History will be made this Friday at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, as Florida Gulf Coast becomes the lowest seed ever to play a Sweet 16 game in the NCAA tournament. The Eagles knocked off the second-seeded Georgetown Hoyas and the seventh-seeded San Diego State Aztecs and now advance to play the third-seeded Florida Gators Friday at 10 p.m. EST.
Their Cinderella story has caught the attention of college basketball fans everywhere, but the Gators hope to bring it crashing to a halt. Florida was supposed to be here, and things went according to plan with wins over 14th seeded Northwestern State and 11th seeded Minnesota.
While the in-state showdown will be the main event, the earlier game is no slouch either as the fourth-seeded Michigan Wolverines try to knock off the top-seeded Kansas Jayhawks.
Kansas fans didn’t get too much of a chance to yell their trademark chant of “Rock, Chalk, Jayhawk!” as they narrowly escaped a second-round upset in a 64-57 win over the South Region’s 16-seed, Western Kentucky. Kansas cruised against its former coach Roy Williams, though, beating his North Carolina Tar Heels 70-58.
Most recognizable on the Jayhawks is shot-blocking center Jeff Withey, who averages 14 points, nearly nine rebounds and four blocks per game. Withey, a 7-foot tall senior, already has 12 blocks in the tournament.
Michigan took care of business against South Dakota State, 71-56 and then throttled Virginia Commonwealth University 78-53. Sophomore guard Trey Burke, who averaged nearly 19 points and seven assists over the course of the season, lived up to his star billing. Burke scored 18 points and had seven assists in the win over VCU. He’ll have to clean up his seven turnovers against Kansas, though.
Tickets are available for Friday’s session or for the entire weekend, as the two winners will meet on Sunday with a trip to the Final Four on the line. Don’t miss out on your chance to see three of college basketball’s power house teams from this season and a Cinderella team hoping to continue knocking off the big dogs. Get your tickets today!