Matchup: FGCU (7-7) @ rv Rhode Island (7-3)
CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Poll: FGCU #23
Where: Kingston, R.I.
| Ryan Center (7,657)
When: Wednesday, Dec. 27
| 7 PM
TV: ESPNU
Comcast SWFL: 396
| CenturyLink: 605
| DirecTV: 208
| DISH: 141
PxP: Will Flemming
| Analyst: Mark Plansky
Streaming: WatchESPN App
Live Stats: Presto Sports
Series: First Meeting
Game Notes: FGCU (
Interactive | PDF Printable)
| Rhode Island
Coaches: Joe Dooley (5th Season @ FGCU – 98-53; 9th Overall – 155-105)
| Dan Hurley (6th Season @ URI – 94-77; 8th Overall – 132-100)
Twitter: @FGCU_MBB | Snapchat: FGCU_MBB
Facebook: /FGCUMBB | Instagram:
@FGCU_MBB
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KINGSTON, R.I. – The road for the FGCU men's basketball team doesn't get any easier as the Eagles return to action following a short break for Christmas on Wednesday, Dec. 27, at 7 p.m. at a Rhode Island team which is receiving votes in the national polls. The contest will be the second-consecutive game for the Eagles broadcast on national TV as it will air on ESPNU.
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OPENING-TIP ITEMS
^ Rhode Island will be FGCU's seventh, and final, non-conference road opponent of the year. Each of the seven away contests have occurred in different states: New York (Siena), Ohio (Bowling Green), Tennessee (Middle Tennessee), Texas (UT Arlington), Florida (FIU) and Kansas (Wichita State).
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^ FGCU is coming off a 75-65 setback at then-#11 Wichita State (now #8) on Dec. 22. The contest was a one-possession game with less than two minutes remaining, but the Shockers – who made 12 more free throws than the Eagles attempted, despite FGCU out-scoring them in the paint by 12 – finished on a strong run to create the double-digit final margin. The Eagles held Wichita State to a season-low 39-percent clip from the floor. It marked just the sixth time (54-6) under 5th-year head coach
Joe Dooley that FGCU lost when holding its opponent below 40 percent.
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^ The Eagles have posted five-straight 20-win seasons and five-consecutive postseason appearances, but they have gotten off to slow starts previously. In 2015-16, FGCU was 7-7 through 14 games, went on to post a 21-14 record and win an NCAA Tournament game. In 2013-14, the Eagles went 6-7 in the non-conference schedule before finishing 22-13 overall, winning the ASUN regular season and playing in the NIT.
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TWEETABLES
1) Zach Johnson is just 27 points shy of 1,000 for his career (he scored a career-high 27 points in the season opener against Illinois State). Johnson would be just the 9th player in program history to reach the milestone, and only the 3rd to do so as a junior (Bernard Thompson, Brett Comer).
2) Rhode Island will be the sixth matchup this year for FGCU against a team which finished in the top 40 of the RPI (31), won at least 25 games (25) and played in the postseason (NCAA) last year. FGCU is 2-3 against the first five opponents this year.
3) After not making double-figure 3-pointers in any of the first 10 games of the season, FGCU is averaging 10 3-pointers per game the last four contests.
4) URI will be the third opponent in the last five games for FGCU that was either nationally ranked or receiving votes in the polls (rv UT Arlington: 85-78 win; #11 Wichita State: 75-65 loss).
5) FGCU shot a season-low 37 percent from the floor (25-68) against Wichita State; the previous low was 42 percent at Bowling Green.
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#DEPTHCITY
FGCU has had 10 different players already this year reach double-figure points in a game – something that has now occurred in three-straight seasons. Below is a list of players who have scored 10 or more points in a game this season, how many times they have led (or tied) the team in scoring and their season high.
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Zach Johnson: 27 (2)
Brandon Goodwin: 26 (9 – 1 tie)
Christian Terrell: 20 (4 – 1 tie)
Christian Carlyle: 18
Dinero Mercurius: 16
RaySean Scott Jr.: 15
Antravious Simmons: 15
Darnell Rogers: 11
Ricky Doyle: 11
Michael Gilmore: 10
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In a further testament to the depth, every scholarship player for FGCU has a positive plus/minus ratio on the year – one season after every single player on the roster finished with a positive plus/minus ratio (while a player is on the court, the points scored by FGCU compared with the opponent).
