LIVINGSTON, Ala. - The University of West Alabama Men's Basketball team will continue their three-game road trip this weekend, traveling to Valdosta, GA on Saturday for a 3:00 PM CST matchup against the Valdosta State Blazers before a matchup against West Florida on Monday at 6:00 PM.

West Alabama (9-8, 5-6 GSC) enters their matchup against Valdosta State (15-2, 10-1 GSC) after falling, 79-52, to Alabama Huntsville last Saturday. The Blazers come in as the 11th ranked team in the nation after extending their win streak to nine with a 97-87 win over AUM on Saturday. As for West Florida (5-12, 4-7 GSC), they come into Monday's matchup off the heels of an upset road win over Montevallo, 68-64, last weekend.

Currently standing at sixth in the conference and averaging 70.7 points while allowing a league-best 69.0 points per game, UWA enters an important stretch in their season. During this stretch, the Tigers will be without Rasean Frederick for foreseeable future after he suffered a knee injury in Saturday's game against Alabama Huntsville. With Frederick out, West Alabama will need one of their bigs to emerge with the spotlight now shining on players such as Caleb McGill, Michael McIntosh, and Dadrevius Weathers. McGill has been a starter alongside Frederick for majority of the year and has a different skill set than the Tigers' second leading scorer. McGill is arguably the most talented passer on the team while also being able to stretch the floor with his ability to knock down the three ball, making him a tough player to gameplan for at times.

As for McIntosh, he was a starter to begin the season and saw his minutes and usage drop with the emergence of Frederick. McIntosh is a solid finisher around the rim and remains one of UWA's best rebounders while Weathers brings a wealth of athleticism that make him viable candidate for an uptick in minutes. Thaddeus Williams still stands as the Tigers' leading scorer with 15.3 points per game but West Alabama needs a consistent scorer to emerge next to him, especially heading into a hostile environment such as Valdosta State.

After a disappointing 2023-24 campaign, the Blazers have put together a special 2024-25 season thus far, bringing a 15-2 record and a No.11 ranking into Saturday's matchup. VSU plays a brand of basketball that is hard to prepare for. The Blazers will press for all 40 minutes and will constantly look to turn you over to get fast break points on the other end. This style of play has led to Valdosta State leading the GSC and ranking seventh in the country in points per game with 93.9 while forcing their opponents to turn the ball over 20.2 times per game which also leads leads the conference and ranks seventh in the nation. 

Carlos Hart, Braxton Williams, and Drew Mills are all averaging in double figures for the Blazers with Hart putting himself in Player of the Year contention, by averaging 17.9 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 4.4 assists per game on 48.4 percent shooting. Williams is right behind him with 16.0 points and 4.4 rebounds per game while Mills is pouring in 13.3 points and 4.5 rebounds per game, creating a talented and athletic trio for VSU.

For West Florida, they're averaging 71.4 points and allowing 76.6 points through their first 17 games. In the first meeting between UWA and UWF, West Alabama put on a defensive clinic, holding the Argonauts to 56 points to secure an eight point win. 

Shay Davis and Elijah Wyche are the Argos' leading scorers with Davis leading the way with 13.4 points per game. Davis, a 6'0" guard, comes into Monday's matchup after scoring 20 or more points in two is his last three contests. Wyche, on the other hand, is a 6'6" combo forward that's averaging 11.1 points and 4.8 rebounds per game. Wyche has scored in double figures in each of his last three games but similar to West Alabama, West Florida needs another consistent scorer to emerge if they want to beat the Tigers on Monday and start a push to a GSC Tournament appearance.

Tip-off for Saturday's matchup against Valdosta State is set for 3:00 p.m. CST while Monday's game against West Florida is set for 6:00 p.m.