Brian Otskey is an RTC correspondent. He filed this report after the Round of 64 NCAA Tournament game between #2 Georgetown and #15 Florida Gulf Coast. You can follow him on Twitter at @botskey.
Three key takeaways:
- Florida Gulf Coast was just better. The Eagles got the job done on both ends. They made more shots, defended better and were more athletic. Not to mention they clearly wanted it more. This team came in with absolutely no fear and hung around with Georgetown early in the game. Then, they exploded. The Eagles used a 21-2 run to break the game open and Georgetown never recovered despite a late game flurry. Florida Gulf Coast has talent and some really good athletes. It will give either Oklahoma or San Diego State a problem in the next round.
- Georgetown did not defend. Ranked fourth in defensive efficiency, the Hoyas came into the game with a reputation as a defensive juggernaut. Not tonight. Georgetown allowed Florida Gulf Coast to shoot 56.5% in the second half as the Eagles pulled away and then hung on for the victory. It was a complete meltdown for the Hoyas, one that included a flagrant-one foul and some fireworks between the two teams at times towards the end of the game. Georgetown lost its cool, not something we’re used to seeing from such a tradition-rich program with a good coach and smart players.
- Georgetown’s early NCAA Tournament exits are officially a pattern. Since making the Final Four in 2007, John Thompson III’s program has failed to even get to the Sweet 16. Georgetown was upset by #10 seed Davidson in the second round of the 2008 tournament. In 2010, #14 Ohio stunned the third seeded Hoyas in the first round. 2011 saw another first round exit (#11 VCU) and last season, Georgetown lost to #10 seed NC State in the round of 32. All of the Hoyas’ NCAA Tournament games since 2007 have been against double-digit seeds and their record is a pitiful 2-5. Thompson III even admitted after the game that he has tried to connect the dots and figure out why his team is losing to inferior teams. Like most people, he couldn’t explain it.
Star of the Game: Brett Comer, Florida Gulf Coast. The Eagles’ sophomore point guard (and high school teammate of Austin Rivers) put on a show. Comer didn’t lead the team in scoring, far from it in fact, but he led the way with 10 assists to only two turnovers. Comer, ranked fifth nationally in assist rate, put on an incredible display of skill, flashiness and, as Raftery would say, onions. The pass to Chase Fieler for the alley-oop had shades of Ali Farokhmanesh, just in a different way. Florida Gulf Coast wanted to push the pace in the second half and Comer was directly responsible for doing just that.
Quotable: Florida Gulf Coast head coach Andy Enfield on Comer’s pass: “I got some crazy dudes on my team, so when he threw that, I thought the ball was coming to me. I was like, where is that going? I mean, Sherwood has a few screws loose if you can’t tell, and Brett Comer is – I don’t know 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. I’m like, great pass, Brett.”
Sights and Sounds: It was amazing to see the crowd turn on Georgetown throughout the game. Early on it was almost like the fans said, “okay, cool, but let’s see if you can keep it up.” Then the Eagles led at halftime but it didn’t seem like many fans took it seriously. Once the second half began and Florida Gulf Coast started making shot after shot, the crowd began to sense the significance of what was happening. Some exciting transition dunks and passes made it even easier. The dunk show in the second half from FGCU was absolutely incredible.
Wildcard: It’s only one game but Florida Gulf Coast is now the only school undefeated in the NCAA Tournament. That’s a nice little nugget to brag about, at least for the time being. Florida Gulf Coast is a new university and has only been in Division I for five years. Enfield emphasized that he likes to keep it loose and have some fun with his team. Youth is a big part of his program and it really shows. These kids aren’t afraid of anything and are keeping it all in perspective. This is fun and Enfield knows it was a historic night in Philadelphia.
What’s Next: Florida Gulf Coast becomes only the seventh #15 seed to ever win a game in the NCAA Tournament and will advance to face the winner of tonight’s San Diego State-Oklahoma match-up on Sunday at the Wells Fargo Center.