Florida A&M 2007 NCAA Tournament Capsule

Florida A&M Rattlers - Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (21-13, 12-6)

Seed: #16 - West Region

Big Wins: 1/27 Delaware State (73-69), 3/7 at Hampton (61-58), 3/10 Delaware State (58-56)

Bad Losses: 1/15 NC A&T (78-82), 2/3 at Norfolk State (68-81), 2/12 NC A&T (82-90)

Last NCAA Appearance: 2004, First Round loss to Kentucky

Coach: Mike Gillespie (1-1 in 1 NCAA appearance)

Probable Florida A&M Starters:

• Ernest Maul, Junior, Guard, 4.9 ppg, 2.0 apg

• Brian Greene, Senior, Guard, 11.7 ppg, 2.3 apg, 7.4 rpg

• Leslie Robinson, Junior, Guard, 11.3 ppg, 2.4 rpg

• Darius Glover, Senior, Guard, 10.8 ppg, 5.8 rpg

• Rome Sanders, Senior, Center, 15.3 ppg, 5.9 rpg

Key Roleplayers for Florida A&M:

• Lamar Twitty, Sophomore, Guard, 5.8 ppg, 3.6 rpg

• Jon Mason, Junior, Guard, 5.8 ppg, 1.2 apg

• Joe Ballard, Sophomore, Guard, 3.5 ppg, 2.9 apg

• Akini Adkins, Junior, Forward, 4.0 ppg, 3.1 rpg

Why They Can Surprise:
Guard Brian Greene has had a tremendous senior season. He averages 11.7 points, 7.4 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.8 steals and will do whatever it takes to help the team prevail. Greene is not a major outside threat, but can hit the long ball enough to keep the defense honest.

Greene leads the team in rebounding, but what makes the Rattlers a quality rebounding team is the presence of Rome Sanders and Darius Glover under the basket. Sanders is the only true forward in the starting lineup and he will do his damage from the post. At 6-8 and 240 pounds, Sanders will use his big body to clear some room in the paint. Glover is undersized at 6-5, but he will fight hard in the paint. The versatile senior can be a liability on the defensive end, but he will use his strength to handle bigger opponents.

Why Florida A&M Can Disappoint:
FAMU commits over 18 turnovers per game and that has haunted them many times. Joe Ballard is the only player on the team that has a positive assist-to-turnover ratio.Ernest Maul averages 2.0 assists per game and, along with Ballard, needs to be more effective handling and distributing the ball. The other glaring problem is at the freethrow line. Sanders shoots a decent 76.1% from the line, but Greene and Glover, who both get to the line at least four times a game,shoot under 60%.

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Who To Watch:
Leslie Robinson has become a great scoring option for Florida A&M in his first year in the program. The junior college transfer makes three shots per game from behind the arc. Occasionally the 6-0 Rockford, IL native will get to the basket, but he will spend most of his time hovering behind the arc. While he does shoot a good 38.5% from long range, Robinson is a streaky shooter and can have his fair share of bad games. However, when the shot is falling, Robinson is a dangerous, dangerous shooter.

By the Numbers:

Scoring Offense: 70.5 (138th in nation, 2nd in conference)

Scoring Defense: 70.3 (208, 5)

Field-Goal Percentage: 45.0 (142, 3)

Field-Goal Defense: 42.0 (91, 1)

Free-Throw Percentage: 66.8 (234, 4)

Rebound Margin: 3.6 (61, 1)

Assists Per Game: 13.6 (150, 1)

Turnovers Per Game: 17.9 (316, 10)

Joel’s Bracket Says: Opening Round loss to Niagara

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