LIVINGSTON, Ala. - The University of West Alabama Men's Basketball team is set to travel to Tennessee this weekend for a matchup against Trevecca Nazarene on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. and a contest against Lee on Saturday at 3:00 p.m. CST.
No. 12 West Alabama (17-2, 12-1 GSC) enters after a win over Valdosta State, 75-66, on Saturday while Trevecca Nazarene 12-6, 7-5 GSC) enters after a loss to Montevallo. As for Lee (9-8, 6-7 GSC), they enter this week's play after a five-point loss also to Montevallo.
Last week, the Tigers suffered their first GSC loss of the year, coming at the hands of West Florida. UWA quickly bounced back with a nine-point victory over Valdosta State. Defense, which has been their strength all season, hurt West Alabama in their three-point loss to the Argos as they allowed UWF to shoot 57.7 percent from the floor and 50 percent from three. The way the Tigers responded on Saturday against the Blazers stands out the most from last week's play as they held the top scoring offense in the league, in VSU, to a season-low 66 points on season-low shooting splits of 32.8 percent from the floor and 27.3 percent from three.
UWA's leading scorer, Rasean Frederick, comes into this week's play after averaging 19.5 points and 7.5 rebounds against the Argonauts and Blazers, upping his season averages to 12.0 points and 5.6 rebounds per game. Frederick is shooting 47.5 percent from the floor this year on 183 shot attempts, the second most on the team. BJ Brown Jr. leads the Tigers in shot attempts and orchestrates the offense. The Point Guard isn't shooting the ball particularly well this season but is able to explode offensively any given night. The strength of Brown Jr's game is his playmaking. The junior ranks second in the conference in assists with 5.4 per game.
Brown Jr. is surrounded by efficient shooters in Elliot Tulip and Caleb Parr along with an explosive lob threat in Christian Thompson. Tulip is nearly in the 50|90|40 club as he's shooting 47.5 percent from the field, 45.7 percent from three and 92.5 percent from the charity stripe. The sophomore is averaging 11.3 points per game on top of those shooting splits, making him one of the most efficient scorers on the roster. Parr is no different. The junior is also averaging 11.3 points on 50 | 36 | 83 percent shooting splits.
Thompson returned to form in UWA's win over VSU as the junior recorded his eighth double-double of the year with 18 points and 13 rebounds. The Forward is now averaging 9.8 points, 10.7 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks on the season and remains one of the top rim protectors and rebounders in the country.
West Alabama took care of Trevecca Nazarene and Lee at home earlier this season, defeating the Trojans by eight points and the Flames by 15. Both will be seeking revenge against UWA as the season series shifts to Tennessee.
Trevecca Nazarene had their three-game win streak snapped at the hands of Montevallo on last Thursday. The Trojans have had a week to prepare for the Tigers. The first matchup between TNU and UWA was competitive the entire 40 minutes, making for an intriguing rematch in Nashville. This season, the Trojans are averaging 82.5 points per game while allowing 76.2 points. Four players are currently averaging double figure points with Jax Abernathy leading the way.
Abernathy, a 6'4" freshman Guard, is leading the Trojans with 15.2 points per game. While the freshman is averaging 15.2 points, Abernathy has struggled from the floor, shooting 40 percent from the field and 27.1 percent from three. The guard has shot over 50 percent in four games this season and Trevecca Nazarene is 3-1 in those contests, including a win over UAH.
Fred Bailey is the Trojans' best player. Like Abernathy, Bailey is also a freshman Guard who has a high usage rate for TNU. Bailey is second on the team in scoring with 13.1 points while leading the team in assists with 4.9 dimes per game. The 6'2" Guard is also active in the glass as he ranks second on the team with 6.0 rebounds. Bailey is a physical guard that doesn't play like a freshman and will be a tough matchup for the Tigers.
As for Lee, they've had an up and down season, coming into the weekend sitting in eighth in the GSC standings. The Flames are arguably playing their best ball of the season, winning three of their last four with their lone loss coming against Montevallo by five points. Lee is averaging 75.0 points while allowing 73.9 on the year and possess three double digit scorers on their roster.
Tylon Chatman, Zach Gray, and Ben Ritger are combining to average 39.9 points per game with Chatman leading the squad with 14.2 points. Chatman is a 6'0" Guard who has been a consistent scoring option for the Flames all year. In the first meeting between UWA and Lee, the Tigers held Chatman to 10 points on 4-11 shooting. As for Gray, he's averaging 13.6 points on efficient shooting splits while Ritger has been the most efficient scorer on the team, shooting a team-high 52.2 percent along with 12.1 points per game.
Dayveun Anderson and Willie Walton are just averaging under 10 points but are important pieces to Lee's puzzle.
In the first matchup against West Alabama, Lee couldn't find their offense, scoring a season-low 49 points. There's no secret that they'll have to generate a lot more offense in order to upset the Tigers on Saturday.
Tip-off for No. 12 West Alabama vs Trevecca Nazarene is set for 7:30 p.m. CST while Saturday's meeting between UWA and Lee is slated for 3:00 p.m. CST.
