Wikiwand AI

2025–26 Florida A&M Rattlers basketball team

American college basketball season From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The 2025–26 Florida A&M Rattlers basketball team represented Florida A&M University during the 2025–26 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Rattlers, led by first-year head coach Charlie Ward, played their home games at the Al Lawson Center in Tallahassee, Florida as members of the Southwestern Athletic Conference.

ConferenceSouthwestern Athletic Conference
Record15–16 (11–7 SWAC)
Headcoach
Assistant coaches
  • Jarrod Lazarus
  • Rob Lewis
  • Gene Granger
Quick facts Florida A&M Rattlers basketball, ESPN HBCU Hoops Invitational champions ...
2025–26 Florida A&M Rattlers basketball
ESPN HBCU Hoops Invitational champions
ConferenceSouthwestern Athletic Conference
Record15–16 (11–7 SWAC)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
  • Jarrod Lazarus
  • Rob Lewis
  • Gene Granger
Home arenaAl Lawson Center
Seasons
← 2024–25
2026–27 →
Close
More information Conf., Overall ...
2025–26 SWAC men's basketball standings
Conf.Overall
TeamW L PCTW L PCT
Bethune–Cookman14–4 .77817–15  .531
Florida A&M11–7 .61115–16  .484
Southern11–7 .61117–17  .500
Texas Southern10–8 .55612–18  .400
Alabama A&M10–8 .55618–15  .545
Arkansas–Pine Bluff10–8 .55613–19  .406
Jackson State10–8 .55612–21  .364
Prairie View A&M †9–9 .50019–18  .514
Grambling State7–11 .38914–19  .424
Alabama State7–11 .38910–22  .313
Alcorn State7–11 .3899–23  .281
Mississippi Valley State2–16 .1113–30  .091
† 2026 SWAC tournament winner
Close

Previous season

The Rattlers finished the 2024–25 season 14–17, 10–8 in SWAC play to finish in seventh place.[1] In the SWAC tournament, they defeated Prairie View A&M in the first round, before falling to Jackson State in the quarterfinals.

On April 11, 2025, it was announced that head coach Patrick Crarey II would be accepting the head coaching position at Grambling State.[2] On April 15, the school announced the hiring of former NBA player and Heisman Trophy winner Charlie Ward as the team's next head coach.[3]

Preseason

On October 8, 2025, the SWAC released their preseason polls. Florida A&M was picked to finish eighth in the conference.[4]

Preseason rankings

More information Place, Team ...
SWAC Preseason Poll
Place Team Votes
1Bethune–Cookman232 (12)
2Southern214 (5)
3Jackson State208 (1)
4Alabama State183 (3)
5Texas Southern182
6Alabama A&M163
7Grambling State151
8Florida A&M115
9Prairie View A&M99
10Alcorn State74
11Arkansas–Pine Bluff70 (1)
12Mississippi Valley State25
(#) first-place votes
Close

Source:[4]

Preseason All-SWAC Teams

More information Team, Player ...
Preseason All-SWAC Team
Team Player Year Position
Second Jordan Chatman Senior Guard
Close

Source:[4]

Roster

More information Players, Coaches ...
2025–26 Florida A&M Rattlers men's basketball team
PlayersCoaches
Pos.#NameHeightWeightYearHometown
G 0 Lenard Taylor Jr. 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)195 lb (88 kg) Sr Baltimore, Maryland
G 1 Antonio Baker Jr. 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)190 lb (86 kg) Jr Savannah, Georgia
G 2 Jordan Chatman 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)210 lb (95 kg) Sr Birmingham, Alabama
G 3 Jaquan Sanders 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)180 lb (82 kg) Sr Far Rockaway, New York
G 4 Anquan Boldin Jr. 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)195 lb (88 kg) Jr Delray Beach, Florida
G 8 Amir Rahman 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)190 lb (86 kg) Fr Brentwood, Tennessee
F 10 Kaleb Washington 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)210 lb (95 kg) Sr Atlanta, Georgia
G 11 Micah Octave 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)185 lb (84 kg) Sr Boca Raton, Florida
G 12 Anthony Knowles 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)195 lb (88 kg) Fr Miami, Florida
G 13 Devere Palmer Jr. 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)185 lb (84 kg) Jr Queens, New York
G 14 Malcolm Stute 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)195 lb (88 kg) RS Fr Washington, D.C.
F 22 Tyler Shirley 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)210 lb (95 kg) RS Sr Atlanta, Georgia
C 34 Miles Ndalama 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)245 lb (111 kg) Jr Ndola, Zambia
F 55 Tuscan Onuoha 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)250 lb (113 kg) RS Jr Sydney, Australia
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster
Last update: November 17, 2025

