No. 12 FGCU to face No. 5 Oklahoma in first round of NCAA Tournament

Writer: Sylvie Sparks
Published: Updated:

The last 24 hours felt like a lifetime for the FGCU women’s basketball team.

After winning their seventh straight ASUN Tournament Championship, the Eagles were eager to find out who they would face in round one of the NCAA Tournament.

Now the stage is set: FGCU earned a 12 seed. They are heading to Bloomington, Indiana, to face fifth-seeded Oklahoma in the first round.

The announcement is all they’ve been thinking about since they won the conference title on Saturday night.

“Who are we playing? Where are we going? When are we leaving? Just to see the next game plan,” FGCU shooter Emani Jefferson said.

The Eagles were seeded 12th last season too and they advanced to the second round.

“We thought we’d be in that range,” FGCU Head Women’s Basketball Coach Karl Smesko said. “We’ve done well with that position. Hopefully, we have a couple of days to get ready here so that we have a couple of good days of progress and practice and have a great showing out there.”

It’s FGCU’s seventh straight trip to the tourney, but the first for several of the new faces on the Eagles’ roster, like Dolly Cairns who says it’s quite literally a dream come true.

“This is what every kid dreams of coming into their college career so this is awesome,” Cairns said. “I’m really proud of myself and this team.”

So is coach Smesko who told me they’ll be ready to face the Big 12 regular season champs next weekend.

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