NCAA Tournament Picks 2016: First Four

East Region 16-seed: Florida Gulf Coast vs. Fairleigh Dickinson, Tuesday 6:40 p.m. ET

The opening First Four game will see Florida Gulf Coast vs. Fairleigh Dickinson.

Florida Gulf Coast is coming off winning the Atlantic Sun Conference tournament after finishing second during the regular season. They defeated Kennesaw State, North Florida and Stetson to earn a spot in the NCAA Tournament.

FGCU is no stranger to having to fight their way in the Big Dance. They came into the 2013 tournament as a No. 15 seed and faced the Georgetown Hoyas. They ended up defeating the No. 2 seed team by 78-68 in one of the more shocking results in recent history. Their run continued to the Sweet 16 where Florida defeated them.

To replicate that, FGCU will need junior big man Marc Eddy Norelia to dominate the paint with his low post scoring and attacking the glass.

Fairleigh Dickinson is coming off a Northeast Conference tournament victory after defeating Central Connecticut, St. Francis, Mount St. Mary’s and Wagner. They are led by sophomore guard Darian Anderson who is coming off a 28-point game in the tournament final.

The winner of this game will face No. 1 seed North Carolina on Thursday, which will be Florida Gulf Coast.

Prediction: Florida Gulf Coast 76, Fairleigh Dickinson 70

Next: Vanderbilt vs. Wichita State