Close

Schedule and results

More information Date time, TV, Rank# ...
Date
time, TV		 Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
city, state
Non-conference regular season
November 3, 2025*
8:50 p.m., ESPN+		 at South Florida L 67–102  0–1
  16 – Octave  8 – Octave  3 – Boldin Jr.  Yuengling Center (6,531)
Tampa, FL
November 8, 2025*
1:00 p.m., SWAC TV		 Kennesaw State L 72–92  0–2
  16 – Palmer Jr.  9 – Octave  3 – Tied  Al Lawson Center (704)
Tallahassee, FL
November 11, 2025*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+		 at UCF L 60–97  0–3
  12 – Knowles  6 – Ndalama  3 – Tied  Addition Financial Arena (10,057)
Orlando, FL
November 17, 2025*
6:30 p.m., SECN		 at Georgia L 57–87  0–4
  16 – Boldin Jr.  6 – Shirley  3 – Washington  Stegeman Coliseum (5,971)
Athens, GA
December 2, 2025*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+		 at Jacksonville L 82–85 OT 0–5
  20 – Sanders  5 – Tied  5 – Tied  Swisher Gymnasium (862)
Jacksonville, FL
December 5, 2025*
 vs. Barber–Scotia
ESPN HBCU Hoops Invitational Semifinals		 Canceled[5] State Farm Field House 
Orlando, FL
December 6, 2025*
3:30 p.m.		 vs. Florida Memorial
ESPN HBCU Hoops Invitational Championship		 W 60–58  1–5
  12 – Washington  12 – Shirley  3 – Tied  State Farm Field House (348)
Orlando, FL
December 15, 2025*
7:00 p.m.		 Albany State W 93–77  2–5
  25 – Chatman  6 – Tied  7 – Baker Jr.  Al Lawson Center (602)
Tallahassee, FL
December 17, 2025*
7:00 p.m.		 Jacksonville W 72–65  3–5
  17 – Baker Jr.  6 – Tied  3 – Tied  Al Lawson Center (791)
Tallahassee, FL
December 19, 2025*
8:00 p.m., ESPN+		 at Tarleton L 54–78  3–6
  17 – Chatman  5 – Boldin Jr.  3 – Shirley  EECU Center (811)
Stephenville, TX
December 21, 2025*
4:00 p.m., ESPN+		 at TCU L 56–80  3–7
  16 – Sanders  5 – Tied  5 – Sanders  Schollmaier Arena (4,962)
Fort Worth, TX
December 28, 2025*
3:30 p.m., ACCNX		 at Georgia Tech L 65–89  3–8
  21 – Washington  5 – Tied  4 – Sanders  McCamish Pavilion (5,967)
Atlanta, GA
SWAC regular season
January 3, 2026
5:30 p.m.		 at Bethune–Cookman L 83–87  3–9
(0–1)		  22 – Sanders  9 – Octave  3 – Tied  Moore Gymnasium (864)
Daytona Beach, FL
January 10, 2026
7:00 p.m.		 Southern W 67–59  4–9
(1–1)		  17 – Shirley  8 – Octave  3 – Tied  Al Lawson Center (1,005)
Tallahassee, FL
January 12, 2026
7:00 p.m.		 Grambling State W 91–84  5–9
(2–1)		  24 – Sanders  8 – Octave  4 – Tied  Al Lawson Center (901)
Tallahassee, FL
January 17, 2026
6:30 p.m.		 at Arkansas–Pine Bluff W 71–67  6–9
(3–1)		  18 – Sanders  8 – Octave  7 – Octave  H.O. Clemmons Arena (2,423)
Pine Bluff, AR
