Green Bay vs. FGCU: Preview for 2014 Gulf Coast Showcase Championship

When the Green Bay Phoenix (3-1) square off against the Florida Gulf Coast Eagles (5-0) in the final of the 2014 Gulf Coast Showcase tournament, college basketball fans will be treated to a marquee matchup.

While both Green Bay and Florida Gulf Coast don’t get the mainstream attention they deserve, each program has the opportunity to put its team on the map and build momentum heading into the heart of the regular season.

Here is the full preview for the 2014 Gulf Coast Showcase championship.

Where: Germain Arena, Estero, Florida

When: Wednesday, November 26

Start Time: 8:30 p.m. ET

Live Stream: AmericaOneSports.com

Matthew Ludtke/Associated Press

Breaking Down the 2014 Gulf Coast Showcase Championship

There are other tournament finals and Wednesday matchups getting more attention from casual basketball fans, but the battle between Green Bay and Florida Gulf Coast should be the game of the night.

The Phoenix lost the second game of the season against the No. 3-ranked Wisconsin Badgers but managed to blow out East Carolina before pulling out a thrilling 64-62 victory over Evansville on Tuesday night.

Senior guard Keifer Sykes scored 20 points against Evansville, including several crucial points in the waning stages of the game, and Green Bay will depend on the locker room leader to help guide his team to a win Wednesday.

Phoenix coach Brian Wardle spoke to Carl Bleich and RJ Roan of The News-Press about his team’s close call in the semifinals, saying: “This was a great test for us. We kept trying to get it to a three-possession game (in the second half) and we couldn’t do it...Overall, (I’m) very proud of our team this early in the year to just will themselves to a win.”

As well as Green Bay has played in this tournament, the stage has been set for the Eagles to walk away with the tournament title as long as the program doesn’t underestimate their opponents heading into the championship.

Florida Gulf Coast won the first five games of the season, including four lopsided victories and a thrilling overtime win over the UC Santa Barbara Gauchos. While the Eagles aren’t the most efficient scoring team in the nation, they have a talented group of big men who can rebound with the top teams. FGCU is currently ranked 29th with an average of 43 rebounds per game.

Add in the fact that the Eagles are also ranked 47th in the nation with an average of 16.4 assists per game, and it is clear that Florida Gulf Coast plays a team-first style of basketball. Against Green Bay, FGCU should have the decisive edge.

If the Eagles can get senior guard and leading scorer Bernard Thompson (17 points per game) involved early and often, Florida Gulf Coast will pull out the victory and win the 2014 Gulf Coast Showcase championship.

Predicted Final Score: Florida Gulf Coast 80, Green Bay 70

*Stats via ESPN.com.