College basketball: FGCU women face huge Stanford in Cardinal's arena in NCAA second round

STANFORD, Calif. -- In pulling off Saturday's biggest women's basketball NCAA tournament upset, 12th-seeded Florida Gulf Coast knocked off much taller and fifth-seeded Missouri in Saturday's first-round game at Stanford. 

Now Atlantic Sun champion FGCU (31-4), which doesn't have a single 6-footer, faces an ever longer challenge in fourth-seeded Stanford -- which has eight players six feet or taller, including five 6-3 or better -- when the Eagles take on the Cardinal on their home floor in Monday's second-rounder at 9 p.m. Florida time.

On top of that, the Eagles, who beat Missouri, 80-70, will be looking way up in terms of tradition against 15th-ranked Stanford (23-10), which beat 13th-seeded Gonzaga, 82-68, on Saturday. 

While FGCU is in its seventh NCAA tournament in just seven eligible seasons, the Cardinal of the Pac-12 are in their 31st in a row. Stanford has won two national titles (1990 and 1992) and been to 13 Final Fours, including last year's, and 10 straight Sweet 16s. Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer is a Hall of Famer -- Naismith Memorial and Women's Basketball -- in her 32nd season and has well over 1,000 careers wins. 

Despite all of that, the Eagles can hardly wait.

"We're really excited to play one of the most storied programs in women's basketball history with an opportunity to make the Sweet 16," FGCU coach Karl Smesko said Sunday. 

Sixth-year FGCU guard Taylor Gradinjan admitted Stanford's tradition is a bit "intimidating," but said the Eagles will "just do what we do" and they are very confident in that. 
 

Basketball: FGCU women upset Missouri in NCAA

As if all that size and tradition wasn't tough enough, though, Stanford not only is at home, but is quite used to playing NCAA tournament games in its Maples Pavilion, where the Cardinal average 2,919 fans per game in the 7,392-seat arena. In fact, the Cardinal are 35-4 there in the NCAA tourney. 

VanDerveer downplayed that.

"We have a great crowd; they are very supportive to our team," she said. "There may be a comfort. But you've got to do the work. It's not like you can just go and put on the white jersey and expect to win. We know (Monday)  we have a lot of work to do. Tennessee had never lost a game at all -- they were 57-0 until Oregon State went in there (upsetting the Volunteers on Sunday). So it's not something that you can show up and think you can win because you're Stanford playing at Stanford."

FGCU senior guard China Dow, the two-time Atlantic Sun tournament MVP who led the Eagles with 21 points Saturday, also shrugged a bit at the Cardinal's advantage of playing on their home floor. 

"It's a great opportunity," Dow said. "They're a great school all-around. Respectable players, respectable coach. And I know the environment's going to be tough to play in because it's not (FGCU's) Alico (Arena). At the same time, we do have fans down here that can be loud, too, whenever we score. I think it's exciting. I've never been in an environment like Stanford."

The Cardinal start 6-4 junior Alanna Smith (13.3 ppg, 6.9 rpg) and 6-3 senior Kaylee Johnson (4.8 ppg, 7.5 rpg) and average 5.3 blocked shots which rates 19th nationally. They outrebound their foes by about five per game.

"For us to compete, we have to fight for every loose ball, we have to be physical," Smesko said. "We're usually giving up quite a bit in terms of size. So we have to be willing to get on the boards, take charges. Our players know that. They take great pride in taking charges. They take great pride in getting loose balls. They make a vow to do their job on the boards. That's one way we can survive against some of these big teams.

"They're really big. For an overall roster, this is one of the biggest teams in the country. We're going to have other advantages. We're not going to try to be taller than them."

Basketball: FGCU women take advantage of fouls

That last line brought big laughter to the press conference. But the Eagles don't expect Monday's game to be a laugher. In fact, they expect to win. 

"Oh, yeah, most definitely," said All-ASUN forward Rosemarie Julien, the tallest of Eagles at 5-11. 

There's lots more to Stanford than being big. Its leading scorer is 6-0 senior guard Brittany McPhee with 16.8 points per game, and freshman guard Kiana Williams made 5 of 8 3-point attempts against Gonzaga and has made 27 of 44 in the past month. She averages 10.4 points.

