STANFORD, Calif. — Despite being the lone California native on the Florida Gulf Coast University roster, sophomore forward Nasrin Ulel feels no more at home in the Bay Area than most of her teammates.
Even though Saturday’s game will not necessarily serve as a homecoming for Ulel, a bit of home will be coming to her, as Ulel expects five members of her family — her parents and siblings — to make the drive up for FGCU’s first-round matchup against fifth-seeded Missouri.
“My dad came and saw me last weekend (at the ASUN tournament), but my brothers haven’t been able to see me play,” Ulel said. “That’ll be cool.”
Ulel hails from Murrieta, California, about halfway between Los Angeles and San Diego, around a seven-hour drive down Interstate 5 from Stanford. But before this week, she had never actually been to the northern part of her home state.
“It’s like two different states, Northern California versus Southern,” Ulel said with a laugh. “And I like the weather down there more, so I just stay down there.”
Mother Nature hasn’t given Ulel much of a reason to change her mind yet. The weather in the Bay Area has been cold and drizzly since FGCU landed in San Jose on Thursday night, and the forecast expects things to stay chilly and gray throughout the weekend.
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Missouri on playing FGCU’s style
After facing a grueling conference schedule against the more traditional playing styles in the SEC, Tigers coach Robin Pingeton acknowledges that FGCU will offer a completely different look from what Missouri is accustomed to defending.
But she and her team welcome the change of pace.
“I think we’re almost looking forward to playing someone outside of the SEC,” Pingeton said. “I think everybody gets to that point with postseason, that you’ve faced your in-conference teams so much that it’s nice to get a fresh look.”
That said, FGCU’s style of play won’t be completely unfamiliar to the Tigers.
Pingeton specifically mentioned Indiana and Western Illinois as recent opponents whose playing styles strike her as similar to that of the Eagles. The Tigers handily defeated Indiana, 75-55, back in December, but had more trouble against Western Illinois in a close 71-68 contest last season. In that game, the Leathernecks shot 11-for-29 from 3-point range, including 7-for-16 (42.5 percent) in the second half, which the Eagles are certainly capable of replicating.
The Missouri coach also noted similarities between FGCU and Georgia in the Eagles’ athleticism and physicality, particularly on defense. Georgia, ranked No. 19 in the country and the No. 4 seed in the NCAA Tournament’s Albany Region, eliminated Missouri in the second round of the SEC Tournament with a stifling defensive performance in a 55-41 result on March 2.
“Georgia is a really good team, and we consider (FGCU) like a mini-Georgia, just not with the height,” Pingeton said.
Stanford-Gonzaga preview
In the other first-round game hosted by Stanford (6 p.m. ET), WCC regular-season and tournament champion Gonzaga (27-5, 17-1 WCC) faces the unenviable task of meeting Stanford (22-10, 14-3 Pac-12) on the Cardinal’s home court during the postseason.
Stanford is 34-4 all-time in NCAA tournament games at home, including wins in its last 14 such contests, a streak dating back to a loss to 68-61 loss to Florida State on March 19, 2007. Led by 32nd-year head coach Tara VanDerveer, the Cardinal are making their 31st consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance and are seeking their 11th straight Sweet 16 berth.
The Cardinal are led by senior guard Brittany McPhee, who is averaging career highs in points (17.0) rebounds (5.0), assists (2.4), and steals (1.2). She and freshman guard Kiana Williams, who was named to the Pac-12 All-Tournament team, are supported by a large frontcourt that features 6-foot-3 Kaylee Johnson and 6-4 Alanna Smith, who each average more than seven rebounds per game.
Gonzaga is making its ninth NCAA appearance in the last 10 seasons, and a balanced roster is led by redshirt junior forward Jill Barta, who was named the WCC Tournament Most Outstanding Player for the second straight season after scoring 32 in the championship against San Diego. That was her school-record seventh career game of over 30 points.
Where to watch the FGCU game
Fans that couldn’t make the long trek to California can still show their support for the Eagles at 3:30 p.m. local time on Saturday at the official FGCU watch party at Miller’s Ale House at the Gulf Coast Town Center (10065 Gulf Center Drive, Fort Myers).
FGCU supporters can take advantage of three specials at the watch party: Attendees with a FGCU or Eagles Club ID can receive 10 percent off their check; showing a FGCU basketball ticket stub will get fans $5 off a check of $25 or more; and those clad in FGCU gear can buy $5 zingers.
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