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STILL SORTING IT OUT
Fourteen games into the year, FGCU has already used nine different starting lineups – tied for the 2nd-most in the nation:
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1) UT Martin: 10 In 13 Games
2) FGCU: 9 In 14 Games
Bryant: 9 In 13 Games
UTEP: 9 In 11 Games
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NATIONAL RANKINGS
FGCU boasts the following top-60 national rankings both as a team and individually:
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Team:
23rd – Total Rebounds (540)
30th – Free Throws Made (221)
60th – Field Goal Percentage (.481)
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Individual:
15th – Johnson, Total Steals (30)
16th – Goodwin, Free Throws Made (74)
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REBOUNDING EMPHASIS
In its seven losses, FGCU is averaging 34.9 rebounds per game, has a -4.1 rebounding margin and is -36 in second-chance points.
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In its seven wins, FGCU is averaging 42.3 rebounds per game, has a +15.1 rebounding margin and is +47 in second-chance points.
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SCOUTING RHODE ISLAND
^ Rhode Island won the Atlantic 10 Championship last year, defeated 6th-seeded Creighton in the NCAA Tournament First Round and fell just short to eventual Final Four participant Oregon in the Second Round, 75-72. URI is installed as the preseason A-10 favorites this year.
^ The Eagles will be the third-consecutive preseason conference favorite Rhode Island faces. The Rams defeated CAA favorite College of Charleston, 68-62, on Dec. 16. Last time out, the Rams beat Iona from the MAAC, 80-74.
^ URI enters with an RPI of 17 – five spots higher than Wichita State (22). The Rams have already knocked off a top-20 nationally-ranked opponent in Seton Hall (14 in the RPI), and boast a strength of schedule of 10th as all three losses have come to teams in the top 30 of the RPI.
^ Jared Terrell leads the Rams with 17.8 points per game, while Stanford Robinson contributes 10.2 points and a team-best 6 rebounds per outing. E.C. Matthews – who averaged nearly 15 points per game last year – injured his wrist in the second game this season, but returned two games ago, playing 10 and 16 minutes, respectively.
^ Rhode Island ranks 7th in the country with a +5.7 turnover margin. The Rams force 17.3 turnovers per game, which ranks 21st in the country. On offense, URI is turning the ball over just 11.6 times per game, which is 38th nationally.
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PAINT EMPHASIS
The Eagles led the nation in points in the paint last year, and they have picked up this season right where they left off 2016-17. FGCU has either tied or out-scored 12 of its first 14 opponents in the paint:
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Illinois State: 48-34 (+14)
@ Siena: 50-16 (+34)
@ Bowling Green: 44-32 (+12)
@ Middle Tennessee: 34-32 (+2)
Denver: 35-32 (+3)
Navy: 36-32 (+4)
St. Francis Brooklyn: 48-24 (+24)
Webber International: 70-28 (+42)
Middle Tennessee: 30-46 (-16)
FAU: 42-34 (+8)
@ rv UT Arlington: 26-26 (0)
Oral Roberts: 22-58 (-36)
@ FIU: 34-26 (+8)
@ #11 Wichita State: 28-16 (+12)
Total: +111 / +7.9 Margin Per Game
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LONE WIN – BUT A GOOD ONE
The lone win for the Eagles in their current 1-5 stretch was one of their most impressive road victories in program history as FGCU knocked off then-#2 mid-major ranked UT Arlington, 85-78, on Dec. 9. UTA entered the game ranked No. 42 in the RPI and receiving votes in both the Associated Press and USA Today Coaches polls. The Eagles snapped the Mavericks' 21-game home-court regular-season winning streak.
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NOTEWORTHY
^ The Eagles scored 70+ points in each of their first 11 games, coming one performance short of matching the 2003-04 team for most consecutive games to start a season (12) with scoring 70 or more points.
^ The 83-64 loss at home to Oral Roberts on Dec. 16 was tied for the worst home non-conference loss in the program's D-I history (77-58 vs. Drexel on Nov. 14, 2007).
^ Entering this season, FGCU was 68-4 when leading at the half under Dooley. The Eagles are now 75-7 when leading at the break as they have lost halftime leads this season at Bowling Green (43-40), versus FAU (45-34) and at FIU (43-40).
^ FGCU allowed FAU to score 58 points in the 2nd half on Dec. 5 – the most the Eagles have allowed in their D-I history behind only a 59-point performance by Mercer on Jan. 17, 2008.
^ The 92 points FGCU allowed to FAU were tied for the most in a regulation game under Dooley (92 at Lipscomb on Feb. 27, 2014), and the most surrendered by the Eagles in any regulation game since Belmont scored 95 on Jan. 16, 2012.
