Florida Gulf Coast vs Florida: Point Guards Will Determine the Winner

Hailing from the Gators’ backyard, Florida Gulf Coast—this year’s Cinderella—has been the talk of the tournament, and its momentum and confidence has the nation highly anticipating this battle for the state of Florida.

The SEC was incredibly weak this season, allowing Florida to cruise into the NCAA tournament as a No. 3 seed. Florida Gulf Coast had a much different season that consisted of extreme highs—like beating Miami—and extreme lows—like losing to Lipscomb (12-18) twice.

But it doesn’t matter how they got here—advancing to the Elite Eight is now the only thing that matters, and the point guards from each team play a crucial role in Friday’s game.

Florida Gulf Coast’s Brett Comer has certainly turned heads this tournament with 22 points and 24 assists, posting double-doubles in both games. The No. 15 seed dominated the highly talented No. 2 seed Georgetown in a shocking victory and followed that up with a decisive win over No. 7 seed San Diego State.

There’s no doubt that Comer was instrumental to their success in those two games, but he also has been all season.

The sophomore guard is averaging 8.1 points and 6.6 assists per game this season and has been playing even better down the stretch. Since their last loss on February 22, Comer is averaging 10.1 points and 6.9 assists per game while turning the ball over 2.8 times, which is much better than his season average of 3.5 turnovers a game.

The Gators will recognize this and most likely try to trap Comer as often as they can. If Comer can withstand the pressure, then Florida Gulf Coast has a great shot to win. If Florida’s defense is just too much, however, then it might run away with it. A large part of this game rests on Comer’s shoulders—not to make amazing plays, but to avoid mistakes.

Avoiding costly turnovers is something Florida’s point guard is familiar with. Scottie Wilbekin averages 2.1 turnovers and may not be as big of a name as Kenny Boynton or Mike Rosario, but he is a big part of whether the Gators win or lose each night. The junior guard has had a solid season with 9.2 points and 5.0 assists per game, and his play has increased in the tournament. Wilbekin isn’t putting up Comer numbers, but he does have 23 points and 10 assists in two not-so-challenging tournament games.

In 2012-13, when Wilbekin is shooting more and passing less, the Gators suffer. He’s averaged 7.2 shots per game this season, but 9.3 shots in their seven losses. And in those losses, Wilbekin only scored 0.2 points more than his season average, while dishing out 0.7 fewer assists.

Both point guards have completely different roles in Friday’s game. Comer is the offensive leader who gets his whole team involved, but his turnover tendencies make him a defensive target. Wilbekin is just being asked to manage all the talent that Florida has on its roster, while pitching in when needed.

Either way, selflessness and composure from these two point guards will determine who moves on.