Head coach Charlie Ward and the Florida A&M men’s basketball team will once again face Florida State, this time in a regular-season showdown as part of the inaugural Orion180 Tip-Off Classic on Nov. 2.
Last season, the Rattlers opened their campaign with an exhibition game against Ward’s alma mater. Rather than waiting another 34 years for a rematch, the two programs will meet again less than a year later on one of college basketball’s biggest opening-night stages.
Ward has a unique connection to the rivalry. He was a member of the Florida State basketball team in 1991 when a game between the two schools ended in a highly publicized melee. Today, both universities are pleased to have moved beyond that chapter and are focused on renewing a competitive and respectful in-state rivalry.
In 2025, the programs met in a preseason exhibition game to reignite the once-friendly crosstown matchup. During that contest, Florida State retired Ward’s No. 12 basketball jersey, making him the only athlete in Seminole history to have his jersey retired in two sports. His Heisman Trophy-winning No. 17 football jersey was retired in 1993.
Ward is eager to bring his Rattlers back to the spotlight
“Just to have the opportunity again in a different setting to rekindle the game between FSU and FAMU…I was thinking about how did we make it here.,” Ward said. “It’s like that young man or young woman that is waiting for his or her name to be called and you see everyone else get picked. You’re standing there waiting and waiting, hoping to get chosen. I felt like we were that team. But, the thing that you want as a coach and as an athlete is just an opportunity. You want a chance.”
The Orion180 Tip-Off Classic will feature a showcase of Florida basketball, pairing Florida A&M against Florida State and the University of Florida against the University of Miami. The event will be held at Benchmark International Arena in Tampa, Florida, and televised nationally across ESPN networks, including ESPNU and ESPN2.
The doubleheader brings together four of the state’s premier basketball programs in what is expected to be one of the marquee opening-night events of the 2026 college basketball season.
Ward joked about an awkward moment from exhibition meeting with the Seminoles
“I am grateful that you all have given us this opportunity, a chance to be on this stage opening night playing against my alma mater. Hopefully this time I don’t get a technical foul during the game.”
Ward was referring to a technical foul he received during last year’s contest. The comment drew laughs from those in attendance and reminded many of his memorable postgame exchange with reporters following that game.
A reporter asked Ward what he said to the referee after receiving the technical foul.
Ward replied, “I said c’mon man, can you not give me a technical on the night they retired my jersey?”
The response sent the media room into laughter.
The highly anticipated doubleheader is expected to generate tremendous excitement among basketball fans across Florida. Defending national champion Florida, ranked No. 1 entering the 2026 season, will take on the No. 21-ranked Miami Hurricanes at 6 p.m. The nightcap between Florida A&M and Florida State will follow at 8:30 p.m.
Tickets for the event are scheduled to go on sale in June.