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Tampa subregional
© St. Petersburg Times, published March 21, 2003
1. START FAST: The Bearkats play an uptempo style, and riding that to an early lead -- any lead -- will be crucial to help hush the thousands of Gators faithful. It might also plant a small seed of doubt in the mind of an opponent coming off three consecutive losses.
2. BUT NOT TOO FAST: Uptempo must not mean turnovers, however. In 23 victories the Bearkats averaged 15.6 giveaways, but in six losses the figure is 21.7. Sam Houston State also must relax at the free-throw line, where it averages a pedestrian 70.7 percent.
3. DE-FENSE! DE-FENSE!: The Bearkats are in the top 10 nationally in field-goal percentage defense, yet four Gators average better than 50 percent from the field. Sam Houston State's man-to-man defense must make sure the percentages lean its way. Maintaining a presence in the paint (the Bearkats also are in the top 10 in blocks) also can't hurt.
4. GET EVERYONE INVOLVED: This should not really be a problem, as the Bearkats have 10 players who average better than nine minutes. But if the bench players get a hot hand, Florida won't be able to relax when starters catch a breather.
5. PLAIN OLD LUCK: Remember, this is a No. 15 seed. Only Richmond (1991), Santa Clara (1993), Coppin State (1997) and Hampton (2001) have knocked off No. 2 seeds. Talk about the X's and O's all you want, but for a first-time tournament team like Sam Houston State luck certainly can't hurt.