FGCU is known for its 3-point prowess. With 414 makes, the are just 10 shy of tying the NCAA record for a season. Five Eagles have made at least 50 treys. But it's a pick your poison deal for most foes. In the win against Jacksonville in the ASUN tournament championship game, FGCU got off just 15 treys and made five. Against Missouri, the Eagles hoisted just 17 3-pointers and swished seven. They won those games against foes who concentrated on the arc by attacking the open lanes incessantly for high-percentage shots while also drawing fouls.

"They don't take bad shots and they have a lot of different people taking those shots," VanDerveer said. "Just the threat of the 3 brings the defense out. So it's not just about shooting it. They have people on their team that have made 88 or 70-something and three or four or five people have above 50 3s. You've got to guard them. Even if they aren't taking and taking or making and making them, you've got to guard them.

"They're not a one-dimensional team. Karl takes great advantage of the talent that they have. They're not big, but they're a pitbull. They're aggressive. They're physical. That was a gritty game (Saturday). They're not just a 3-point shooting team although I know their shirts say 'Raining Threes.' They shoot 3s, they get to the rim, they get to the line, they force turnovers. They wouldn't have won 30 games just by doing one thing."
 

Basketball: Cunningham goes off, but FGCU wins

The Eagles, whose win on Saturday was their second-ever in NCAA tournament play, weren't giddy on the bus ride to the team hotel after what they didn't consider an upset. They weren't that way on Sunday, either. Happy and motivated, sure. Satisfied? Not close. 

They're determined to -- like the FGCU men of 2013 -- make real national noise with a Sweet 16 run. 

"We feel like we have a team that can win NCAA tournament games and every time we've come to the NCAA tournament we've felt like we had a chance to go to a Sweet 16," Smesko said. "Usually the team that beat us in overtime (St. Bonaventure in 2012 and Oklahoma State in 2014, both in the first round) ended up taking our spot in the Sweet 16. 

"It would be big for us. Mid-majors don't get to the Sweet 16 very often. But we look at ourselves a little bit different. And the way we play gives us a chance to make this happen."
 

(12) FGCU (31-4) at (4) Stanford (23-10)
When: 9 p.m., Monday 
Where: Stanford's Maples Pavilion, Palo Alto, California
TV: ESPN2
Online: ESPN3
Series: Stanford leads 1-0
3-Point Shots 
1) Play loose. All the pressure is on Stanford, the higher seed with loads of NCAA tournament success that gets to play in its own arena. If FGCU can come out determined and aggressive but not uptight, it would really behoove the Eagles. The Eagles will need to take some chances, particularly in transition to try and capitalize on each crucial opportunity, and it's much easier to do such things effectively when not nervous or anxious. As was the case against Missouri, the Eagles also need to be loose to get off to a good start. A big fall-behind here and it most likely will be over. 
2) Move the ball quickly. Like all offenses, really, FGCU's struggles when the ball sticks. But it's really noticeable when the Eagles go slow. There will be no time against Stanford to catch and ponder. Especially when working against taller foes, it's crucial to get the defense moving side-to-side and back-and-forth. As always, it will be really important for the sharp-shooting Eagles to be ready to shoot immediately after receiving the ball behind the 3-point llne. 
3) Pick the right spots. Missouri, FGCU's first-round victim, was very, very big. Stanford is giant. The Cardinal have eight players 6-foot or taller. FGCU has none. Stanford actually has five players 6-3 or better. And the Cardinal average a whopping 5.3 blocks per game. The Eagles run coach Karl Smesko's high-motion offense predicated on layups or 3-pointers. Besides some posting up, that's all they shoot. They must continue to attack the rim incessantly, but they'll need to be really cognizant of where Stanford's really bigs are at all times. 

