Two Division I-A opponents in three weeks, and two wins for the Florida A&M Lady Rattlers, including last night’s upset victory over the University of Florida.
So how good are the Lady Rattlers? Clearly, they are physically on par with notable Division I programs, as their two victories have been in jumping out to leads and holding off late charges from their opponents. But they aren’t without flaws or difficulty. Point guard Deidra Jones, the MEAC’s third leading scorer, was injured in the late stages of the game against the Gators.
Additionally, the same Rattlers squad that holds an overtime win against South Florida and a close win against Florida, also won by just three points on the road against Savannah State. From the looks of stats alone, you could argue that the Rattlers, while super talented, may play up or down to their competition.
But forget all of that. Through this young season, the Lady Rattlers have proven themselves the most formidable black college basketball team nationwide, men’s or women’s. And if head coach LeDawn Gibson can get the team playing to a consistent level of performance against competition large and small, there’s a big chance the Lady Rattlers could be the talk of the basketball nation in March.
