KEARNEY, Neb. Florida Gulf Coast University coach Karl Smesko searched the UND postseason media guide Tuesday, looking for any statistic that may help his team in tonight's NCAA Division II Elite Eight quarterfinal game against UND.
He found one.
"I see they're only 3-2 in Thursday games," Smesko said. "If we could push our game back to a midnight start, I'd feel a lot better."
But the game is set for 8 p.m.
The game also will be the marquee matchup of the Elite Eight's first round, which comes to Kearney for the first time in the event's history.
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UND is the experienced team in the field. The 32-3 Sioux are making their seventh trip to the Elite Eight, and have won titles in 1997, 1998 and 1999, with a runner-up finish in 2001.
FGCU is the upstart program in the national field. The FGCU program is in its fifth year of existence. Next season, FGCU will become a Division I member. But they're making quite a Division II exit. The Eagles are ranked No. 1 in the country and have a 32-0 record.
UND's tradition and experience constrasts sharply from FGCU's program. But the Eagles have caught the attention of Division II basketball with their rapid rise to the top of the national scene.
And it didn't take Smesko long to realize this season would be a special one.
'Ok but not great?'
"When we started practice this season, I thought we'd be OK but not great," said Smesko, whose team finished 29-2 last season. "We had a Division I exhibition game (against Stetson) we won by 43 points. Then I thought this team has another level it can get to."
FGCU rolled to its 32-0 record. It rarely was challenged during the season.
The Eagles relied on their defense, quickness and solid shooting to rise to the top of the national poll. FGCU also is an undersized team, but that hasn't mattered.
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"Our system isn't predicated on having size," Smesko said. "Our game is shaped around our talent. We try to spread people out and create scoring opportunities."
UND's path to the Elite Eight was much more difficult. The Sioux lost an early-season game against Northern State before surprisingly losing back-to-back North Central Conference games against St. Cloud State and Augustana.
But the Sioux righted the ship and sailed out of the North Central Region tournament for the first time since 2001. After two heartbreaking losses in the 2005 and 2006 regional tournaments both played in Grand Forks UND put together its three best games of the season to qualify for the Elite Eight.
Sioux to
face pressure
The Sioux had a light but spirited practice at the Nebraska-Kearney Health and Sports Center on Tuesday.
"We're trying to keep things in perspective," Roebuck said. "You can get too tight for things like this. Our players have been under pressure all year."
UND now faces a different type of pressure.
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Tonight's game likely will come down to UND's ability to handle FGCU's defensive pressure and quickness.
If the Sioux limit their turnovers, they'll pound the ball inside to 6-foot-2 Kierah Kimbrough and 6-2 Ashley Langen.
Langen was 9-for-9 in the regional championship game against Nebraska-Kearney. Kimbrough also was dominant inside. But the Sioux were dominant outside, too.
"I'm so impressed with North Dakota," Smesko said. "I saw a tape of their regional championship game. I've rarely seen a performance as dominant as that one."
But the Division II field has rarely seen a rise to the top as fast as the one produced by FGCU, which opens its Division I era with Florida State next season.
The size-versus-quickness matchup is the one most will be watching.
The Sioux, however, may have another advantage that hasn't been discussed much in the days leading up to the Elite Eight.
"North Dakota is able to score at every position," said Texas A&M-Commerce coach Denny Downing, whose team lost to UND back in November.
