TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Florida A&M Men's Basketball announced its 2026-27 schedule on Tuesday, a 32-game regular-season slate that opens with a matchup against in-city opponent Florida State. The schedule also includes a road game at Florida, the Chris Paul HBCU Classic in Washington, D.C., and 18 Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) contests.
 
Under the direction of second-year head coach Charlie Ward, Florida A&M is coming off a 15-16 season from 2025-26. The Rattlers went 11-7 in league play, and finished the home season at 8-4, respectfully.
 
The Rattlers play exhibition games at home against Warner (Fla.) on Tuesday, Oct. 13, and St. Leo (Fla.) on Tuesday, Oct. 27. The regular season begins Monday, Nov. 2, when FAMU faces Florida State in Tampa, Florida, at 8:30 p.m., inside Benchmark International Arena.
 
FAMU's regular-season home opener is Thursday, Nov. 5, against Fort Valley State.
 
The nonconference schedule continues with a noon game against Kansas City on Wednesday, Nov. 11, in St. Petersburg, Florida, as part of the Showdown in St. Pete event. The Orange and Green also travel to UAB (Nov. 9), UTEP (Nov. 15), UTSA (Nov. 18), South Alabama (Nov. 24) and Kennesaw State (Nov. 30, 7 p.m.), respectively.
 
The Rattlers participate in the Chris Paul HBCU Classic in Washington, D.C., against Norfolk State on Friday, Dec. 4, at 8:30 p.m., and Tennessee State on Saturday, Dec. 5, at 6 p.m. FAMU follows with three consecutive road games at Tulsa (Dec. 12), Saint Louis (Dec. 15) and Florida (Dec. 21) in Gainesville. They close the calendar year at home against Thomas (Ga.) on Wednesday, Dec. 30.
 
SWAC play begins Saturday, Jan. 2, at home against in-state opponent Bethune-Cookman. FAMU's first SWAC road games are at Southern University on Jan. 9 and Grambling State on Jan. 11. Home league affairs include Arkansas-Pine Bluff (Jan. 16), Mississippi Valley State (Jan. 18), Alabama A&M (Jan. 30) and Alabama State (Feb. 1).
 
The Rattlers host Jackson State on Saturday, Feb. 13, at 4 p.m., followed by Alcorn on Monday, Feb. 15. They also host Southern (La.) on Thursday, Feb. 25, and Grambling State on Saturday, Feb. 27. The regular season ends Thursday, March 4, at Bethune-Cookman in Daytona Beach.
 
The SWAC Tournament takes place March 8-13, in College Park, Georgia, at Gateway Center Arena at College Park.
 
Key dates
• Oct. 13: Exhibition vs. Warner (Fla.), Tallahassee
• Oct. 27: Exhibition vs. St. Leo (Fla.), Tallahassee
• Nov. 2: vs. Florida State, Tampa
• Nov. 5: Home opener vs. Fort Valley State, Tallahassee
• Dec. 4-5: Chris Paul HBCU Classic, Washington, D.C. (Norfolk State, Tennessee State)
• Dec. 21: at Florida, Gainesville
• Jan. 2: SWAC opener vs. Bethune-Cookman, Tallahassee
• Feb. 13: vs. Jackson State, Tallahassee, 4 p.m.
• March 4: Regular-season finale at Bethune-Cookman, Daytona Beach
• March 8-13: SWAC Tournament, College Park, Ga.
 
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