- Joined
- May 8, 2002
- Posts
- 370,631
- Reaction score
- 43
The FGCU women's basketball team punched its ticket to the NCAA Tournament for the 11th time in 14 seasons on Saturday at Alico Arena, defeating Central Arkansas 68-51 under first-year coach Chelsea Lyles.
The Eagles will find out tonight who their first-round opponent will be and where they'll be headed when the NCAA Women's March Madness Bracket is revealed during the tournament selection show, which starts at 8 p.m.
Where could FGCU end up? Here's a list of the Eagles' potential destinations, with breakdowns on each of their likely first- and second-round opponents.
According to ESPN's Charlie Creme Saturday night, he has the Eagles traveling to Oxford, Mississippi as a 12 seed and facing No. 5 seed Kansas State in the Spokane Region. The other two teams in the Oxford bracket would be No. 13 South Florida vs. No. 4 Ole Miss. The No. 18-ranked Wildcats (26-7) finished fourth in the Big 12 standings and lost to West Virginia 73-69 in the conference tournament quarterfinals. FGCU has never faced Kansas State.
Earlier on Saturday, Creme had FGCU slated to go to Chapel Hill as a 12-seed, taking on Maryland while North Carolina squares off with Norfolk State. The Terps, ranked 18th in the latest AP Top 25, will enter the tournament following an upset loss to Michigan in the Big Ten quarterfinals. Maryland and the Eagles could square off for the second time this decade in the NCAA Tournament, with the Terps winning 89-65 in the lone meeting between the two sides.
In The Athletic's latest bracketology piece, which correctly predicted FGCU's trip to Bloomington, Ind. to take on Oklahoma in the first round last season, the Eagles are slated to make the trip to Lexington, Ky. to play fifth-seeded Ohio State in the first round, with Kentucky and Ball State in the other matchup. Should Chelsea Lyles' group make it past the Buckeyes, they'd take on a Wildcats team for the right to play in the Sweet Sixteen. FGCU is 3-0 all-time against Kentucky, winning in 2017, 2022, and 2023 by an average of just north of 7.5 points per game. The Buckeyes enter tournament action having lost by 29 points to eventual Big Ten champion UCLA in the conference semifinals, while Kentucky enters having lost to Oklahoma by four points in the SEC quarterfinals. The Wildcats and Buckeyes are ranked 13th and 15th in the AP Top 25, respectively.
According to Bracketology by Megan Gauer of Her Hoop Stats, the Eagles are a 13-seed in her methodology, taking on 4-seed North Carolina in Chapel Hill with Alabama and Grand Canyon squaring off in the 5 vs. 12 matchup. The Tar Heels and Eagles faced off at the Gulf Coast Showcase last season, with FGCU taking home a 65-64 win at Hertz Arena. North Carolina was eliminated by rival NC State in the ACC semis, falling 66-55. If the Eagles can pull off the upset, they'd likely face off against the Crimson Tide for the first time, which failed to make it past Florida in the second round of the SEC Tournament. The Tar Heels are 12th in the latest AP Top 25, while Alabama is 21st.
The Eagles are 4-10 all-time in the NCAA Tournament, with three of those wins coming as a No. 12 seed. They've logged two wins as a 12 this decade, most recently against Washington State in the first round of the 2023 tournament. The Eagles nearly had their fourth win as a 12-seed last year, as a game-tying 3-point shot from Uju Ezeudu hit the front rim and went out.
This year, the Eagles are unranked in both major national polls and are No. 61 in the NET rankings as of March 14, which is close to being in line as a projected No. 12 seed. FGCU will carry a 23-game win streak into the NCAA Tournament. The Eagles don't expect any talented Power Four program to overlook an FGCU team that's been notorious for first-round upsets as of late.
This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: FGCU women’s basketball March Madness bracket predictions for 2025 NCAA Tournament
Continue reading...
The Eagles will find out tonight who their first-round opponent will be and where they'll be headed when the NCAA Women's March Madness Bracket is revealed during the tournament selection show, which starts at 8 p.m.
Where could FGCU end up? Here's a list of the Eagles' potential destinations, with breakdowns on each of their likely first- and second-round opponents.
Kansas State
According to ESPN's Charlie Creme Saturday night, he has the Eagles traveling to Oxford, Mississippi as a 12 seed and facing No. 5 seed Kansas State in the Spokane Region. The other two teams in the Oxford bracket would be No. 13 South Florida vs. No. 4 Ole Miss. The No. 18-ranked Wildcats (26-7) finished fourth in the Big 12 standings and lost to West Virginia 73-69 in the conference tournament quarterfinals. FGCU has never faced Kansas State.
Maryland
Earlier on Saturday, Creme had FGCU slated to go to Chapel Hill as a 12-seed, taking on Maryland while North Carolina squares off with Norfolk State. The Terps, ranked 18th in the latest AP Top 25, will enter the tournament following an upset loss to Michigan in the Big Ten quarterfinals. Maryland and the Eagles could square off for the second time this decade in the NCAA Tournament, with the Terps winning 89-65 in the lone meeting between the two sides.
Ohio State
In The Athletic's latest bracketology piece, which correctly predicted FGCU's trip to Bloomington, Ind. to take on Oklahoma in the first round last season, the Eagles are slated to make the trip to Lexington, Ky. to play fifth-seeded Ohio State in the first round, with Kentucky and Ball State in the other matchup. Should Chelsea Lyles' group make it past the Buckeyes, they'd take on a Wildcats team for the right to play in the Sweet Sixteen. FGCU is 3-0 all-time against Kentucky, winning in 2017, 2022, and 2023 by an average of just north of 7.5 points per game. The Buckeyes enter tournament action having lost by 29 points to eventual Big Ten champion UCLA in the conference semifinals, while Kentucky enters having lost to Oklahoma by four points in the SEC quarterfinals. The Wildcats and Buckeyes are ranked 13th and 15th in the AP Top 25, respectively.
North Carolina
According to Bracketology by Megan Gauer of Her Hoop Stats, the Eagles are a 13-seed in her methodology, taking on 4-seed North Carolina in Chapel Hill with Alabama and Grand Canyon squaring off in the 5 vs. 12 matchup. The Tar Heels and Eagles faced off at the Gulf Coast Showcase last season, with FGCU taking home a 65-64 win at Hertz Arena. North Carolina was eliminated by rival NC State in the ACC semis, falling 66-55. If the Eagles can pull off the upset, they'd likely face off against the Crimson Tide for the first time, which failed to make it past Florida in the second round of the SEC Tournament. The Tar Heels are 12th in the latest AP Top 25, while Alabama is 21st.
You must be registered for see images attach
No surprise that FGCU's set to be a 12-seed
The Eagles are 4-10 all-time in the NCAA Tournament, with three of those wins coming as a No. 12 seed. They've logged two wins as a 12 this decade, most recently against Washington State in the first round of the 2023 tournament. The Eagles nearly had their fourth win as a 12-seed last year, as a game-tying 3-point shot from Uju Ezeudu hit the front rim and went out.
This year, the Eagles are unranked in both major national polls and are No. 61 in the NET rankings as of March 14, which is close to being in line as a projected No. 12 seed. FGCU will carry a 23-game win streak into the NCAA Tournament. The Eagles don't expect any talented Power Four program to overlook an FGCU team that's been notorious for first-round upsets as of late.
This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: FGCU women’s basketball March Madness bracket predictions for 2025 NCAA Tournament
Continue reading...
