Before the season, the initials weren’t very recognizable.

By now, the initials are definitely known: FGCU. Write them down. Remember them.

The fans at the Wells Fargo Center got to know Florida Gulf Coast University quite well following wins over No. 2 Georgetown and No. 7 San Diego State in the NCAA Tournament.

These No. 15-seeded Eagles are on their way to Arlington, Texas, to face the third-seeded Florida Gators. For the first time in NCAA Tournament history, a No. 15 seed is headed for the Sweet 16.

“We’re FGCU,” coach Andy Enfield said. “Hopefully by now, they’re learning these initials.”

They sure are.

FGCU’s players are having fun, high-fiving, celebrating with bird dances on the bench. And they’re winning on the biggest stage.

“I grew up about 20 minutes from FGCU,” said senior forward Eddie Murray. “I chose FGCU and stayed along for the ride when coach Enfield came along. Did I think we’d be in this position? That’s hard to fathom. I could see us getting better and we still are. I think we have a team where everyone gets along.

“The coaches have a lot of trust and confidence in us and it’s been paying off. We want it to continue as long as we can. We got here through hard work and even though we’re having fun and joking around, believe me, the work is being put in.”

When you’re winning, you can do all the bird dances you want.

“I know I can say for all the players, this was the biggest game for us (because) none of us have played on this stage,” point guard Brett Comer said after dishing out 14 assists. “We are blessed to be here.”

They belong on this stage after busting up brackets throughout the country. Florida could be next.

“We’re not thinking about the next game yet because we’re still enjoying this one,” said forward Chase Fieler. “We’ll take the night and enjoy this and get ready for the next one. This is awesome. We’re going to enjoy every minute of this. We have to because so much has gone into it with our program. We’ve have come so far so fast. We want to keep going and I think that’s natural. But it’s also important to enjoy the moment.”

It’s also important to remember these initials. Who knows how far this group of players can go? This is uncharted territory for sure.

“It’s pretty surreal, but at the same time, we’ve earned it,” Murray said. “No one has given us anything along the way.”

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The name may not ring a bell, but chances are you recognize his on-court, and off-court, antics. He first burst onto the national scene during a win over Auburn, when he earned himself a trip to the foul line via a flop during a tie game with six seconds left and hit the winning free throws. He then proceeded to taunt the Auburn student section in epic fashion. (He has the famous photo of him being flipped off as the background on his Twitter profile. Because of course he does.)

Of course, that wasn’t all that created the Marshall Henderson legend. He proceeded to do the Gator chomp after a big 3-pointer in Gainesville.

But it’s his off-court antics which are really grabbing headlines during the NCAA tournament. After Ole Miss upset Wisconsin, Henderson went to a bar to celebrate in Kansas City.  This came after he was photographed celebrating his team’s SEC tournament title last weekend with a few adult beverages.

There are few athletes in the country who a coach would least like to have a Twitter account than Henderson. But he’s perfect for the medium. Though he does have a tendency to retweet women professing their love for him. Funny how that goes.

LeBron James tweeted about him during the Wisconsin game, when he was 6-of-21 from the field and 3-of-12 from behind the arc.

Man that dude Henderson from Ol Miss got the greenest light in basketball history!! Hahaha.

— LeBron James (@KingJames) March 22, 2013

It got a response from Henderson that was an all-time classic.

I SUCK AND GET A LEBRON TWEET!!! HAHAHAHA I DONT WANNA HEAR NOBODY SAY NOTHIN, IVE MADE IT!!!

— marshall henderson (@NativeFlash22) March 22, 2013

Yes, Marshall, you’ve made it.

Follow Metro New York Sports Editor Mark Osborne on Twitter @MetroNYSports. He feels like he could be really good at agitating opponents.

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Former Manhattan and Seton Hall head coach Bobby Gonzalez knows a thing or two about playing in the postseason. Twice named MAAC Coach of the Year, Gonzalez took his teams to two NCAA tournaments and three NIT appearances during an 11-year coaching career.

Currently, Gonzalez is a media figure doing interviews and providing analysis while coaching at the prestigious Five-Star Basketball Camps. He spoke to Metro about his thoughts on this year’s tournament.

