Busting Brackets
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Atlantic Sun Basketball: Can anyone stop Florida Gulf Coast?

By Doug Winkey

Nov 20, 2016; East Lansing, MI, USA; Florida Gulf Coast Eagles guard Reggie Reid (1) brings the ball up court during the first half of a game at Jack Breslin Student Events Center. Mandatory Credit: Mike Carter-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 20, 2016; East Lansing, MI, USA; Florida Gulf Coast Eagles guard Reggie Reid (1) brings the ball up court during the first half of a game at Jack Breslin Student Events Center. Mandatory Credit: Mike Carter-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Atlantic Sun basketball tournament is underway, but can anyone stop the juggernaut that is Florida Gulf Coast?

Postseason basketball has begun! The Atlantic Sun Tournament got underway Monday evening with four games. Florida Gulf Coast, North Florida, Kennesaw State and Lipscomb were the victors and will resume play March 2nd. Gulf Coast will get Kennesaw and North Florida will face Lipscomb in the A-Sun semifinals.

Related Story: Florida Gulf Coast wins 2013 Atlantic Sun conference tournament

The real question is if anyone can stop the FGCU Eagles. The program formerly known as “Dunk City” rolled through Atlantic Sun play at 12-2 and boast a very good 24-7 record overall. Their only conference losses were home stands against South Carolina Upstate and Lipscomb. They lead all conference foes by a fairly wide margin in both offensive and defensive efficiency. So how can anyone stop the Gulf Coast juggernaut?

The Eagles’ next opponent, Kennesaw State, will try and outrun FGCU as much as anything. The Owls are in the top 100 in adjusted tempo to compensate for subpar metrics elsewhere. Senior guard Kendrick Ray scored 39 points in the team’s two previous losses this year and will have to have another superb game if KSU is to have a chance. It is also very hard to beat the same team three times in one season, but FGCU should win this game and move onto the finals.

On the other side of the bracket, Lipscomb is the higher seed but lost to North Florida both times during the regular season. I’ll take the Bison over the Ospreys in a close game. Lipscomb has been extremely hot as of late with only one loss in their previous 10 contests. That puts the Bison in a position to try and thwart Gulf Coasts’ efforts to repeat as A-Sun tournament champions.

Expect a great contest if that is indeed the matchup. The Eagles won both previous games, but only by nine points combined. Lipscomb is second to FGCU in both major advanced metrics, but play much faster as a group. They also match up somewhat decently both in terms of depth and size. Guards Garrison Mathews and Josh Williams are dynamic with nearly 33 points and nine rebounds per game between them. Eagles-Bison would make for a fantastic title.

Next: Projected Field entering tournament season

The Atlantic Sun definitely has some talented programs, but none look quite as polished as the Florida Gulf Coast this season. They have more wins and have played tougher teams than two of their three remaining opponents; only North Florida boasts a stronger overall schedule. The Eagles seem to be in good position to take their second straight Atlantic Sun title and automatic NCAA bid.

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