MIAMI - The 29th-ranked and 13th-seeded FGCU women's basketball team (28-4) will open the NCAA Tournament with a first-round matchup against 16th-ranked and fourth-seeded Miami (24-8) at 9 p.m. on Friday inside the Watsco Center on the campus of the University of Miami.
"We're happy to be here," FGCU head coach
Karl Smesko said. "We got a great challenge ahead of us playing a great team in the University of Miami. We're excited for the opportunity and hopefully we'll make the most of it."
| NCAA TOURNAMENT FIRST ROUND |
| MATCHUP |
FGCU (28-4) vs Miami (24-8) |
| WHEN |
Friday, March 22 at 9 p.m. ET (tip off 30 minutes after conclusion of 7 p.m. game between UCF and Arizona State) |
| RANKINGS |
FGCU - No. 3 in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Poll, No. 5 in the espnW mid-major poll, No. 29 in the AP poll | Miami - No. 16 in the USA Today Coaches Poll, No. 19 in the AP poll |
| WHERE |
Coral Gables, Fla. | Watsco Center |
| WATCH |
WATCH | ESPN2/ESPN+ | Clay Matvick (PxP) | Julianne Viani (Color) |
| LIVE STATS |
NCAA.com (link to update Friday) |
| LISTEN |
LISTEN Fox Sports SWFL | David Moulton (PxP) | Pete Longergan (color) | Coverage begins at 9 p.m. | 103.3 FM (Lee), 105.9 FM (Collier), AM 1240 (Lee), AM 1270 (Collier) |
| GAME NOTES |
FGCU (Interactive | Printable) | Miami (Printable) |
| SERIES |
Miami leads 2-0 |
| COACHES |
Karl Smesko (17th season at FGCU - 463-91; 20th season overall - 524-118) | Katie Meier (14th season at Miami - 276-171; 18th season overall - 352-216) |
| RPI |
FGCU (63) | Miami (19) |
| TWITTER |
@FGCU_WBB |
| FACEBOOK |
/fgcuwbb |
| INSTAGRAM |
@fgcu_wbb |
| PROMOTIONS |
Green Out |
ESPN COVERAGE
If you live in the state of Florida, you should be able to watch the game on ESPN2. If you live outside the state, you may be subject to whiparound coverage or you can watch the game on ESPN+. For a map view of ESPN's coverage for the first-round, visit here.
FGCU IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT (COMPLETE BRACKET)
FGCU will be making its sixth NCAA Tournament appearance in eight years of NCAA Division-I postseason eligibility. The Eagles are 2-5 all-time with appearances in 2012, 2014, 2015, 2017 and 2018. Two of those losses have been in overtime and another one ended in a two-point regulation loss.
With a win, FGCU would advance to face the winner of No. 5 Arizona State and No. 12 UCF on Sunday at a time TBD. The victor in that game would move on to Portland, Oregon for the Sweet 16.
Tournament History
2012 - L 72-65 to No. 5 St. Bonaventure in OT
2014 - L 61-60 to No. 5 Oklahoma State in OT
2015 - W 75-67 over No. 10 Oklahoma State
2015 - L 65-47 to No. 2 Florida State
2017 - L 62-60 to No. 4 Miami (Fla.)
2018 - W 80-70 vs No. 5 Missouri
2018 - L 90-70 vs No. 4 Stanford
FGCU has made either the NCAA Tournament or WNIT in all 12 seasons of Division-I existence (07-present).
Furthermore, since each team became eligible for the NCAA Tournament in 2012, either the women's or men's basketball teams at FGCU have been in the tournament.
