March Madness Update: Florida Gulf Coast Gets Slipper Crushed by Florida

Underdogs are fun to cheer for. We all like them. It's the idea that anyone can win on any given day that really appeals to us. We want to believe that it is not necessary to go to a big school or have a rich program to win. We want to believe that anyone can.

But sometimes it is the powerhouse that wins.

Everyone wanted FGCU to win and continue to make history, and it first it seemed as if there might be a chance. A 15-4 run to open the game looked pretty nice for the Eagles, but then the Gators appeared to have a light bulb turn on over their collective heads:

We are one of the best teams in the nation. We are the No. 3 seed here. They should have never made it past Georgetown. We should be stomping them.

They didn't exactly stomp them, but the tide of the game turned and in due time and with the help of a 23-2 run Gators had the game under control by halftime.

As for the Eagles--they still soared to some pretty impressive heights during the game, but they looked more like the little engine that was tired of trying instead of the one that believed it could. The shot selection just wasn't there, and they made way too many mistakes against a good team (20 turnovers).

Incidentally, they had just 20 baskets on the day.

Florida never quite put the Eagles away, but  it was clear pretty early that they were never going to let  the have a chance. In the end the margin was just 12 points, 62-50. The Gators will play Michigan in the Elite Eight on Sunday.

You had a heck of a run FGCU. I'm sure this isn't the last that we have heard of Dunk City!

[Yahoo]