THE HILL | The Alabama A&M University men's basketball team tips off the 2026-27 season on Monday, welcoming crosstown opponent Oakwood University to the AAMU Event Center. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m., with live coverage on SWAC TV.
 
The Bulldogs begin their second season under head coach Donte' Jackson with heightened expectations after being selected third in the Southwestern Athletic Conference preseason poll. Alabama A&M collected 143 points in the voting, finishing behind preseason favorite Bethune-Cookman and second-place Southern.
 
AAMU returns a pair of Preseason All-SWAC Second Team selections in guard Sami Pissis and guard/forward James Graham III, providing the Bulldogs with experienced scoring and playmaking entering the new campaign.
 
Pissis averaged 10.4 points, 4.0 assists, 3.2 rebounds and 1.2 steals last season. He totaled a team-leading 120 assists while committing 54 turnovers, producing a 2.2 assist-to-turnover ratio.
 
Graham averaged 10.3 points and 4.0 rebounds, shooting 48.8 percent from the field and 39.1 percent from beyond the arc. He appeared in 27 games with 22 starts and delivered 18 points against Prairie View A&M in the SWAC Tournament semifinals.
 
Junior guard Bilal Abdur-Rahman also returns after appearing in 30 games last season. He averaged 4.7 points and 1.5 assists while recording 45 assists against just 10 turnovers.
 
Abdur-Rahman paced Alabama A&M with 15 points in its exhibition opener against Samford on Oct. 13, adding three assists, two rebounds and one steal. Devin Brown contributed nine points and 11 rebounds, while Graham and Diovion Famakinde added eight points apiece in the 71-61 setback at Boutwell Memorial Auditorium in Birmingham.
 
Oakwood begins a new chapter under head coach Wooderson Durosier, who was named to lead his alma mater in August. Durosier played for the Ambassadors from 2015-19 and was part of two national championship teams during his collegiate career.
 
The matchup opens a two-game homestand for Alabama A&M. Following Monday's opener, the Bulldogs host Mississippi University for Women at 7 p.m. on Friday at the AAMU Event Center.
 
For complete coverage of Alabama A&M Athletics — the Rocket City's only Division I program — visit aamusports.com. Follow the Bulldogs on Instagram (@aamuathletics), Facebook (aamubulldogathletics), X (@_aamuathletics) and TikTok (@aamuathletics).