Preview: Florida A&M Rattlers at Southern Jaguars BATON ROUGE, La. (Interstat) — A pivotal late-season SWAC men’s basketball matchup tips off Thursday afternoon when the Southern Jaguars host the Florida A&M Rattlers at the Clark Activity Center. Both teams enter the contest looking to build momentum for the conference tournament. Southern (13-14, 9-5 SWAC) sits above .500 in league play and is coming off an 87-73 home victory over Grambling on Feb. 21. The Jaguars have won five of their last seven games. Florida A&M (11-15, 7-7 SWAC) snapped a two-game skid with a 76-63 win over Alabama State on Feb. 21. The Rattlers have been inconsistent, alternating wins and losses over their past six contests. The game features a compelling backcourt showdown. Southern is led by guard AJ Barnes, who is averaging 17.4 points over his last five games. He scored a season-high 22 points in the win over Grambling. For the Rattlers, guard Antonio Baker has been a key scorer, averaging 12.6 points per game in February. He led the team with 19 points in the recent victory over Alabama State. Southern holds a narrow edge in the standings, but Florida A&M won the season’s first meeting, 67-59, at home on Jan. 10. The Jaguars will aim to defend their home court and split the season series. Southern’s recent success has been fueled by offensive balance. In the win over Grambling, Michael Jacobs dished out eight assists and Terrance Dixon added 12 points and three blocks alongside Barnes’ 22-point effort. Florida A&M relies on Baker and Jordan Chatman, who scored 14 points against Alabama State. The Rattlers will need to improve their road performance, where they are 4-9 this season. Tipoff is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. EST. The game is part of a tight SWAC schedule as teams jockey for seeding ahead of the conference tournament next month.