TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - The 2023-24 season comes to an end Saturday as the Wildcats battle for SWAC seeding against the lowly Rattlers of Florida A&M. Tipoff in the season finale is set for Saturday, March 9 at 4 p.m.

The Wildcats, having already clinched their best record and SWAC finish in the tenure of head coach Reggie Theus, can jump as high as the four seed, or fall as low as the sixth seed, depending on the results of the rest of the conference Saturday. 



Saturday, March 8
Opponent:  Florida A&M (6-22, 4-13 SWAC)
Time: 4 p.m. EST
Location: Tallahassee, Fla. | Al Lawson Center
Watch: https://famuathletics.com/showcase?Live=91
Listen: Youtube.com/cateyenetwork
Live Stats: https://famuathletics.com/sidearmstats/mbball/summary




The Wildcats went toe-to-toe with SWAC-leading Grambling State, but the Tigers outlasted Bethune-Cookman in the penultimate contest of the 2023-24 regular season, Monday night at the Frederick C. Hobdy Assembly Center.

Reggie Ward Jr.'s jump shot at the 14-minute mark tied Bethune Cookman and Grambling State at 10-10 before an 11- 4 run put the Tigers in front early. 

B-CU battled right back, cutting things to within one on a Dhashon Dyson three-ball that made it 21-20. Grambling made it a 9-point game on a Mikale Stevenson dunk with a minute to play in the half, settling for a six-point lead heading into the break. 

The Tigers emerged from the break on a 9-4 run to make it 44-33. After over three minutes of scoreless ball from both sides, the Tigers reached the 50-point mark on a Jonathan Aku jumper that made it 37-50. 

The Cats trailed by as many as 17 in the second half. A 15-9 run made things manageable at 66-58, but with only a minute to play, Grambling State finished off the 69-60 win. 



The Wildcats bested the Rattlers at Moore Gymnasium back on Jan. 6 to open SWAC conference play. B-CU jumped in front thanks to a 34-10 run that made it a 54-33 at half - a lead FAMU could not recover from. 

Dhashon Dyson scored 30 for B-CU, while Zion Harmon put up a 14-10 double-double in the win. 

The Rattlers have won just four SWAC games in the months since. FAMU ranks only above one-win Mississippi Valley State in overall offense and scoring margin in the SWAC. They are ninth in the conference in defense, allowing 77 points per game. 

They are shooting 43 percent as a team from the field, and 34 percent from three.

Keith Lamar leads the Rattlers offensively, scoring 14 points per game. He also leads FAMU in rebounding, grabbing five boards per contest. Shannon Grant is the only other Rattler in the SWAC's top 25 in scoring, averaging just over 10 points per game.



Saturday will be the 174th meeting in the historic rivalry between B-CU and FAMU. The Rattlers lead the all-time series, 99-74, but B-CU has won three straight, with a second consecutive season sweep in their sights. 


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