^ FGCU has already allowed two opponents to score 90+ in regulation this year. In the previous four years under Dooley, that had only occurred two times total.
^ FGCU's 98 points against Illinois State were the most in a season opener in program history. The previous high was 90 in the program's first-ever game in 2002-03 versus Puerto Rico-Bayamon.
^ Christian Terrell is just the 6th player in program history with 1,000 career points and 400 career rebounds.
^ The Eagles shot 50.7 percent from the floor against FAU – their 2nd-highest shooting percentage in a loss in D-I non-conference history (61.4 percent at TCU on Nov. 11, 2011).
^ FGCU has made at least one 3-pointer in 263 straight games – dating back to Jan. 8. 2010, at home against North Florida. Incredibly, the Eagles also failed to make a 3-pointer in their next game two days later at The Nest versus Jacksonville. Those are the only two games in program history that FGCU has not made a 3-pointer.
^ As part of its victory over UT Arlington, FGCU set then-season highs against a D-I opponent in 3-pointers made (10), 3-point percentage (.526), points off turnovers (24), free-throw percentage when making double figures (.826), field-goal percentage (.549) and bench points (27).
^ FGCU committed 24 turnovers against UT Arlington – tied for the most in a win in D-I program history (Campbell, Dec. 18, 2008).
^ The Eagles have already lost twice this year when scoring 85 or more points – something that hadn't happened even once since the first year of the program in 2002-03 (three times that season).
^ FGCU had a 43-28 rebounding edge at FIU – representing the first time in D-I program history (since 2007-08) it has lost when having a +15 advantage on the glass.
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ADDED THREAT
With the conclusion of the fall semester, Dec. 16 against Oral Roberts marked the Green and Blue debut of redshirt junior
Michael Gilmore. In his first game eligible,
Gilmore (Jacksonville, Fla./Miami/VCU/Rickards HS) started, scored 10 points, grabbed four rebounds and passed out two assists. The uber-talented 6-10, 210-pound forward from Jacksonville transferred to FGCU in January of 2017. Gilmore began his career at VCU, playing his freshman and sophomore years with the Rams, before transferring to Miami (but not playing) in the summer of 2016 and then joining the Eagles. He had not played since Mar. 20, 2016, in the NCAA Tournament Second Round. In that game with VCU, Gilmore scored 12 points and grabbed eight rebounds against 2nd-seeded Oklahoma.
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1K FOR CT
With a 3-pointer on Nov. 29,
Terrell (Jacksonville, Fla./Providence HS) registered his 1,001st career point, becoming just the 8th member of the program's 1,000-point club (players who have totaled at least 1,000 points exclusively with FGCU). Additionally, the senior became only the 6th person to reach the milestone mark in the D-I era.
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ODDS & ENDS
FGCU scored 80 or more points in each of the first three games of the season for the first time in the D-I era of the program … freshman
Brian Thomas (Kennesaw, Ga./Kell HS) has missed the last 11 games with a fractured left (non-shooting) hand …
Dinero Mercurius (Orlando, Fla./Daytona State/UTRGV/USF/Faith Baptist Christian HS) injured his shoulder seconds after checking into the game against Denver on Nov. 24 and missed three complete games before returning on Dec. 2 against Middle Tennessee and making a season-high four 3-pointers … under Dooley, the Eagles are 43-8 when scoring at least 80 points … the win over Siena on Nov. 13 marked Dooley's 150th career victory … the 33-point road win (86-53) was tied for the largest victory away from home in FGCU's D-I history, and was tied for Siena's largest home defeat in its D-I history (since 1976-77).
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SCHEDULE BREAKDOWN
FGCU will play six non-conference games against teams that finished in the top 40 of the RPI last year. Each of those teams won at least 25 games and played in the postseason:
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Nov. 11: vs. 39 Illinois State (28-7, NIT)
| W, 98-87
Nov. 21: @ 34 Middle Tennessee (31-5, NCAA)
| L, 85-72
Dec. 2: vs. 34 Middle Tennessee
| L, 81-76
Dec. 9: @ 40 UT Arlington (27-9, NIT)
| W, 85-78
Dec. 22: @ 29 Wichita State (31-5, NCAA)
| L, 75-65
Dec. 27: @ 31 Rhode Island (25-10, NCAA)
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Each of those NCAA Tournament opponents won a March Madness game last year, and the other two claimed three total victories in the NIT. Those opponents went a combined 142-36 (.798 winning percentage) last season and posted an average RPI of 34.
