At 6:35 p.m. on Monday, a new rivalry was born.
After upsetting No. 2 seed Georgetown and No. 7 seed San Diego State for a spot in the Sweet 16 and catapulting into the national spotlight, 15th-seeded Florida Gulf Coast held a pep rally in its on-campus arena. The event, which saw thousands of FGCU fans in the stands, was broadcast live on ESPN.
"We play one of the best teams in the country Friday night," FGCU coach Andy Enfield said to the crowd, referring to Florida.
After boos poured in, vulgarity ensued.
"F--k the Gators," the students chanted, as Enfield tried to laugh it off.
A week ago, nobody would have expected Florida Gulf Coast to make it this far in the NCAA Tournament. But tonight at 10:07 in Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas, the third-seeded Gators (28-7) will square off against the No. 15 seed Eagles (26-10) in the South Region semifinals for a spot in the Elite Eight.
"The country may give a team a label, but we never do that," said Florida coach Billy Donovan, who has coached at UF for 17 years — six years longer than FGCU has fielded a men’s basketball team.
"We look at a team on film and what they do and the things that we have to do, so we’ve got to prepare for this game like we would any other game. This is a really good team… that is maybe playing as well as anyone in the country right now. The seeding and all that stuff, it doesn’t mean anything."
As the first No. 15 seed to ever advance to the Sweet 16, FGCU has attracted widespread national media attention. The Eagles won their games against the Hoyas and Aztecs by 10 points.
Because of the fast-paced, acrobatic style of basketball the Eagles play, Florida Gulf Coast has earned the nickname "Dunk City."
"Obviously they’re really athletic across the front line, but my dad always told me a dunk’s worth two points," senior forward Erik Murphy said. "Those plays energize them, though, so we want to try to limit them."
FGCU has attracted the majority of national coverage this week, despite another Cinderella, No. 13 seed La Salle, advancing to the Sweet 16. The fact that most of the nation will be rooting for the underdog Friday night does not bother guard Scottie Wilbekin.
"We’re really not too concerned with that," Wilbekin said. "The media always finds somebody to really get behind, but we can’t really worry about that."
Historically, Florida has done well in the Big Dance against Cinderellas.
No. 3 seed UF beat No. 11 seed George Mason in the 2006 Final Four. The Gators defeated the Patriots 73-58 en route to their first national title.
In last year’s round of 32, seventh-seeded Florida handled No. 15 seed Norfolk State for an 84-50 victory.
Point guard Brett Comer and the fast-tempo Eagles thrive in transition. Comer has fueled FGCU, racking up 24 assists.
"[Comer’s] a great passer, but to prevent it, you’ve got to stand in front of your man," guard Kenny Boynton said. "They make a lot of cuts. You can’t let a person get back-door on you."
FGCU’s Sherwood Brown and Bernard Thompson have tallied a combined 43.5 points and 14 boards per game in the tournament.
If Florida wins Friday night, it would face either No. 1 seed Kansas or No. 4 seed Michigan on Sunday. For a Gators team coming off back-to-back Elite Eight exits, this weekend in Arlington could serve as redemption as Florida hopes to end its six-year Final Four drought.
"Obviously it’s in the past and it’s happened, so you don’t want to dwell on it too much," Murphy said. "Whenever you think about it, it gives you a little extra motivation."
Junior point guard Scottie Wilbekin dribbles down the court during Florida’s 64-52 win against Alabama on March 2 in the O’Connell Center. Wilbekin is playing in his third Sweet 16 as a Gator.
