The Rundown: FGCU (27-2 | 17 RPI) v. North Florida (11-19 | 6-7 A-Sun | 252 RPI)
The Matchup: Karl Smesko (Kent State, '93) 13th season at FGCU (341-66/83.5%) v. Mary Tappmeyer (SUNY Cortland '81) 23rd season at UNF (312-351/47.2%)
When: Friday, Mar. 6  |  7 p.m.
Where: Alico Arena  |  Fort Myers, Fla.
Video: via ESPN3 and the WatchESPN app
Live Stats: via Statbroadcast
Hashtags: #WingsUp | #WeAreFGCU | #RainingThrees | #ASunWBB
Series History: FGCU leads 15-2 with 11 straight wins
Game Notes: FGCU  |  UNF
 
FORT MYERS, Fla. – With its fifth-straight Atlantic Sun Conference regular season title, the FGCU women's basketball team will vie for a second-consecutive tournament championship beginning Friday, Mar. 6 as they take on the No. 8 seed North Florida Ospreys. Tipoff at Alico Arena is slated for 7 p.m.
 
The Eagles will enter Friday's matchup with a 22 game win streak and a record of 27-2. The team went undefeated in A-Sun action and is nationally ranked for the third-straight week.
 
WHAT TO KNOW
Friday's contest is sponsored by the FGCU Homewood Suites/Hilton Garden Inn and all fans are encouraged to wear green.
 
HOW TO FOLLOW
Live stats will be available via StatBroadcast with a video stream available through ESPN3 and the WatchESPN mobile app with David Moulton and J. Webb Horton on the call. As always, fans can also find live updates via Twitter at @FGCU_WBB.
 
GAME DAY TWEETABLES
• The team won its fifth-straight #ASunWBB Regular Season title this season with its third perfect season in four years
 
• FGCU is riding a 22-game win streak, which stands as the 3rd best in the nation
 
• Whitney Knight was named #ASunWBB Player of the Year and earned First-Team honors
 
• FGCU currently stands as the No. 20 team in the AP Top-25 poll and checks in at No. 21 in the USA Today Coaches' Poll
 
• FGCU currently holds an RPI rating at 17 after rising to a program-best 13 to start Atlantic Sun action #EaglesRising
 
• FGCU became #ASunWBB's first top-25 team since FIU in 1997
 
• The Eagles have held A-Sun foes to just 46.9 points per game this season for a new conference record
 
• @FGCUCoachSmesko was named #ASunWBB Coach of the Year for the fifth-straight season
 
• Whitney Knight is the nation's only player to lead a conference in both 3-pointers and blocks
 
• 2015 marks the third-straight season in which the Eagles have earned the No. 1 seed in the #ASunWBB tournament
 
THE GREEN AND BLUE
FGCU enters the postseason with a record of 27-2 and an official RPI of 17. The No. 20/21 Eagles stand as the third-highest mid-major in the AP poll, trailing only undefeated Princeton at No. 13 and Chattanooga at No. 17. In the coaches' poll, Princeton checks in at No. 14, while Chattanooga and George Washington take the No. 18 and 19 positions, respectively.
 
FGCU finished the regular season with an FGCU Division I best win streak of 22 games. With 25 wins in their last 26 games, the Eagle run is the third best in the nation, only shorter than No. 1/1 Connecticut and No. 13/14 Princeton and tied with No. 17/18 Chattanooga.
 
The Eagles join Princeton, Chattanooga and George Washington as the mid-majors in this week's AP Top-25 and stand ahead of GW, Syracuse, Rutgers, Northwestern and Seton Hall. The team stands ahead of Rutgers, Seton hall, Syracuse and Nebraska in the coaches' poll.
 
FGCU boasted three double-figure scorers through the regular season in Whitney Knight (Winston-Salem, N.C./R.J. Reynolds High School), Kaneisha Atwater (Fort Pierce, Fla./Fort Pierce Westover High School) and Stephanie Haas (Avon Lakes, Ohio/Magnificat High School).  Knight paced the squad and the league with 15.4 points and 6.4 rebounds per game and led the league with 81 made shots from the perimeter and was named Player of the Year for her season-wide performance.
 
Collectively, the Eagles averaged 73.4 points per game during the regular season, while holding their opposition to 54.2 points per contest for the league's best scoring average and scoring margin. The scoring margin also ranks among the top-10 in the nation. The team has maintained a shooting percentage of .438 with a mark of .352 from the perimeter this year. The Eagles rank third in the NCAA and first among the Atlantic Sun with 9.6 shots made from beyond-the-arc per game. On defense, the Eagles have been narrowly outrebounded, 35.1 to 35.4 per game this year but hold an advantage in turnovers, 11.4 to 18.5 and steals, 8.8 to 4.8. FGCU ranks fifth in the country with a turnover margin of +7.03 and 10th nationally in assist to turnover ratio at 1.29.
 
WWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWIN STREAK
With 22-straight wins, the Eagles currently hold the nation's third-best win streak. They sit behind only Connecticut and Princeton and are tied with Chattanooga. 
       
The team also holds a 23-game win streak in conference games dating back to last season to rank fourth in the nation and sits only behind the nation's top two teams in Connecticut and South Carolina with 25-straight wins at home, a streak that also spans two seasons.
 
TOP-25
FGCU is now ranked No. 20 in the AP Top-25 and No. 21 in USA Today Coaches' Polls. The team picked up votes in three-straight polls before getting ranked in Week 15 for the first time in program history.
 
TOP-100
In games played against opposition in the RPI's top-100, the team is 8-1 with wins over GW, Quinnipiac, Stetson (x2), Wichita State, Arkansas State, Southern Miss. and Cal State-Northridge.   The team's only loss is to RPI ranked 36 Ohio State, an overtime loss in the US Virgin Islands. In games against the top-50, FGCU holds a record of 5-1.
 
SUNSHINE STATE SUCCESS
With Florida State leading the way at No. 10, Florida boasts the most number of teams within the RPI's top-50. FGCU joins the Seminoles, USF and Stetson to lead the rest of the nation.
 
LAST TIME OUT
For the third time in four seasons, the FGCU women's basketball team finished the Atlantic Sun Conference season with an unblemished record as the Eagles moved to 14-0 last Saturday night with a 78-47 win over Jacksonville.
 
FGCU and JU battled back and forth in the opening minutes but the Eagles used a 15-2 run late in the first half to take an 18-point lead into the break. Atwater accounted for 37 percent of the team's scoring with 29 points as the Eagles capitalized on opportunities at the post and at the free throw line. FGCU finished with 46 points in the paint and 21 free throws on 25 attempts to run past the visiting team. The Green and Blue extended the lead to a game-high 33 points late in the game and ultimately earned the 78-47 win to move to 13-0 at home this season.
 
Atwater led all players with 29 points in 31 minutes on the floor. She went 11-for-14 from the field with seven made free throws on eight attempts. And grabbed four steals and four rebounds. Dunson and Meador also contributed double figures, each with 13 points. Like Atwater, Meador went 7-for-8 from the free-throw line and pulled down five rebounds to lead the team.
 
The Eagles shot 56 percent in the first half to take control of the game and finished with a 49.1 percent clip on the night, while holding JU to 35.6 percent. FGCU shot just 23 percent from 3-point range but converted 84 percent of shots from the charity stripe. Jacksonville narrowly outrebounded the home team, 32-21, but the Green and Blue forced 22 JU turnovers with just 12 of its own.
 
ALL-TIME MEETINGS WITH THE OSPREYS
The Eagles hold a 15-2 record over the Ospreys in 17 meetings since the 2007-08 season. FGCU has won 11-straight games against UNF and has held the Ospreys to 60 or fewer points in all but two meetings.
 
SCOUTING THE NO. 8 SEED
UNF finished the 2014-15 slate with a record of 11-18 and an Atlantic Sun mark of 2-12 to take the last position in the A-Sun tournament. The Ospreys compiled a nonconference mark of 9-6 before opening the conference slate with losses to JU and FGCU. Since the first meeting between the teams, UNF has gone 2-10 with wins over Northern Kentucky and Lipscomb.
 
Plagued by injury during the entire season, the Ospreys finished the season with three-straight losses including games dropped to NKU, FGCU and Stetson. The team is averaged 53.0 points per game during the regular season and allowed foes to 61.8 points per contest. The Ospreys compiled a success rate of 35.2 percent from the field with a 30.0 percent clip from 3-point range and held opponents to a 37.2 percent rate with a 33.7 percentage from the perimeter. The team's field-goal percentage defense ranked second in the conference but its 3-point percentage defense finished ranked eighth in the eight-team conference. The Ospreys averaged 40.7 rebounds per game to rank first in the league and outrebounded opponents by 2.3 boards per contest. The team allowed 18.0 turnovers per game with an assist to turnover ratio of 0.6.
 
Individually, the Ospreys are led by senior Destinee Smith. Smith averages a team-best 12.8 points per game. Smith shoots 34.5 percent from the field with a 32.8 percent clip from outside. She has also dished out 74 assists and grabbed a squad-high 36 steals.
Paulina Zaveckaite paces the league and the team with 11.8 rebounds per game, which also ranks as the seventh best performance in the nation. Zaveckaite averages 10.6 points per contest and has recorded 12 double doubles on the season. Janea Williams leads the team with 38 blocks but has added just 4.3 points per game, while Amber Robinson adds 4.7 points per game and a shooting percentage of 37.2.
 
UNF's Mary Tappmeyer is in her 23rd season with the Ospreys and like Smesko, is the program's only coach. She holds an overall record of 312-351 at UNF.
 
STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE
The Eagle's tough nonconference schedule has been crucial in the team's high RPI ranking this year. The team currently stands at 43 in the official NCAA SOS.
 
SMESKO'S PREPARATION
Smesko's game preparation is one of the most crucial factors in the Eagles' all-time success. Last season, the team went 14-2 in games when they had four or more days to prepare. This season, the team is 14-0 when coach is given that much time to pllan. In 12+ seasons, Smesko holds a record of 122-20 in games with extra time for a win percentage of 86 percent.
 
PRESEASON PREDICTIONS
On the heels of four-consecutive regular season championships and the team's second Atlantic Sun Championship in three years, the Eagles were once against picked to win the Atlantic Sun in the annual preseason coaches' poll.
 
With 62 points and six first-place votes, the Eagles finished four points ahead of in-state rival Stetson University.  The Hatters garnered two first-place votes to finish second in the poll with 58 points. The Green and Blue picked up 11 first-place votes in the media poll for 123 total points, with Stetson earning four top nods and 104 total points.
 
The 2013-14 defending Atlantic Sun Champions earned three wins over the Hatters last season, including the regular season finale and the Atlantic Sun Conference Championship Final. With help from those wins, the Eagles finished with their fourth-straight regular season title and earned their second tournament championship title in three seasons.
 
In addition to the team's predicted success, three individuals also garnered preseason All-Conference accolades.  As a former First Team All-Conference member, Knight picked up the Player of the Year nod, while Cobb and Haas also earned spots on the 10-member Preseason All-Conference team.
 
PREDICTIONS PROVING TRUE
In addition to the first-place standing, FGCU's preseason predictions proved to be true individually as well as Preseason Player of the Year Whitney Knight earned the year-end accolade this week. Knight was named First-Team All Conference and the Player of the Year, while Atwater also earned First-Team distinction.  After her first full season on the court, Taylor Gradinjan picked up All-Freshman Team honors with Smesko taking home his fifth-straight Coach of the Year nod.
 
OFF THE COURST SUCCESS
Stephanie Haas was recognized as the A-Sun's Women's Basketball Scholar Athlete of the Year Thursday morning. The award recognizes the league's top student-athletes who excel on and off the court. Haas averaged 10 points per game through most of the season and holds a cumulative grade point average of 3.94 as a criminal justice major.
 
UP NEXT
With the No. 1 seed, the Eagles will host each game of the Atlantic Sun Conference Championship at Alico Arena as long as they continue winning. With a win over UNF, the team would host the winner of the No. 4 Jacksonville/No. 5 Kennesaw State matchup Wednesday, Mar. 11 at 7 p.m.
 
As the No. 1 seed in the 2015 Atlantic Sun Conference Championship, the Eagles will host each game of the tournament. Tickets for all A-Sun tournament games are on sale online at FGCUAthletics.com, over the phone at 239-590-7145 or in person at the Alico Arena Box Office.
 
For up-to-the minute information on the FGCU women's basketball team, stay tuned to FGCUAthletics.com and follow the official Twitter of FGCU women's basketball at @FGCU_WBB.
 
Head coach Karl Smesko earned his fifth-consecutive Atlantic Sun Coach of the Year award after a successful 2014-15 campaign. Under his direction, the team completed the season with a record of 27-2, including a 14-0 mark in conference action and earned its first-ever national ranking. With 27 wins already in the 2014-15 season, Smesko has guided the Eagles to 11-straight 20+ win seasons.  He maintains a record of 341-66 at FGCU for a win percentage of 83.6 with a mark of 131-13 (90.7 W%) in Atlantic Sun contests and has led the team to a 67-1 record in conference play in the last four seasons.  The five-time Atlantic Sun Coach of the Year ranks among an elite list of just four active Division I coaches with a career win percentage of .800 or higher.  Smesko joins Connecticut's Geno Auriemma, Baylor's Kim Mulkey and Stanford's Tara VanDerveer in the esteemed group.
 
IT'S AWESOME, BABY
Dick Vitale held a book signing in the Alico Arena Auxiliary Gym on Feb. 25, but it's not too late for fans to still purchase autographed copies of his latest book: "It's Awesome Baby! 75 Years of Memories and a Lifetime of Opinions on the Game I Love" by clicking here or by calling 239-590-7060. All proceeds from the book will be donated to The V Foundation for children battling pediatric cancer.
 
SUPPORT THE CAUSE
FGCU Athletics sponsors events throughout the year to benefit the FGCU Campus Food Pantry (www.fgcu.edu/foodpantry) and the Harry Chapin Food Bank (www.harrychapinfoodbank.org), FGCU Athletics' charities of choice. For more information, including how to make a contribution, please visitwww.fgcu.edu/foodpantry and utilize the hashtag FeedFGCU to help raise awareness.