Fly With Eagles: FGCU Shows Stark Difference From Power League Members
March 24th, 2013 - 22:41
You can be grounded with turkeys (overcoached power league members full of control freaks) or fly with eagles (infinitely more entertaining mid-majors with coaches who don't take themselves so seriously). Free-spirited Florida Gulf Coast, the first #15 seed to advance to the Sweet 16, and La Salle became the eighth and ninth schools to win two games while seeded #13 or worse.
An average of three double-digit seeded teams reached a regional semifinal the last six years. In 2001, Gonzaga became the first school to advance to regional semifinals in three consecutive campaigns despite having a double-digit seed each year. Prior to the Zags' streak, LSU had been the only "double trouble" school to advance to regional semifinals in back-to-back seasons with double-digit seeded teams (1986 and 1987).
The worst-seeded teams to reach the Final Four and defeat a top seed were a pair of No. 11 seeds (LSU in 1986 and VCU in 2011). Loyola Marymount, an #11 seed in 1990, won its first two games that year by at least 19 points. Following is a chronological list of "bottom of the bracket" seeded squads (#13 through #15) that ignored the Division I committee's branding and exceeded expectations:
| Year | School | Regional | First Two NCAA Tournament Opponents (Scores) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | #14 Cleveland State | East | Indiana (83-79) and St. Joseph's (75-69) |
| 1988 | #13 Richmond | East | Indiana (72-69) and Georgia Tech (59-55) |
| 1997 | #14 Chattanooga | Southeast | Georgia (73-70) and Illinois (75-63) |
| 1998 | #13 Valparaiso | Midwest | Ole Miss (70-69) and Florida State (83-77) |
| 1999 | #13 Oklahoma | Midwest | Arizona (61-60) and UNC Charlotte (85-72) |
| 2006 | #13 Bradley | West | Kansas (77-73) and Pittsburgh (72-66) |
| 2012 | #13 Ohio University | Midwest | Michigan (65-60) and South Florida (62-56) |
| 2013 | #15 Florida Gulf Coast | South | Georgetown (78-68) and San Diego State (81-71) |
| 2013 | #13 La Salle* | West | Kansas State (63-61) and Ole Miss (76-74) |
*La Salle also won a First Four game against Boise State (80-71).