The madness is officially underway, and FGCU women's basketball is dancing yet again. The Eagles are about to compete in their eighth-straight NCAA Tournament and are looking to pull off another first-round upset.
“We have prepared for March since day one," FGCU forward Lauryn Taylor said. "We told ourselves we were going to be the most prepared team when it came to March, and I feel like it starts from day one."
No. 14 seed FGCU is set to play No. 3 seed Oklahoma in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
“We're ready to embrace this moment," FGCU guard Dolly Cairns said. "It's going to be a high-energy game. We're all very excited and super thankful and grateful that we're able to be here."
Saturday's showdown will be a rematch of last year's opening-round game. In that one, the Sooners narrowly escaped with a three-point win.
“We jumped on them early last year," Cairns said. "They came right back. It's going to be a fight for a full 40 minutes."
However, this time around is different. The game is in Norman, OK. So the Sooners will have home court advantage.
“We're definitely going to be on their court," Taylor said. "They definitely have some great fans. But I'm pretty sure we have some really good fans, as well. We have some people that have traveled with us. We also have some people watching. Whether they're here or not, we know we have the support we need to compete in such a tough game like this."
This year's game is different, too, because Oklahoma has drastically improved. The Sooners are a three-seed, ranked 11th in the entire country, and are led by All-American Raegan Beers.
“We, of course, are game planning for her, but we're also game planning for the whole team," Taylor said. "So we just lock into the game plan as a whole."
Oklahoma knows it has its hands full, too. Last year's near upset is still fresh in their minds as the ASUN champs ride a 23-game win streak to Norman.
“They have such a great tradition," Oklahoma head coach Jennie Baranczyk said. "I said it last year, and I've said it about 15 times this year. They're the team you don't really want to play in the NCAA Tournament. That's the team you circle that you don't want to play."
A 14-seed has never won a game in the NCAA Women's Tournament. So, the Eagles are looking to make history on Saturday.
“If you dwell on your seed or dwell on the negative, you won't have the right mindset going into the preparation," FGCU head coach Chelsea Lyles said. "We see it as a good thing. We're excited to be here. We're excited to compete. That's how we've moved forward."
FGCU takes on Oklahoma in the NCAA Tournament first round on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. Count on Gulf Coast News to keep you updated on the Eagles in the big dance.