Colleges

On periphery yet in spotlight

Florida A&M does not relish meeting Niagara just for the right to be a 16 seed.

By KYLE NAGEL
Published March 13, 2007

DAYTON, Ohio - Mike Gillespie Sr., the tall, gray-haired Florida A&M coach, took a large step onto the interview table stage at UD Arena.

Told there were steps, he responded, "I'm a young 55."

Still, it has been a long few days for FAMU, the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference champion which will play Niagara tonight in the NCAA Tournament's preliminary round (most call it play-in) game.

After winning the conference title Saturday, the Rattlers had a 4 a.m. wake-up call on Sunday to fly home from Raleigh, N.C.

The players and coaches met for dinner and watched the tournament selection show Sunday evening before waking up at 4:30 a.m. Monday and flying to Dayton. "We," Gillespie said, "are extremely fatigued."

But, in the tournament. Sort of. Both teams talked Monday about disappointment at being in this game despite winning conference championships.

"If we're the 65th best team in this tournament this year, that surprises me," Gillespie said.

"We feel disrespected," Niagara forward Charron Fisher said.

The MEAC second seed, FAMU (21-13) topped No. 1 seed Delaware State 58-56 in Saturday's league final when senior Brian Greene plopped in an inbounds ally-oop pass from teammate Lamar Twitty at the buzzer.

That gave the Rattlers seven wins in their past eight games after a 1-5 start (which included losses to Maryland, Illinois and Bradley). Gillespie characterized the team as being focused on the inside game and tough with its zone defense. Rome Sanders, a 6-foot-8, 240-pound senior center, leads the team in scoring (15.3 points a game), followed by Greene (11.7) and junior guard L.C. Robinson (11.3).

"We met at my apartment last April and came together for this season," said Darius Glover, a 6-5 senior forward who averages 10.8 points and 5.8 rebounds.

FAMU is making its fourth NCAA Tournament appearance since 1991. In 2004, the Rattlers won the play-in game before losing to Kentucky.

This time, the winner gets top-seeded Kansas in Chicago on Friday.

"It's a 65-team tournament." Sanders said. "We're ready to give people a show."

. TONIGHT

FAMU vs. Niagara

What: NCAA Tournament preliminary round game. The winner plays Kansas.

When/where: 7:30, Dayton, Ohio.

TV/radio: ESPN, 1010-AM

[Last modified March 13, 2007, 00:09:34]