LEADING OFF

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Photograph by Greg Nelson for Sports Illustrated

Game of Shadows What happens when Florida gets into an up-tempo affair with a Southland Conference team? That's elementary: The Gators win in a rout. Third-seeded Florida (in white) blew past Northwestern State 79--47 in the second round of the NCAA tournament last Friday in Austin, then beat Minnesota 78--64 two days later to advance to the South regional semifinals.

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Photograph by Al Tielemans/Sports Illustrated

Line Dancing Florida Gulf Coast might be new to the NCAA tournament, but it didn't take guard Sherwood Brown (25) and the Eagles long to adopt a tried-and-true strategy for Big Dance success. They got to the line 44 times in their second-round upset of Georgetown last Friday in Philadelphia, making 30 free throws. (The Hoyas were just 13 of 20.) On Sunday, FGCU beat San Diego State 81--71 to become the first No. 15 seed ever to make the Sweet 16 (page 36).

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Photograph by John W. McDonough/Sports Illustrated

A Shocking Spectacle You'll forgive Wichita State forward Carl Hall if he says that last Saturday night was all a blur—and not just because the senior's glasses went flying. His Shockers became the first team this year to bounce a No. 1 seed, taking down Gonzaga 76--70 in Salt Lake City. The win was the biggest for the Shockers since 1981, when they beat rival Kansas to reach the Elite Eight.