TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (Interstat) — Two teams seeking momentum to open their conference schedules will meet Saturday when the Southern Jaguars visit the Florida A&M Rattlers in a SWAC men’s basketball matchup.

The game, set for Jan. 10, 2026, at the Alfred Lawson, Jr. Multipurpose Center, pits struggling squads looking to move above .500 in league play. Southern (5-10) is coming off a narrow 89-85 home loss to Prairie View on Monday. Florida A&M (3-9) fell 87-83 at Bethune-Cookman last Saturday.

A key matchup will feature Southern’s high-scoring guard Michael Jacobs against Florida A&M’s versatile forward Micah Octave. Jacobs has been on a remarkable offensive tear, averaging 22 points over his last four games. He poured in 30 points in the loss to Prairie View and 27 in a win over Texas Southern on Jan. 3.

Octave provides a different threat for the Rattlers, coming off a near double-double with 11 points and nine rebounds against Bethune-Cookman. He will be central to Florida A&M’s efforts to control the paint and the glass.

Both programs have faced challenging non-conference slates. Southern’s 10 losses include defeats to power conference opponents Illinois and Baylor, as well as a double-overtime thriller at Washington. Florida A&M’s schedule featured road games against Georgia Tech, TCU and UCF.

The Rattlers will aim to protect their home court, where they are 3-2 this season with wins over Jacksonville and Albany State. Southern is 1-7 in true road games, with its sole victory coming at Northwestern State in November.

Saturday’s contest represents an early opportunity for either team to establish a positive trajectory in the SWAC standings. The Jaguars will look to Jacobs to ignite their offense, while the Rattlers will rely on Octave’s all-around play and home-court advantage to secure a conference victory.