January 19, 2026
8:00 p.m.		 at Mississippi Valley State W 62–48  7–9
(4–1)		  16 – Sanders  9 – Baker Jr.  6 – Sanders  Harrison HPER Complex (167)
Itta Bena, MS
January 24, 2026
6:00 p.m.		 Alcorn State W 66–58  8–9
(5–1)		  17 – Ndalama  6 – Tied  7 – Sanders  Al Lawson Center (1,101)
Tallahassee, FL
January 26, 2026
7:00 p.m.		 Jackson State L 65–66  8–10
(5–2)		  17 – Washington  5 – Tied  4 – Sanders  Al Lawson Center (1,005)
Tallahassee, FL
January 31, 2026
5:00 p.m.		 at Alabama A&M L 65–72  8–11
(5–3)		  16 – Shirley  9 – Shirley  3 – Shirley  AAMU Event Center (4,988)
Huntsville, AL
February 2, 2026
7:00 p.m.		 at Alabama State L 66–79  8–12
(5–4)		  22 – Shirley  13 – Octave  3 – Sanders  Dunn–Oliver Acadome (1,324)
Montgomery, AL
February 7, 2026
6:00 p.m.		 Texas Southern L 57–62  8–13
(5–5)		  18 – Octave  10 – Octave  2 – Tied  Al Lawson Center (1,080)
Tallahassee, FL
February 9, 2026
7:00 p.m.		 Prairie View A&M W 100–96  9–13
(6–5)		  15 – Washington  9 – Tied  7 – Sanders  Al Lawson Center (903)
Tallahassee, FL
February 14, 2026
3:30 p.m.		 at Jackson State L 60–80  9–14
(6–6)		  16 – Octave  6 – Octave  3 – Tied  Williams Assembly Center (945)
Jackson, MS
February 16, 2026
8:00 p.m.		 at Alcorn State W 86–78  10–14
(7–6)		  17 – Sanders  7 – Chatman  8 – Sanders  Davey Whitney Complex (508)
Lorman, MS
February 19, 2026
8:30 p.m.		 Alabama A&M L 61–63  10–15
(7–7)		  23 – Shirley  10 – Octave  7 – Sanders  Al Lawson Center (1,205)
Tallahassee, FL
February 21, 2026
6:00 p.m.		 Alabama State W 76–63  11–15
(8–7)		  19 – Baker Jr.  14 – Octave  6 – Sanders  Al Lawson Center (1,501)
Tallahassee, FL
February 26, 2026
8:30 p.m.		 at Southern W 82–71  12–15
(9–7)		  25 – Shirley  10 – Chatman  10 – Sanders  F. G. Clark Center (5,123)
Baton Rouge, LA
February 28, 2026
5:30 p.m.		 at Grambling State W 66–59  13–15
(10–7)		  16 – Sanders  8 – Shirley  4 – Shirley  Fredrick C. Hobdy Assembly Center (1,577)
Grambling, LA
March 5, 2026
7:30 p.m.		 Bethune–Cookman W 81–77  14–15
(11–7)		  18 – Sanders  11 – Octave  2 – Tied  Al Lawson Center (3,100)
Tallahassee, FL
SWAC tournament
March 11, 2026
8:30 p.m., ESPN+		 (2) vs. (7) Jackson State
Quarterfinals		 W 70–60  15–15
  14 – Baker Jr.  10 – Octave  4 – Tied  Gateway Center Arena (1,274)
College Park, GA
March 13, 2026
8:30 p.m., ESPN+		 (2) vs. (3) Southern
Semifinals		 L 70–73  15–16
  16 – Shirley  9 – Octave  6 – Baker Jr.  Gateway Center Arena (2,782)
College Park, GA
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Eastern.
Close

Sources:[6][7]

References

Related Articles

Timelines

Top Qs

Fact Checks