UNC men's basketball looks to avoid historic loss to 16th-seeded Florida Gulf Coast

RALEIGH — A No. 16 seed has never defeated a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

But as the head coach at Kansas in 2002, Roy Williams and the Jayhawks almost became the first No. 1 seed to fall in the opening round since the the NCAA Tournament expanded to a 64-team field in 1985.

Facing 16th-seeded Holy Cross in the 2002 NCAA Tournament, Kansas trailed the Crusaders by two points at halftime after starting guard Kirk Hinrich sprained his ankle in the first period.

“I can assure you at that moment that I wasn’t thinking, ‘God, we have to be careful or we’re going to lose to a 16 seed,’” Williams said. “I was thinking how in the dickens we can get it turned around and play better. That’s the thought process.”

The Jayhawks ultimately beat Holy Cross, making them one of multiple top-seeded teams to squeak out wins over No. 16 seeds in recent seasons.

When North Carolina opens the NCAA Tournament on Thursday at PNC Arena, the top-seeded Tar Heels will also hope to avoid falling victim to a No. 16 seed as they take on Florida Gulf Coast.

“You certainly don’t want to be the one that ends that streak …” said senior guard Marcus Paige. “We haven’t really thought about it that much. We think of it as it’s a one-game season each time we step on the court from here on out.

“Obviously, 1 seeds are supposed to beat 16 seeds.”

But as they proved in Tuesday’s play-in game, the Eagles aren’t like most No. 16 seeds.

Florida Gulf Coast defeated Fairleigh Dickinson 96-65 on Tuesday to earn a trip to Raleigh, and the performance provided some memories of the team’s historic run in the 2013 NCAA Tournament.

Under the direction of Coach Andy Enfield, the Eagles upset second-seeded Georgetown and seventh-seeded San Diego State three seasons ago, becoming the first-ever No. 15 seed to advance to the Sweet 16.

“I think the size and athleticism that they have, you usually don’t see that on a 16 seed,” Williams said. “I know the history of a few years ago, when Andy was coaching down there and how well they played and what they did.”

Enfield became the head coach at Southern California following the 2013 season, and only one player remains from the Eagles’ Sweet 16 squad. The team’s offense has also changed from three years ago.

During the 2013 NCAA Tournament, Florida Gulf Coast was nicknamed “Dunk City” for its fast-paced offensive attack. Under Coach Joe Dooley, the Eagles rank 244th in the country in adjusted tempo, according to KenPom.com.

But with season-ending implications on the line, Paige and the Tar Heels don’t expect Thursday’s game to be “a cakewalk.”

“Florida Gulf Coast is a good team. We’re not taking it lightly,” Paige said. “We’re taking all the steps in the prelims to take care of them, so hopefully we won’t be the team that breaks the streak.”

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