Tournament Single-Game Records
Points
26 - Kaneisha Atwater vs Oklahoma State, 03/21/15
23 - China Dow vs Stanford, 03/19/18
23 - China Dow vs Missouri, 03/17/18
19 - Whitney Knight vs Oklahoma State, 03/21/15
16 - Lisa Zderadicka vs Stanford, 03/19/18
16 - Jenna Cobb vs Oklahoma State, 03/22/14
Rebounds
11 - Whitney Knight vs Oklahoma State, 03/22/14
11 - Sarah Hansen vs St. Bonaventure, 03/18/12
10 - Whitney Knight vs Oklahoma State, 03/21/15
9 - Tytionia Adderly vs Missouri, 03/17/18
9 - Sarah Hansen vs Oklahoma State, 03/22/14
9 - Jenna Cobb vs Oklahoma State, 03/22/14
Assists
5 - Jordin Alexander vs Miami, 03/18/17
4 - Erica Nelson vs Missouri, 03/17/18
4 - DyTiesha Dunson vs Oklahoma State, 03/21/15
4 - DyTiesha Dunson vs Oklahoma State, 03/22/14
4 - Kaneisha Atwater vs Oklahoma State, 03/22/14
3 - Eight Others
Steals
3 - Jenna Cobb vs Florida State, 03/23/15
3 - Kaneisha Atwater vs Oklahoma State, 03/22/14
3 - Whitney Knight vs Oklahoma State, 03/22/14
Blocks
4 - Whitney Knight vs Florida State, 03/23/15
3 - Whitney Knight vs Oklahoma State, 03/22/14
2 - Whitney Knight vs Oklahoma State, 03/21/15
2 - Sarah Hansen vs Oklahoma State, 03/22/14
Other Records
FG Made - Kaneisha Atwater, 10 vs Oklahoma State, 03/21/15
FG Attempted - Whitney Knight, 20 vs Oklahoma State, 03/21/15
3-Point FG Made - China Dow, 6 vs Stanford, 03/19/18
3-Point FG Attempted - China Dow, 13 vs Stanford, 03/19/18
FG Percentage - Kaneisha Atwater, .588 (10-for-17) vs Oklahoma State, 03/21/15
FT Made - China Dow, 7 vs Missouri, 03/17/18
FT Attempted - Lisa Zderadicka, 8 vs Missouri, 03/17/18
- Stephanie Haas, 8 vs Oklahoma State, 03/22/14
Series History
The Eagles, who are looking to avenge a 62-60 loss to the Hurricanes in the opening round of the 2017 NCAA Tournament, will become the first team Miami has faced three times in postseason play. The two programs also met in the 2010 WNIT and have never met in the regular season.
Scouting the Hurricanes
Miami is making its 10th consecutive postseason appearance, including an eighth NCAA Tournament trip in the past nine years. It is the fifth straight season they're in the NCAA Tournament, extending the program record.
Overall, this is Miami's 14th appearance in the field, with a 6-13 overall mark. The Hurricanes are seeded in the top four for the fifth time, with the No. 4 mark tying for the fourth-highest in program history.
Miami is coming off a 92-85 loss to No. 12 Syracuse in the ACC Tournament quarterfinals March 8 in Greensboro, N.C. The Hurricanes, seeded fourth, rallied back from a 16-point deficit to take a fourth-quarter lead, but the fifth-seeded Orange earned the victory behind an ACC Tournament record 14 made 3-pointers.
Redshirt junior forward Beatrice Mompremier paced all players with 27 points and 10 rebounds, finishing 11-of-16 from the floor to set a program record for makes in the ACC Tournament. Senior forward/center Emese Hof logged 25 points on 10-of-15 shooting and sophomore guard Mykea Gray added 13 points.
Miami, despite losing two straight and three of the past five games, has quite an accomplished resume - as shown by a 6-2 record when facing ranked teams this year, and all but one of those teams are currently ranked. The Hurricanes have wins over No. 3 Notre Dame, No. 5 Louisville, No. 10 NC State, No. 13 Syracuse, No. 19 Marquette and No. 25 Florida State. That means they've beaten two No. 1 seeds in this year's tournament.
Miami Leaders
PPG: Beatrice Mompremier (16.9), Emese Hof (14.6). Mykea Gray (12.7), Laura Cornelius (10.0)
RPG: Beatrice Mompremier (11.9), Emese Hof (8.3)
APG: Laura Cornelius (4.2), Mykea Gray (2.3), Endia Banks (2.2)
SPG: Mykea Gray (1.2), Laura Cornelius (1.2), Beatrice Mompremier (0.9)
BPG: Emese Hof (2.1), Beatrice Mompremier (0.9)
GOING STREAKING
FGCU has won 19 consecutive games entering the tournament, which is the fourth-longest streak in the nation.
