By JOSH NEWMAN
Special to ZAGSBLOG
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=giVl0rMP6tg]
PHILADELPHIA – It’s important to remember a few things in the wake of No. 15 seed Florida Gulf Coast University’s stunning 78-68 win over No. 2 seed Georgetown in a South Region second-round contest on Friday evening.
From the very outset, it was apparent that the Eagles, champions of the Atlantic Sun Conference, were ready to match the Hoyas’ athleticism and length. Additionally, the tiny school from Fort Myers, which didn’t even gain full Division I postseason eligibility until just last year, was not going back to down against the elite program from the big, bad Big East.
Finally, two key attributes helped this FGCU outfit during what can only be described as a second-half mauling of Georgetown. Dunks and swagger. The Eagles had plenty of both over the final 20 minutes and when the game was in the waning minutes, both were on display.
With just under 2:00 to play and FGCU up, 65-58, Georgetown was pressing in an effort to pull off a miracle. On this particular play, the Eagles broke the press as sophomore point guard Brett Comer found himself with the ball just outside the 3-point line on the right wing.
Instead of pulling the ball out and bleeding the clock, Comer produced the most memorable play of the NCAA Tournament thus far. He took one dribble, tossed a one-handed lob in front of the rim and a trailing Chase Fieler flew in, controlled the alley-oop with his right hand and flushed it one-handed to all but seal Georgetown’s fate.
That final jam with 1:54 to play marked FGCU’s fifth dunk of a second half that quickly turned into a coronation as the Eagles led by as many as 19 with 12:30 to play.
This is the fifth consecutive loss by Georgetown to a double-digit seed in the NCAA Tournament dating back to 2008 when Stephen Curry-led Davidson upset the Hoyas as a No. 10 seed.
“He has seen me all year,” Fieler said of Comer, a high school teammate of New Orleans Hornets rookie guard Austin Rivers who finished with 12 points, 10 assists and six rebounds. “We have had a couple of connections on the lob. Brett has great vision. That was his 10th assist, he just threw it up there and I had to go get it.”
“I’ve got some crazy dudes on my team, so when he threw that, I thought the ball was coming to me,” FGCU head coach Andy Enfield joked. “I mean, Sherwood (Brown) has a few screws loose if you can’t tell and Brett Comer is — I don’t where the ball is going half the time and then usually it winds up in a guy’s hand and he’s either dunking or laying it in and I’m like, ‘Good pass, Brett.'”
Norfolk State (over Missouri) and Lehigh (over Duke) both stunned the nation as No. 15 seeds last seasons and when those happened, they were both viewed as flukes. Maybe Florida Gulf Coast, which was established in 1991 and began holding classes in 1997, is a fluke too, but that didn’t seem to be the feeling inside Wells Fargo Center Friday night.
The feeling seems to be that this Eagles team can play with anyone and the proof is there. In November and December, they beat Miami, while hanging with St. John’s, Duke and Iowa State. Long story short, why can’t Florida Gulf Coast become the first No. 15 seed to advance to a Sweet 16? It has already conquered Georgetown, has no shortage of confidence, even more swagger and now the knowledge it’s capable of playing with anyone on the grandest of stages.
“We’ll play anyone, anywhere at anytime,” Enfield said. “We’re going to come out Sunday and compete, and if we play like we did tonight and like we did last week, we’ll win the game.”
