Dooley’s team hasn’t beaten anyone in the KenPom top 150.
So credit Florida Gulf Coast for getting hot at the right time and securing an NCAA tournament bid, but don’t necessarily expect Dunk City 2.0. If these Eagles make more March memories, they’ll do it in a far different way.
– – – – – – –
Jeff Eisenberg is the editor of The Dagger on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter!
