NORMAN, OKLA. – 14-seed Florida Gulf Coast University women's basketball takes on third-seed Oklahoma in an NCAA Tournament First-Round rematch Saturday at 2:30 p.m. (EST) on ESPNU.
14-seeds are 0-120 all-time in the NCAA Tournament. FGCU aims to become the first 14-seed to ever win an NCAA Tournament game. The Eagles are the winningest 12-seed in NCAA Tournament history with three wins, occurring in 2018, 2022 and 2023. FGCU has advanced to the Second Round four times. With the exception of 2020 due COVID-19 pandemic, FGCU has made every NCAA Tournament field since 2017.
Everything's impossible until it's done. In 2013, FGCU men's basketball made history by becoming the first 15-seed to reach the Sweet 16. The rematch with Oklahoma will mark the second NCAA Tournament rematch the Eagles have had in the Big Dance.
In 2014 and 2015, FGCU faced Oklahoma State in back-to-back tournament appearances. The Cowgirls bested the Eagles in 2014, but FGCU returned in 2015 with a 75-67 victory to advance to the Second Round for the first time in program history.
In the first matchup against Oklahoma in Bloomington, Indiana, FGCU took the Sooners to the wire on a neutral site court. The Eagles' game-tying 3-pointer at the buzzer just fell short, and Oklahoma advanced 73-70. FGCU was leading 35-33 at the half. Oklahoma did not grab its first lead of the game until the 2:09 mark of the third quarter, 49-48. FGCU returns two starters from that game, Emani Jefferson and Dolly Cairns. Jefferson scored a team-high 22 points and Cairns added 10.
FGCU will be raining threes in Norman with the ASUN Player of the Year in Jefferson and ASUN Third team honoree Lauryn Taylor, who has recorded 10 double-doubles this year with the Eagles. Cairns paces the Eagles' 3-point attack with 61 made triples, shooting 44.9 percent from deep. Alahna Paige is second with 56 treys. Jefferson was also named the ASUN Tournament MVP. Khamari Mitchell-Steen and Taylor made the All-Tournament list.
FGCU has knocked down 300 or more threes each season for the last 15 years. Sitting at 285, FGCU is 15 threes away from keeping the streak alive. FGCU is averaging 8.6 threes per game, ranking No. 21 in the country in the category. Coming into this season, the Eagles have led the country in made threes in five out of the last seven years.
Defensively and despite only having two on the roster listed six-foot or taller, FGCU is home to the nation's eighth-best scoring defense, surrendering only 53.2 points per game. The undersized Eagles have held 13 opponents to 50 points or less. Only seven teams have scored 60 or more this year on FGCU, with a season-high allowed just 71 from Central Arkansas. FGCU has forced 10 or more turnovers in 32 games and 20 or more in 10 contests.
FGCU punched its NCAA Tournament ticket by winning its ninth straight Atlantic Sun Conference Tournament crown with a 68-51 win over Central Arkansas. The Eagles will be making their 11th all-time appearance in the NCAA Tournament on Saturday. The Eagles won each round of the ASUN Tournament by double-digit margins, including 17 of 18 conference games this season.
The Eagles have won 12 of 14 ASUN titles since becoming eligible in 2012. The 2025 title is the first of the Chelsea Lyles era. Lyles, the ASUN Coach of the Year, directed the 0-2 Karl Smesko squad to a 30-win season (30-1 as head coach) and an undefeated mark (18-0) in conference play. The Green & Blue has recorded 30 or more wins in three out of the last five seasons, and only FGCU and UConn have won 25 or more games for 15 straight years.
FGCU, winners of its last 23, has earned votes in the USA Today Coaches Top 25 Poll for 11 straight weeks and is ranked No. 5 overall in the latest CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Poll. Oklahoma went 25-7 and 11-7 in their first season in the SEC, and the Sooners are ranked No. 11 in the AP Poll.