The top five includes:
1. Baylor - 23
2. Quinnipiac - 21
3. Rice - 20
4. FGCU - 19
5. Radford - 18
RANKINGS
In addition to being ranked 29th in the AP Poll, FGCU is ranked in both the latest CollegeInsider.com and espnW mid-major polls
CollegeInsider.com (latest release March 12)
1. Gonzaga (26) - 26-3
2. South Dakota State (2) - 24-5
3. FGCU (2) - 28-4
4. Drake (1) - 23-5
5. South Dakota (1) - 27-4
6. BYU - 22-5
7. Central Michigan - 24-6
8. James Madison - 24-4
9. Quinnipiac - 25-6
10. Wright State - 25-6
*First-place votes in parentheses
espnW (latest release Feb. 20)
1. South Dakota
2. South Dakota State
3. Rice
4. Gonzaga
5. FGCU
6. Drake
7. Quinnipiac
8. Central Michigan
9. Miami (Ohio)
10. BYU
ELITE COMPANY
FGCU finished as one of just seven teams among 351 across 32 NCAA Division-I conferences to have an undefeated slate in league play. Here's the full group:
UConn - American Athletic Conference
NC A&T - MEAC
FGCU - ASUN
Baylor - Big 12 Conference
Mercer - Southern
Rice - Conference USA
Quinnipiac - MAAC
A LEGEND AMONG LEGENDS
Entering the NCAA Tournament, FGCU head coach Karl Smesko has compiled a 524-118 record (.816), which ranks him as the third winningest active Division-I head coach behind Geno Auriemma (1,058-138, .885) and Kim Mulkey (570-99, .852). Furthermore, he passed Tara VanDerveer (1,064-246, .812) last year to become the fifth winningest head coach of all-time – behind Auriemma, Leon Barmore (576-87, .869), Mulkey and Pat Summitt (1,098-208, .841). If that isn't enough, he ranks among the top 20 winningest coaches all-time across all divisions.
CLOSING IN ON HISTORY
Junior forward Tytionia Adderly needs just 41 more rebounds to break Sarah Hansen's (887, 2010-14) all-time program record. She averaged 13 RPG over three ASUN tournament games, including double-figure totals in all of them. In total, she has 11 double-figure rebounding efforts this season.
A SHOT IN THE ARM
Redshirt-junior guard Davion Wingate has given the team some juice off the bench by averaging just over 15 PPG over the past four contests. She has put together four straight double-digit scoring performances after previously recording four total performances with 10 or more all season, including a career-high 28 on Dec. 14.
BETTER OFF SINGLE
FGCU held conference opponents to a single-digit quarter 21 times in conference play. They kept that tradition going in the ASUN tournament by adding three more such quarters.
NATIONAL RANKINGS
Assist/turnover ratio - 20th, 1.27
Assists - 32nd, 510
Assists/game - 38th, 15.9
Fewest turnovers - 26th, 401
Field-goal percentage - 45th, .435
Scoring defense - 25th, 56.7
Scoring offense - 28th, 75.7
Steals - 28th, 319
Steals/game - 34th, 10.0
Turnovers forced - 26th, 20.13
Turnovers/game - 18th, 12.5
3-Point Field Goals Attempted
1. DePaul - 1,086
2. FGCU - 1,071
3. Idaho - 940
4. Belmont - 931
5. Saint Francis (PA) - 921
3-Point Field Goals Made
1. DePaul - 363
2. FGCU - 352
2. Idaho - 352
4. Belmont - 334
5. Oregon - 324
3-Point Field Goals Made/Game
1. Idaho - 11.4
2. FGCU - 11.0
2. DePaul - 11.0
4. Belmont - 10.4
5. Oral Roberts - 10.1
Turnover Margin
1. Lamar - 11.00
2. Hartford - 9.36
3. Quinnipiac - 8.47
4. Kentucky - 8.39
5. Auburn - 8.06
6. FGCU - 7.59
7. UC Irvine - 7.32
8. Mississippi State - 7.00
9. Gardner-Webb - 6.87
10. Ohio - 6.22
Scoring Margin
1. Mississippi State - 28.3
2. UConn - 28.0
3. Baylor - 25.9
4. Notre Dame - 25.0
5. Oregon - 23.2
6. Marquette - 21.3
7. FGCU - 19.1
8. Louisville - 18.6
9. South Dakota - 18.3
10. South Dakota State - 17.5
RPI Tracker
The Green and Blue are now at No. 63 in the latest RPI standings. Here's how the rest of the ASUN stacks up:
Liberty - 180
North Alabama - 200
Stetson - 210
Jacksonville - 233
North Florida - 235
Kennesaw State - 292
NJIT - 325
Lipscomb - 330
COACH SMESKO
FGCU head coach Karl Smesko led the 2017-18 Eagles to another historic season. The Green and Blue finished 31-5 overall and 13-1 in ASUN play, capturing the program's eighth ASUN regular season championship and fifth ASUN tournament championship. The team finished the season ranked 25th in the final USA Today Coaches Poll, recaptured the NCAA record for most 3-point field goals made in a season with 431 and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the fifth time in seven seasons, where the Eagles knocked off 5th-seeded and No. 15 ranked Missouri in the opening round. It was the team's second tournament win over the past three appearances. Over the course of the season, FGCU knocked off three ranked teams - No. 15 Missouri, No. 20 Kentucky and No. 21 DePaul.
