Sixteen sweet reasons to love Florida Gulf Coast and its basketball team:
• Even the most astute college basketball fan had never heard of Florida Gulf Coast before the tournament bracket came out.
• Most adults have a favorite shirt or pair of shoes older than FGCU, which opened in 1997.
• Coach Andy Enfield is fast-becoming the most popular gap-toothed American since Alfred E. Neuman.
• FGCU held open tryouts last Oct. 10. Requirements were high school varsity experience and status as a full-time student.
• If you don't like basketball at FGCU, its baseball team is ranked No. 26 in the nation.
• Courtney Jolly, a professional monster truck driver, is one of FGCU's most distinguished alumni.
• The Eagles started out in Division II in 2002 and began playing D-I in 2011.
• Enfield is a self-made millionaire who returned to coaching after he sold a firm he helped start.
• Enfield's wife is former supermodel Amanda Marcum.
• Enfield had the nerve – or confidence – to take Marcum to Taco Bell on their first date.
• How many NCAA Tournament coaches – other than Enfield – can say their wife was on the cover of Maxim and Elle magazines?
• The school's website had a 400-percent increase in unique visitors on Sunday.
• Dunk City is the coolest college basketball nickname since Houston's Phi Slamma Jamma in the 1980s.
• Only 1 percent of the 8.15 million brackets filled in on ESPN.com had FGCU reaching the Sweet 16.
• FGCU, which started the tournament with 1,000-to-1 odds to win the championship, is now at 80-1.
• FGCU is 16 years old, almost the same age as Cinderella when she met Prince Charming.
Today's poll
How far will FGCU advance in the NCAA Tournament?
• Lose Sweet 16 game
• Elite Eight
• Final Four
• Win championship
Vote above or leave your comments in the comments field; or go to www.sacbee.com/sports
Monday's results
Which is NorCal's favorite pro team?
• 49ers: 51%
• Giants: 26%
• It's a toss-up: 12%
• Neither: 11%
Total votes: 637
Call The Bee's Victor Contreras, (916) 326-5527. Follow him on Twitter @SacBeeVictor.
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