Johnson, 19, was taken to the Leon County Jail. He faces charges of filing a false report to law enforcement and making false official statements. Both charges are misdemeanors. "During the course of the investigation, he decided to confess to committing the act," FAMU Police Chief Calvin Ross said Friday evening. Johnson's mother, Mina Forte-Ferguson, told the Tallahassee Democrat and FAMU authorities Thursday that three men rushed in her son's room at Gibbs Hall about 4 a.m. Tuesday and pushed him on the bed. Forte-Ferguson then said the intruders wrote "Mike + football = death" on his mirror, television and refrigerator. Johnson's parents returned to Durham, N.C. following several meetings on campus, including one with head football coach Joe Taylor.

And a reader reminds us that this is the same FAMU that once featured Mike Gillespie Sr., the head men's basketball coach who was jailed for stalking. Nice.

FAMU PD: Quarterback Jailed After Making Up Attack Story [Tallahassee Democrat]

Gillespie Sr., head basketball coach of the Florida A&M Rattlers, has successfully rattled some poor woman. Having been investigated for stalking since 2005, he was arrested yesterday on stalking charges after a woman said she was stalked at work Friday morning.

Gillespie is married, but the AP article doesn't go into detail about the motives for his stalking. I can't be sure if this is a woman to whom he wanted to show his rattler, or if he was trying to interest her in some of the fabulous Florida A&M season ticket packages. Whatever he was doing, he has to do now while subject to GPS monitoring.

Florida A&M men's basketball coach released after arrest on stalking charge [Ocala.com]

Well, the NCAA Tournament kinda starts tonight, with the much-anticipated Florida A&M-Niagara matchup. Winner earns the right to knock Bill Self's toupee off his head come Friday. We enjoy this game every year, but other than Dan Shanoff, we might be the only one. (Even people in Dayton don't like it.)

Our favorite part of the Play-In game is that, for official records, it is an actual game, which is why Monmouth has won more NCAA tourney games over the last two years than Kansas. And, if you believe the NCAA tournament chair, it's not for two black teams.

Anyway, enjoy. We're rooting for Florida A&M, even though the mascot wrote our preview.

NCAA Pants Party: Florida A&M Vs. Niagara [Deadspin]
I Hate The Play-In Game [Flyers Fieldhouse]
How Can You Not Love The Play-In Game? [DanShanoff.com]

By the way, just to keep you entertained in case the game gets dull ...

We can't figure out if this makes us dislike him more. We're going with "yes.")

FLORIDA A&M RATTLERS

1. Currently holds the record for most racially offensive prior names. Originally established as the State Normal College for Colored Students; apparently, that was deemed to not effectively differentiate it from the rest of the state-run universities. So, the name was changed to Florida Agricultural and Mechanical College for Negroes. Somehow, white guilt infiltrated the state legislature, and the school is now known as just Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University.

2. The best year. Greatest basketball legend is the 1952 team known as the "FAMU Famed Final Four." No, it's not a reference to THAT final four. The team won the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference tourney despite playing the final five minutes and two overtimes with only four players after the rest of the team fouled out. The losing team, Alabama State, contemplated dropping basketball after the loss.

3. NBA Factory. FAMU has been a pipeline to the NBA over the years. Or, at least it has been for Jerome James, Clemon Johnson, Samuel Watts and Bob Williams, if you have ever heard of them. The greatest contribution the Rattlers have made to professional sports is that deliciously sexy milk chocolate drop Pam Oliver of Fox Sports. — Nation Of Islam Sports Blog

NIAGARA PURPLE EAGLES

1. We wear purple to stay neutral. MAAC Tournament MVP and freshman Tyrone Lewis was barred from his valedictorian speech at his High School in Levittown, Penn., because of a threat by the ever-popular Bloods. When his sister testified against the gang they shot at Tyrone's car, killing one of his friends after a school dance, and they threatened to get him during his graduation speech. His speech was given over closed-circuit feed from an undisclosed location. When the team traveled to Rider this year for an away game, Tyrone received a police escort from the arena to the team bus based on the high concentration of bloods in the area.

2. Not The First Time. We've been to the NCAA's twice before this, once with Calvin Murphy's team in 1970 and once with All-American Juan Mendez in 2005. In 2005 the school flipped out and NU was a huge story in the media based on its 35-year drought. Going to the NCAAs twice in three years (with an NIT bid the year before that) has been splendid. One more thing: There's no way we're a 16 seed. Jay Bilas said so!

3. Not Guilty, and We're Filthy. Back in August there was a scuffle between some basketball players and some baseball players, which lead to a concussion and some basketball suspensions. Team MVP Charron Fisher was suspended for eight games but the charges were ultimately dropped. During those games we went 2-6; since then we've gone 20-5, including a current 11-game win streak. In that time Fisher averaged 21 points per game and eight rebounds. Opposing fans enjoy singing the "Cops" theme song to our players, because they are completely misinformed. The players eat it up and use it as inspiration to play hard and quiet opposing fans.

Bonus Fact... I'm the Student Body President at the University and have attended every home game except two in my time at NU. To get to this weekend's tournament (since I was broke), I volunteered to wear the Purple Eagle costume and portray Monte the Eagle. That's right: This preview is being written by the mascot. — Eric Clingersmith

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