LIVINGSTON, Ala. - The University of West Alabama Men's Basketball team is set for a colossal battle against the UAH Chargers on Saturday at 4:00 p.m.
No. 9 West Alabama (15-1, 10-0 GSC) enters Saturday's matchup against UAH (12-4, 7-3 GSC) after a big time win against Montevallo on the road last Saturday. As for the Chargers, they enter Saturday's play after a 100-66 win against AUM.
Led by a tenacious defense and a balanced offensive attack, UWA boasts a 15-1 record and a No. 9 ranking, both being the best marks in school history. The Tigers are one of the best defensive teams in the country as they hold teams to 60.7 points per game and 38.5 percent shooting, ranking in the top-10 in both categories nationally.
Christian Thompson anchors West Alabama's defense. The Forward has earned the reputation of being one of the top bigs in the nation, sitting third in the country in rebounds with 10.8 per game and top-50 in blocks with 1.5 per game. Thompson is a gifted low-post defender and alters a plethora of shots in the paint every game. Offensively, the junior is a lob threat and gets a lot of his points from drop off passes and putbacks. Thompson comes into Saturday's contest against the Chargers with seven double-doubles to his name, the 15th most in Division II.
Alongside Thompson, BJ Brown Jr., Elliot Tulip, Caleb Parr, and Rasean Frederick are also top two-way players in the league. Brown Jr. runs the Tigers' offense, averaging 10.4 points and 5.8 assists per game while collecting 1.8 steals per contest. Tulip is West Alabama's leading scorer and enters the weekend playing the best basketball of his career. The sophomore averaged 15.5 points this past week in wins against AUM and Montevallo, with a game-high 23 points coming against the Falcons. The Guard is now averaging 11.7 points on 48 | 48 | 91 percent shooting splits. Tulip's 48 percent three-point percentage is the seventh highest mark in the country.
Parr is arguably the Tigers' best wing defender and gives head coach Nick Woodruff consistent scoring on the other end. The junior is third on the team with 11.2 points per game on 51.1 percent shooting. As for Frederick, he does his work inside the three-point line. The Forward has some of the best footwork in the league, leading to 11.3 points per game on 49.6 percent shooting. Frederick also makes life hard on opposing Forwards with his interior defense.
There are so many offensive threats that West Alabama can throw at you all while causing havoc on the defensive end. It's a puzzle that no GSC team has yet to solve. UAH will get their crack at it on Saturday.
UAH's head coach Mick Hedgepeth is in his second season with the Chargers and currently holds a 44-6 record with UAH. Last season, in Hedgepeth's first year with the program, the Chargers went 32-2 and made an appearance in the NCAA Final Four. In 2025-26, UAH stands at 12-4 overall after losing their big three from last year in Tommy Murr, Luke Burnett, and Daniel Saylor.
Despite losing their top three scorers from last season, UAH is currently averaging 86.6 points per game which ranks third in the GSC.
After losing Murr, Burnett, and Saylor, coach Hedgepeth went to the Transfer Portal to reload, bringing in impact transfers in Quentin Toles, Thomas Allard, and Knute Wood. Toles is the Chargers leading scorer with 16.5 points per game on 43 | 40 | 83 percent shooting splits. Toles is a volume scorer who will be aggressive in looking for his shots on Saturday. As for Allard, he's a versatile guard that is arguably UAH's overall best player. Allard stands at 6'7" and leads the Chargers in rebounds and assists with 3.3 dimes per game and 5.7 rebounds per game while adding 15.9 points per contest 50 | 40 | 81 percent shooting splits. Wood, on the other hand, is a spot up shooter. The Guard is averaging 9.1 points per game on 46.4 percent shooting and 43 percent from three. Wood has made three or more three-pointers in 12 of UAH's 16 games, making him a dangerous threat from beyond the arch.
While bringing in Toles, Allard, and Wood, the Chargers brought back Matt Thurman. Thurman, a 6'8" Forward averaged 9.7 points a year ago and adds 10.5 points per game to UAH's offensive attack this season.
Saturday's matchup between the Tigers and Chargers is bound to be an exciting one inside of Pruitt Hall at 4:00 p.m.
