'Dunk City' back in business: Florida Gulf Coast returns to tournament

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Most mid-majors that qualify for the NCAA tournament come with little fanfare, but thanks to a celebrated recent past, Florida Gulf Coast will not be sneaking up on anybody this year.

The Atlantic Sun champions are in the field of 68 for the second straight season, and third time in the past six years. The Eagles gained national prominence for their highly entertaining run to the Sweet 16 in 2013, thanks to their high-flying "Dunk City" outfit.

Record vs. major conference opponents: 0-3

Florida Gulf Coast started the season with an extremely difficult non-conference slate, facing four straight NCAA tournament-bound teams. Three of those were major-conference opponents Florida, Baylor, and Michigan State. While they finished winless against the trio, a one-point loss on the road against the Spartans and a nine-point road loss to the Bears is nothing to sneer at. This will not be a team that is intimidated by a bigger school.

Season Summary

The Eagles finished the season 26-7 and captured both the Atlantic Sun regular season and conference tournament titles. Outside of the three losses to major-conference opponents, Florida Gulf Coast only lost two consecutive games once all year.

Joe Dooley's outfit is led by Brandon Goodwin, who pours in 18.2 points per contest, but is a balanced attack that features four players scoring in double digits. Like previous teams from the university, the Eagles like to run, boasting Ken Pomeroy's 77th-ranked offense, scoring 109.7 points per 100 possessions.

Famous alumni

The university isn't very old, having only been established in 1991, so the list of famous alumni isn't long. The most notable member is Boston Red Sox pitcher Chris Sale, who recently showed he's a proud member of the "Dunk City" family by throwing down a one-handed dunk during a campus visit.