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RECORD-SETTING NIGHT
As part of its 115-61 win over Webber International on Nov. 29, FGCU ranked in the top 5 in single-game program records in several categories:
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8-8: Brandon Goodwin tied a record by making at least eight free throws (8-8) without a miss.
29: Assists to rank tied for 4th all-time and tied for 3rd in the D-I era.
45: Made field goals – the 3rd-most in program history and 2nd-most in the D-I era.
57: Total rebounds – the 5th-most all-time and 2nd-most in the D-I era.
63: The most 1st-half points in the D-I era (previous: 57 vs. Webber International on Jan. 5, 2016).
70: Points in the paint to represent the most in the D-I era (unavailable for prior years).
115: The 4th-most points (record: 123) all-time, and the 2nd-most in the D-I era (120).
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MILESTONE TRACKER
FGCU is well within reach of several milestone victory marks this season.
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All-Time Record: 292-202 (8 More Wins For 300)
All-Time Record In D-I Era: 178-163 (22 More Wins For 200)
All-Time Record At Home: 196-63 (4 More Wins For 200)
All-Time Record vs. ASUN Opponents: 91-81 (9 More Wins For 100)
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RANKINGS RUNDOWN
In addition to the ranking in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 Poll for FGCU, UT Arlington is #8 in the poll, while Illinois State and Lipscomb (2017-18 FGCU opponents) are receiving votes. Each of FGCU's first four opponents this year were ranked or receiving votes in either the mid-major or AP polls.
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In the Associated Press and/or USA Today Coaches Poll, Wichita State is ranked #8/11 in the country, while Rhode Island is receiving votes.
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Additionally, in Joe Lunardi's latest ESPN Bracketology, he has Wichita State (2 seed), Rhode Island (10), Middle Tennessee (11) and UT Arlington (12) all included. Lunardi had FGCU included in his first three editions of the year, but the Eagles dropped out recently after the string of losses. Prior to that, Lunardi had the Eagles as a 15 seed (below), and were as high as a 14 seed.
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UNCHARATERISTIC DROPOFF
Entering this season – in four years under Dooley – FGCU had surrendered a double-figure lead and lost a game just four times. Already this year, the Eagles have lost four double-figure leads (and dropped the game): 13 at Bowling Green, 12 vs. Middle Tennessee, 14 vs. FAU and 11 at FIU.
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The four double-figure leads lost through just 14 games are already the most in a single season since the 2012-13 team – which reached the Sweet Sixteen – surrendered five such advantages, including an 11-point edge in the aforementioned Sweet Sixteen against Florida.
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FGCU lost consecutive double-figure point leads against Middle Tennessee and FAU. It's just the third time in program history (2002-03, 2012-13) that the Eagles have given up back-to-back double-figure point leads.
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ASUN PRESEASON FAVORITES
The Eagles are the defending ASUN regular-season and two-time defending tournament champions. FGCU is installed as the preseason ASUN favorites, predicted to return to the NCAA Tournament for a third-straight year and fourth time in the past six seasons.
Goodwin (Norcross, Ga./UCF/Norcross HS) was named the unanimous ASUN Preseason Player of the Year, while
Zach Johnson (Miami, Fla./Norland HS) joined him on the league's preseason all-conference team.
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62 INCHES
At just 5-foot-2-inches, freshman
Darnell Rogers (Baltimore, Md./Believe Prep/ Shiloh HS/Indian Land HS) is by far the smallest D-I player in the nation. The next smallest player is Mount St. Mary's Junior Robinson at 5-5.
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Rogers is believed to be the smallest scholarship D-I men's basketball player in history. While not confirmed due to many teams not being able to verify early-year rosters, only one player has been confirmed as smaller than 5-2, and that was Dayton's Keith Braswell at exactly 5 foot. However, Braswell was a walk-on during his one season with the Flyers in 1994-95.
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More recently, Malcolm Reid – a 5-2 walk-on at Southeastern Louisiana in 2015-16 – matched Rogers' height, but he once again was also a walk-on. Darnell's father, Shawnta, stood at 5-4 and put together a heralded career at George Washington, ultimately culminating in him winning Atlantic 10 Conference Player of the Year in 1999.
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ROAD WARRIORS
FGCU had won a program-best 10-straight road games dating back to last year – the 2nd-longest road winning streak in the country – before a last-second loss at Bowling Green on Nov. 18. Gonzaga had the longest streak at 11 in a row just ahead of the Eagles, but now Villanova and Wichita State (8 each) have that claim.
