The Atlantic Sun will be one of the first conferences to award an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament when it holds its conference championship Saturday. Mercer and Florida Gulf Coast will be the last two teams standing for the honors of dancing in March.
Atlantic Sun Tournament 2013 Championship: Game preview for Mercer vs. Florida Gulf Coast
The Atlantic Sun is just one game away from awarding its NCAA tournament bid. Who will take that honor?
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Who, What, Where
No. 1 Mercer Bears vs. No. 2 Florida Gulf Coast Eagles | Saturday, 12 PM ET | ESPN 2
How They Got Here
Mercer took the regular season title with a conference record of 14-4 and overall record of 23-10. In the tournament, they crushed Lipscomb, 82-48, and held off USC Upstate, 72-64.
Florida Gulf Coast finished second in the conference with a conference record of 13-5 and overall record of 23-10. They knocked off North Florida, 73-63, and blew out Stetson 72-58 to reach the finals.
Who The Numbers Like
Mercer is the big favorite in this tournament. They rank 120th in KenPom, tops in the conference. They also rank 175th in FG percentage, which may not sound impressive at first glance but counts for a lot in these low-major conferences. KenPom gives them a 56.4 percent chance to win it all.
These two teams split their regular season series, with both teams winning at home.
Players To Watch
Sherwood Brown, Florida Gulf Coast -- Brown is the most reliable scorer on the Eagles, and one of the biggest reasons they're just one win away from the Big Dance.
Travis Smith, Mercer -- One of the best three-point shooters in the conference, Smith was the big hero in the Bears’ surprisingly hard win over USC Upstate, and he figures to continue being a big part of this team as it seeks its first NCAA bid since 1985.
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