HUNTSVILLE ^__ Alabama A&M men's basketball returns home this week to host their final two home games of the year.

The Bulldogs take on Grambling State Thursday at 7:30 p.m. and Jackson State on Saturday for Senior Night scheduled for a 6 p.m. tip in Elmore Gymnasium. Alabama A&M has secured the eighth seed in the conference, clinching a berth to the conference tournament starting next Tuesday.

The Bulldogs (7-20, 4-12 SWAC) are coming off of a tough stretch in Houston last week, falling to Texas Southern on Saturday and Prairie View on Monday night. Alabama A&M has clinched a SWAC Tournament bid for the first time since the 2015-16 season. A&M is currently first in the conference in fewest turnovers at 12.6 per game and is top five in three-point field goals per game and turnover margin. Freshman guard Cameron Alford leads the team in scoring and rebounding, with 13.4 points and 5.7 rebounds per game. Guard Garrett Hicks is averaging 10.5 points and is coming off a season-tying 18 point outing against Prairie View, while Cameron Tucker is in the top 10 in the SWAC in minutes per game with 30.3, and fourth in assists per game at 3.5.

Grambling (16-13, 10-6 SWAC) is on a three-game winning streak coming into Thursday's game, with their last game being an 81-61 win over Mississippi Valley State. The Tigers have two players averaging double figures on the year, led by forward Devante Jackson who leads the team in scoring (13.3 points) and is second in rebounds (5.4) per game. Senior guard Ivy Smith is the other double-digit scorer (12.2 points) and leads the team in assists (5.2) per contest. The Tigers lead the SWAC in numerous categories, including field goal percentage (.456), field goal percentage defense (.414) and rebounding margin (3.3), while being second in scoring margin (3.2) and assists per game (13.4). Alabama A&M aims to split the series with Grambling after falling 70-60 in the first conference game of the season on the road.

Jackson State (12-17, 9-7 SWAC) is coming off a Senior Night win of their own as they cruised past Arkansas-Pine Bluff 76-56 on Monday, and have won two in a row coming into Saturday's matchup. The Tigers have the second leading scorer in the conference in junior guard Tristan Jarret, averaging 17.4 points, 3.4 rebounds and a team-high 1.4 steals per game and senior wing Roland Griffin, adding 16.0 points per contest and 6.4 rebounds per game. The game pits the top two teams in the SWAC in taking care of the ball, with A&M turning the ball over only 12.6 times per forty minutes and Jackson State close behind at 12.8. The Tigers also lead the conference in turnover margin, while being second in blocks at 3.76 and steals 8.21 per contest. The Bulldogs are looking to sweep the season series between the two teams after winning on the road in Jackson 66-57 earlier in the year.

Up Next
After the two-game home stint, the Bulldogs will travel back to Prairie View for the opening round matchup of the SWAC Tournament on Tuesday, Mar. 10.

For more information on the A&M men's basketball team, follow the Bulldogs on Twitter (@Bulldogs_Hoops) and Instagram (@Bulldogs_Hoops). For more on all Bulldogs sports teams, follow the official social media accounts of AAMU Athletics on Twitter (@AAMUBulldogs), Facebook (Facebook.com/aamubulldogs) and Instagram (@AAMUathletics).