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The Eagles finished a program-best 7-0 on the road in the ASUN last year, surpassing the previous single-season record for wins of five. FGCU is the first ASUN institution to go undefeated on the road in conference action since former league member Samford went 8-0 in 1998-99.
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Overall, FGCU was a program-best 10-3 away from Alico Arena last season, with all three losses coming by single digits.
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HEAD COACH JOE DOOLEY
Dooley has guided the Eagles to at least 20 wins and postseason appearances in each of his first four full campaigns with the team. Last season, he became the first coach in program history to be named ASUN Coach of the Year, and was also tabbed as the NABC District 3 Coach of the Year. Under his guidance, FGCU was statistically the 4th-best team in the country in scoring on possessions immediately following timeouts last season, averaging 1.059 points per possession.
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LOCKING IN ON D
Since Dooley took over FGCU in 2013-14, FGCU has held 40 teams to 60 points or fewer. The Sweet Sixteen team in 2012-13 held 13 opponents to 60 points or fewer, but prior to that – in five seasons of D-I history – FGCU teams had only held opponents to 60 points or fewer 20 times.
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The Eagles have led the ASUN in scoring defense in three of Dooley's four years with FGCU and finished 2nd in the other season. Last year, the Eagles paced the conference by holding opponents to just 69.3 points per game – exactly six points better than any other team.
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FAMOUS LINEAGE
FGCU has a pair of players related to Naismith Basketball Hall of Famers in Gilmore and walk-on
Ryan McAdoo (Boca Raton, Fla./St. Andrews HS). Gilmore is the nephew of Artis Gilmore, a six-time NBA All-Star, while McAdoo is the son of Bob McAdoo, a five-time NBA All-Star and NBA MVP in 1975.
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MEN'S & WOMEN'S BASKETBALL SUCCESS
FGCU is one of only seven schools in the country which have had its men's and women's teams win at least 20 games in five-straight seasons, joining: Duke, Louisville, Kentucky, Baylor, BYU and Saint Mary's.
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Additionally, with both the men's and women's teams winning at least 26 games last season, FGCU is one of only three non-Power 5 schools in the nation to boast that claim along with Gonzaga and Bucknell. In total, only nine schools had both its men's and women's basketball teams record at least 26 victories a year ago: Duke, Notre Dame, Michigan, South Carolina, Baylor and Florida State.
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BUILDING A TRADITION
FGCU is believed to be the only men's D-I program in NCAA history to make five postseason appearances in its first six years of eligibility (2013: NCAA; 2014: NIT; 2015: CIT; 2016: NCAA; 2017: NCAA).
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The Eagles are also one of just 23 teams in the nation to have won at least 20 games and made postseason appearances in each of the past five seasons. Of those 23 teams, only six are mid-major schools, as FGCU joins Vermont, Belmont, New Mexico State, Iona and UC Irvine to hold that distinction.
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MOST WINS IN FLORIDA
Since the start of the 2013-14 season, FGCU has the 3rd-most wins among D-I schools in the state of Florida (entering games on Dec. 26)
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1) Florida: 108
2) Miami: 101
3) FGCU: 98
4) Florida State: 96
5) North Florida: 82
6) UCF: 70
7) Jacksonville: 59
8) FIU: 57
9) Bethune-Cookman: 48
    Stetson: 48
11) USF: 44
12) FAU: 43
13) Florida A&M: 31
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FGCU is the only D-I team in the state of Florida which has posted four-straight 20-win seasons (five-consecutive for the Eagles). As FGCU has moved among some of the preeminent teams in the state, it has done so with Florida talent. Last year, Florida natives were responsible for 80 percent of FGCU's points and 75 percent of the Green and Blue's rebounds and assists.
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This season, eight of FGCU's 13 scholarship players hail from the Sunshine State, and including walk-ons there are 11 total players from Florida on the 2017-18 roster.
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RECAPPING 2016-17
^ FGCU claimed its first outright ASUN regular-season title (12-2) and second overall. The Eagles set a program D-I regular-season record with 23 wins and tied the all-time victory mark of 26, finishing one triumph shy of matching the program's all-time mark.
^ Additionally, the Green and Blue recorded the first single-digit loss season in the D-I era.  FGCU set D-I program single-season records in points per game (79.4), rebound margin (+5.4) and field goal percentage (.499) – 5th-best in the nation.
