On Wednesday, the Florida A&M Rattlers (14-16) face off against the Jackson State Tigers (14-17) at the Gateway Center in College Park, Georgia in the quarterfinal of the SWAC Tournament. Get ready for the college basketball season with our college basketball picks.

Jackson State comes into this matchup on a six-game winning streak. In a closely contested game, the Jackson State Tigers secured a 66-62 victory over Mississippi Valley State, with Shannon Grant emerging as a standout performer by contributing an impressive 24 points. This season, Daeshun Ruffin has been the leading scorer for Jackson State, boasting an average of 15 points per game. Following closely behind is Shannon Grant, whose consistent performance has earned him the position of the team’s second-highest scorer, with an average of 10.8 points per game. On the defensive end, Romelle Mansel has been a crucial asset for the Tigers, dominating the boards with an average of 7 rebounds per game, which places him at the top of the team’s rebounding statistics. Furthermore, Mansel has demonstrated his versatility by leading Jackson State in the playmaking department as well, dishing out an average of 4.2 assists per game. In terms of scoring trends, the Tigers have put up an average of 73.6 points across their last five matchups. This recent scoring surge contributes to their overall average of 71.3 points per game for the season.

Florida A&M enters this game on a one-game winning streak, but has lost three of their last five games. In a nail-biting matchup against Bethune-Cookman, the Florida A&M Rattlers narrowly lost 76-75, with Milton Matthews delivering a standout performance by scoring 21 points. Throughout this season, Sterling Young has been the top scorer for Florida A&M, boasting an impressive average of 17 points per game. Not far behind, Milton Matthews has proven to be a key player as the team's second-highest scorer, maintaining an average of 14.4 points per game. Additionally, Tyler Shirley has emerged as the Rattlers' leading force on the boards, grabbing an average of 4.3 rebounds per game. When it comes to facilitating the offense, Roderick Coffee III stands out with an average of 3.1 assists per game, demonstrating strong playmaking skills. Defensively, before securing a victory over Prairie View A&M, Florida A&M had a rough patch, conceding an average of 70.8 points in their preceding five games. Offensively, the Rattlers have managed to score an average of 68.3 points per game throughout the season.

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