NCAA Tournament first round: 5 things to know about Florida Gulf Coast

For the first time since 2012, the Seminoles heard their name called on Selection Sunday. FSU landed a 3-seed, and will be facing Florida Gulf Coast (26-7) in Orlando.

Here are five key things to know about the Eagles.

1. They have a stud in UCF transfer Brandon Goodwin. The 6-2 junior was the talk of practice last year when he had to sit out, and this year has scored 18.2 per game to go along with 4.0 assists. He’s remarkably efficient, doesn’t turn the ball over, gets to the line, and makes 79% once he’s there.
2. This is not the run-and-gun Andy Enfield coached FGCU. They’re 299th in tempo. When you are the less talented team, you want the game to feature as few possessions as possible, to help spring the upset. This team certainly fits the bill.
3. They’re not a particularly good 3-pt shooting team (216th nationally), and their don’t take very many. They spread you out and figure out ways to get the rim. They are 14th nationally in 2-pt%, and only ten teams in the nation score more of their points on 2s.
4. Despite scoring so often from inside the arc, they very rarely have shots blocked. So FSU’s size on defense may not be that much of an advantage. They get 7% of their 2s blocked, which is 7th best nationally.
5. They played three high major opponents in out-of-conference play. They got rolled by the Gators. They lost by nine at Baylor, and they lost by one at Michigan State in a disputed game where the horn sounded too early.

Bonus: Per kenpom, the Eagles are the 2nd toughest of the 14 seeds. FGCU is rated 108th, compared to New Mexico State (88), Iona (118), and Kent State (141).