^ The Eagles made their third NCAA Tournament appearance in five years (six seasons of eligibility) and earned a program-best No. 14 seed. Despite losing its leading rebounder and shot blocker in Demetris Morant early in the 2nd half with an ankle injury, FGCU went on to fall to 3rd-seeded Florida State – the second-tallest team in the nation – by just six points, 86-80.
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LOW-POST FORCE
FGCU led the country in points in the paint per game last year at 41.3. Included in that average were a pair of then-D-I program record performances of 68 points in the paint versus Ave Maria and Florida National.
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2016-17 Points In The Paint Leaders
1) FGCU: 41.3
2) Utah: 41.1
3) North Carolina: 39.9
4) VCU: 38.2
5) Kentucky: 37.3
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#DUNKCITY
Helping fuel that low-post production was FGCU finishing 3rd in the nation with 159 dunks – 11 more than the original Dunk City Sweet Sixteen team in 2012-13.
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2016-17 Team Dunk Leaders
1) Florida State: 183
2) Kentucky: 179
3) FGCU: 159
4) USC: 154
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2016-17 Individual Dunk Leaders
1) Tacko Fall (UCF): 106
2) Bam Adebayo (Kentucky): 101
3) Demetris Morant (FGCU): 97
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THE GROWTH OF FGCU
After starting their D-I transition with five-straight losing seasons, the Eagles have now posted five-consecutive 20-win seasons. After not finishing higher than 6th place in the ASUN the first five years, FGCU has finished no worse than a tie for 2nd each of the past four seasons.
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2007-08: 10-21, 6-10 ASUN (T-8th)
2008-09: 11-20, 7-13 ASUN (9th)
2009-10: 8-21, 5-15 ASUN (T-10th)
2010-11: 10-20, 7-13 ASUN (7th)
2011-12: 15-17, 8-10 ASUN (T-6th)
2012-13: 26-11, 13-5 ASUN (2nd)
2013-14: 22-13, 14-4 ASUN (T-1st)
2014-15: 22-11, 11-3 ASUN (2nd)
2015-16: 21-14, 8-6 ASUN (T-2nd)
2016-17: 26-8, 12-2 ASUN (1st)
2017-18: 7-7, 0-0 ASUN
D-I Total: 178-163, 91-81 ASUN
Last 5 Years: 124-64, 58-20 ASUN
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GOODWIN'S RECORD-SETTING 2016-17
Goodwin was the unanimous ASUN Newcomer of the Year, in addition to being named ASUN First Team, ASUN Tournament MVP and setting a league record by securing six ASUN Newcomer of the Week honors. He was also named to the NABC All-District First Team after setting a program record by scoring 629 points. He hit three game-winning shots and led FGCU in scoring (18.5) and assists (4.1).
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HOME RECORD INFO
FGCU boasts an 80-17 record (.825) at Alico Arena since the 2012-13 season. In ASUN games during that same stretch, the Eagles have been even more dominant, posting a 34-5 (.872) mark against league foes in the regular season since 2012-13.
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NEXT UP
FGCU returns to action as it concludes its non-conference schedule at home against a pair of non-D-I opponents in Florida Memorial (Dec. 29, 5 PM) and Florida Tech (Dec. 31, 1 PM).
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SOCIAL CENTRAL
For up-to-the-minute information and behind-the-scenes access to the men's basketball program, follow @FGCU_MBB on Twitter and Instagram, Like us on Facebook at /FGCUMBB and watch us on Snapchat at FGCU_MBB.
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COACH DOOLEY
FGCU is led by head coach Joe Dooley, who is in his 5th season with the Eagles in 2017-18 and has coached eight all-conference selections in that time. He has led FGCU to 20+ win seasons and postseason appearances in all four years: 2014 NIT; 2015 CIT; 2016 NCAA; 2017 NCAA. Dooley was named the 2017 ASUN Coach of the Year and the 2017 NABC District 3 Coach of the Year after leading the Eagles to a D-I program record 26 wins. In 8+ seasons overall as a head coach, Dooley has a record of 155-105 (.596), and in his 4+ years with FGCU is 98-53 (.649). Prior to arriving in SWFL, Dooley spent 10 seasons as an assistant at Kansas under head coach Bill Self. During those 10 seasons, Kansas produced 300 wins, nine-straight Big 12 regular-season titles, six Big 12 Tournament championships, six NCAA Sweet 16s, five NCAA Elite Eight appearances and two Final Fours, including the 2008 National Championship.
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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 visit www.fgcu.edu/foodpantry and utilize the hashtag #FeedFGCU to help raise awareness.