Unlike last year when Kentucky was head and shoulders above the rest, there is no clear-cut favorite this year. Is this tournament wide open or will the top seeds still make a push?

I still believe there will be some upsets as always in the first few rounds but the deeper into the tourney we go the favorites and high seeds will prevail. If you look at the numbers, 30 of the last 34 national champs were a No. 1, No. 2 or No. 3 seed.

Has the Big 10 eclipsed the Big East and the ACC as the best conference?

Well, right now I do feel the Big 10 is the best conference, but the Big East did get eight bids which was the most [of any conference]. But with the conference realignment going on, I feel the ACC will be the best going forward.

Do you have an upset pick right now? Any team that will surprise and go deep?

My upset pick is Davidson over Marquette in the No. 3 versus No. 14 matchup. Also, I think UCLA will get knocked out early to Minnesota.

This year’s Cinderella will be St. Louis. I believe Syracuse will go on another run and at least get to the Sweet 16, maybe even the Elite 8.

Follow Kristian Dyer on Twitter @KristianRDyer.

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The NCAA tournament is becoming old hat for LIU Brooklyn. They just didn’t get any respect from the tournament selection committee because of it.

The Blackbirds won the NEC for the third straight season, but were relegated to the play-in round in Dayton, Ohio. They were given a No. 16 seed and will face CAA champions James Madison for the right to play East Region No. 1 seed Indiana.

The game will be on Wednesday at 6:40 p.m. on truTV.

They were a No. 15 seed against North Carolina in 2011 and a No. 16 seed against Michigan State last year. They dipped one rung lower this year with a spot in the play-in game.

But they aren’t going to be hopelessly outmanned if they do get a shot to face Indiana. They have NEC Player of the Year Jamal Olasewere (18.9 points and 8.9 rebounds per game) and C.J. Garner, who exploded for 31 points against Mount St. Mary’s in the conference tournament final.

Iona heads back to dance

The Gaels made it into last year’s Big Dance as literally the last team. This year they took care of business themselves by winning the MAAC.

To do so they had to eliminate local rival Manhattan. Next comes a big step up in competition as Iona secured a No. 15 seed and a matchup with West Region No. 2 Ohio State on Friday.

Last year they were placed in a play-in game, which they lost to BYU before the real dance even began. They have a different path now.

“This year, it’s a lot more meaningful,” senior and Harlem native Lamont “Momo” Jones told reporters after the MAAC title win. “If you told me nine months ago that this was going to be the case, I probably wouldn’t have believed it.”

Jones leads the team with 23 points per game. He’ll be matched up with Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year Aaron Craft in one of the best battles of the Round of 64.

Follow Metro New York Sports Editor Mark Osborne on Twitter @MetroNYSports.

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“Mad Men” isn’t my favorite show on TV, but it’s right up there. (I love you “Breaking Bad,” please don’t leave me.) And who doesn’t love the NCAA basketball tournament? The first four days — this upcoming Thursday through Sunday, if you hadn’t heard — are the best days of sport in the entire calendar year. It’s a veritable all-you-can-eat buffet of basketball.

The latest viral video to hit the interwebs is the video you see above, which blends “Mad Men” and March Madness in an absolutely terrific “supercut.”

OK, go ahead and watch now. (Yeah, you probably already did.)

I don’t know what Official Comedy is, but I salute you guys and gals for the effort it took to come up with all of these video clips. The best part is working all of the school names in. And granted the characters were just talking about the city/state, but working in this year’s mid-major darlings St. Louis and Mexico was a stroke of genius. Official Comedy has some real sports fans over there.

Also, should Virginia take their inclusion as a good sign? The Cavaliers are 21-11 and firmly on the bubble. They do have quality wins versus Duke and N.C. State and at Maryland and Wisconsin.

I’m going to go with the “March Mad Men” video over bracketologist Joe Lunardi any day of the week.

Follow Metro New York Sports Editor Mark Osborne on Twitter @MetroNYSports. You know Megan Draper will totally win the Sterling Cooper Draper pool just because she likes some stupid mascot.

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