Over the past four seasons, Smesko has guided FGCU to three 30-plus win seasons while recording a 121-23 (.840) record overall. The now nine-time ASUN Coach of the Year (including 2018-19) rallied the 2016-17 team to its seventh straight 25-win campaign, culminating in an ASUN tournament title and NCAA Tournament appearance. In 2015-16, he was named the espnW mid-major coach of the year following a run that witnessed the Eagles claim a WNIT runner-up finish and a Division-I program best ever 33-6 record. In 2014-15, the team achieved its first-ever top-25 ranking and made another trip to the NCAA Tournament, where the Eagles earned a No. 7 seed and won the program's first-ever NCAA Tournament game, toppling No. 10 seed Oklahoma State.
Including 2018-19, Smesko has guided the Eagles to 15-straight 20-win seasons and nine-straight 25-win seasons. He maintains a record of 524-118 (.816) overall in his career, including a 186-16 (.921) mark in ASUN play. Over the past eight seasons (including 2018-19), he has guided FGCU to a 124-4 (.969) record in conference play with five undefeated seasons. Smesko earned his 400th career coaching win in 2014-15 in just 493 career games, two games faster than UConn's Geno Auriemma. Entering 2018-19, he ranked among an elite list of just four active Division I coaches with a career win percentage of .800 or higher, joining Auriemma, Baylor's Kim Mulkey and Stanford's Tara VanDerveer in the esteemed group. Second-year NCAA Division-I head coaches Nancy Fahey (Illinois) and Bart Brooks (Belmont) pushed the list to six.
FOLLOW ALONG
For up-to-the-minute information and behind-the-scenes access to the women's basketball program, follow @FGCU_WBB on Twitter and Instagram and like us on Facebook at /FGCUWBB.
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 contribute, please visit www.fgcu.edu/foodpantry and utilize the hashtag #FeedFGCU to help.
SUPPORT THE WOMEN'S BASKETBALL PROGRAM
Do you enjoy watching or following the FGCU women's basketball program? Would you like to play a role in the growth of the program and help take it to heights never before experienced? If so, you can reach out to Director of Advancement, Matt Ring, about opportunities to make an impact on the experiences of our student-athletes. He can be reached by email at mring@fgcu.edu or by office phone at 239-745-4434.
#FEEDFGCU
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.
ABOUT FGCU
FGCU teams have combined to win an incredible 75 conference regular season and tournament titles in just 11+ seasons at the Division-I level. Additionally, in just seven+ seasons of D-I postseason eligibility, the Eagles have had a combined 35 teams or individuals compete in NCAA championships. Seven FGCU programs have earned a top-25 national ranking in their respective sport – including both men's and women's soccer again in 2018. In 2016-17, the Green and Blue posted a department-best 6th-place finish in the DI-AAA Learfield Directors' Cup and top-100 showing nationally, ahead of several Power-5 and FBS institutions. FGCU also collectively earned a record 3.35 GPA in the classroom in the Spring, 2018 and had an ASUN Conference and State of Florida best five teams earn the NCAA's Public Recognition Award for their Academic Progress Rate in their sport. The Eagles also served an all-time high 7,200 volunteer hours – being recognized as one of two runners-up for the inaugural NACDA Community Service Award presented by the Fiesta Bowl.