-- Dana Caldwell 

FGCU Key Facts
RPI: 47
Key wins: DePaul (20 RPI), Missouri (24), South Dakota State (28)
Key loss: North Florida (239)
Scoring offense: 78.4 ppg (22nd nationally)
Scoring defense: 59.6 ppg (58th)
Coach: Karl Smesko (16th year, 435-86)
Colors: old gold, cobalt blue, emerald
Location: Fort Myers
NCAA Record: 2-4 (5th appearance)

2017-18 Roster/Statistics
# Name HT GP GS MPG PPG RPG Assists Steals
00 Davion Wingate 5-6 (transfer from Stoney Brook; sitting this season)
2 Alyssa Blair 5-11 24 0 7.8 1.8 0.9 9 10
3 Keri Jewett-Giles 5-6 (transfer from Southern Miss; sitting this season)
4 Chandler Ryan 5-7 25 0 6.4 3.5 0.8 27 10
5 Lisa Zderadicka 5-6 35 2 22.7 2 7.4 2.4 101 43
10 Sheahen Dowling 5-7 23 0 4.5 0.7 0.6 7 6
11 Erica Nelson 5-8 34 34 27.9 8.4 2.4 120 50
12 Samantha Kisiel 5-11 17 0 3.4 0.4 1.2 3 2
13 Kerstie Phills 5-9 (transfer from Wagner; sitting this season)
22 China Dow 5-8 35 4 22.5 11.8 5.6 74 41
24 Taylor Gradinjan 5-9 33 33 29.8 9.9 3.4 57 30
31 Nasrin Ulel 5-9 35 33 23.1 9.5 3.2 39 38
32 Rosemarie Julien 5-11 35 35 26.9 13.4 3.6 54 26
42 Tytionia Adderly 5-10 33 32 22.5 7.2 9.1 56 54

2017-18 Schedule
11/12 Illinos W 85-61
11/15 At FIU W 88-52
11/17 Kent State (at Akron) W 80-62
11/18 At Akron W 82-63
11/20 At Siena W 63-50
11/23 DePaul (in Las Vegas) W 89-84 (OT)
11/24 Ohio State (in Las Vegas) L 104-62
11/25 Belmont (in Las Vegas) L 75-65
12/3 At Abilene Christian W 94-55
12/5 Southeastern W 76-66
12/8 Kentucky W 70-64
12/10 Ave Maria W 99-35
12/17 At Chattanooga L 68-61
12/20 Harvard W 65-56
12/21 SIU Edwardsville W 66-49
12/29 South Dakota State W 87-78
12/30 Florida Memorial 82-43
1/6 Stetson W 80-40
1/13 NJIT W 90-66
1/15 USC Upstate W 93-60
1/20 At Kennesaw State W 78-57
1/22 At Lipscomb W 68-54
1/27 Jacksonville W 63-58
2/1 At UNF L 75-73
2/3 At Jacksonville W 65-63
2/6 UNF W 67-52
2/10 At USC Upstate W 88-44
2/12 At NJIT W 89-43
2/17 Lipscomb 88-52
2/19 Kennesaw State W 78-51
2/24 At Stetson W 74-60

Atlantic Sun Tournament
3/2 NJIT W 83-62
3/7 Lipscomb W 105-55
3/11 Jacksonville W 68-58

NCAA Tournament
3/17 Missouri W 80-70

Postseason History
2008 WNIT
First Round: FGCU 67, USF 65
Second Round: Florida 60, FGCU 55

2009 WNIT
First Round: FGCU 97, George Washington 94 (2OT)
Second Round: USF 88, FGCU 81 (OT)

2010 WNIT
First Round: Miami 70, FGCU 57

2011 WNIT
First Round: FGCU  73, Drexel 67
Second Round: Florida 74, FGCU 69

2012 NCAA Tournament
First Round: St. Bonaventure 72, FGCU 65 (OT)

2013 WNIT
First Round: Winthrop 65, FGCU 51

2014 NCAA Tournament
First Round: Oklahoma State 61, FGCU 60 (OT)

2015 NCAA Tournament
First Round: FGCU 75, Oklahoma State 67
Second Round: Florida State 65, FGCU 47

2016 WNIT
First Round: FGCU 78, Bethune-Cookman 51
Second Round: FGCU 67, Wake Forest 48
Third Round: FGCU 73, Tulane 61
Fourth Round: FGCU 61, Hofstra 46
Final Four: FGCU 71, Michigan 62
Championship Game: South Dakota 71, FGCU 65

2017 NCAA Tournament
First Round: Miami 62, FGCU 60

2018 NCAA Tournament
First Round: FGCU 80, Missouri 70