Next team on my Cinderella list is none other than Florida Gulf Coast. This is a team that is not far from the last time they were the Cinderella Team of the NCAA Tournament. In 2012-2013 they stunned everyone with their high flying athletic team. Defeating Georgetown and San Diego State as a 15 seed on their way to a sweet 16 appearance. Not only did they defeat them, but they beat each team by 10 points. If you have forgotten how athletic this team was, just watch some highlights against Georgetown and San Diego State. This team was FUN!
But back to this year’s team and why I believe they could repeat what they did in 2012-13 this year. They are currently first in the Atlantic Sun with a 15-6 (4-1) record. They played a very good non-conference schedule, which included: Baylor, Michigan State, Florida, and Texas-Arlington. They did not only play these good teams but they performed well in them. They won against UTA and was down 67-68 with under 3 minutes to go against Baylor in Waco. They also lost to Michigan State 78-77 on the road, which came down to the clock operator messing up. This team has played against Tournament talent and knows that it can perform well against top teams.
Their head coach, Joe Dooley, took over FGCU after the 2012 tournament run when Andy Enfield took the HC job at USC. He took FGCU to his first NCAA Tournament last year. They won the play in game and then lost to North Carolina in the first round. He is on pace to have his best record in his 4th year as the man in charge.
Florida Gulf Coast’s team is a very guard heavy which makes for an athletic team. They are led in scoring by junior guard Brandon Goodwin. Goodwin transferred to FGCU from UCF and after sitting out a year has been a stud. He is averaging over 16 points per game while adding 4 assists and rebounds per game. He can also perform on the defensive side of the ball, averaging 2.25 steals per game over his past 8 games. Another guard is sophomore Zach Johnson. He is averaging over 12 points while also dishing out 3.3 assists per game. The other shooting guards, Christian Terrell and Rayjon Tucker, are both averaging over 43% from the three point line which is huge to have multiple players who can shoot consistent from three point range.
I think they key to this team coming together and actually making a Cinderella run is if they can get Marc-Eddy Norelia back into his 2015-2016 form. Norelia had one of the best seasons in FGCU history in 2015-16 averaging 17.1 points and 9.3 rebounds. The senior forward has dealt with injury and possibly suspensions during his senior campaign. This has led to him only playing in 11 games and averaging 8.7 points with 3.5 rebounds. If he can get right in his health and attitude I believe that this team can make another big splash in the NCAA Tournament.
Florida Gulf Coast’s upcoming games are:
January 25th at North Florida on ESPN3 at 7:00 ET
January 28th vs Jacksonville on ESPN3 at 7:00 ET