LIVINGSTON, Ala. - The University of West Alabama Men's Basketball team is set to hit the road this week for matchups against AUM on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. and Montevallo on Saturday at 4:00 p.m.

No. 14 West Alabama (13-1, 8-0 GSC) enters the week after extending their win streak to 11 with victories coming against Christian Brothers and Union. As for AUM (3-10, 1-6 GSC), they come into play after suffering defeat at the hands of Christian Brothers and Montevallo. Montevallo (9-4, 5-2 GSC) enters winners of six of their last seven games.

UWA continues to be the lone undefeated team within GSC play and the only team within the conference that holds a top-25 ranking next to their name. The Tigers are in full sync as a team which has resulted in West Alabama ranking within the top-10 in seven different statistical categories.

UWA's identity lies within their defense. The Tigers remain as one of the best defensive teams in the country, allowing just 60.6 points per game while holding opponents to 38.4 percent shooting. Both of those marks rank within the top-10 in the country. West Alabama's defense is anchored by elite level two-way players in Christian Thompson, BJ Brown Jr., and Caleb Parr. Thompson is the reigning GSC Player of the Week after averaging 15.7 points and 10.7 rebounds this past week, moving his season marks to 10.3 points, 11.1 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks per game on 64 percent shooting. 

Brown Jr. comes into the weekend averaging 10.1 points, 5.9 assists, and 1.7 steals per game on the year. The Point Guard averaged 15.5 points and 8.0 assists in UWA's wins over Christian Brothers and Union as he continues to blossom in his first year as the Tigers' Point Guard.  

Parr continues to be consistent on both ends for West Alabama, leading the team with 11.9 points per game. 

Along with these three, Rasean Frederick and Elliot Tulip bring more offensive firepower to the starting lineup, making UWA's starting five the best in the league so far in 2025-26. The amount of two-way players and offensive weapons that West Alabama can throw at you has been hard for teams to deal with, pointing to their 13-1 overall record and No. 14 ranking in the country.

AUM moved on from their previous Head Coach, Michael Cheaney, about a month before the 2025-26 season began, thrusting  Joe Brooks into the Interim role. The Warhawks have struggled to begin the season, posting just one conference win and three wins overall through the first half of the season. Offensively, AUM is averaging 73.2 points per game on 42.5 percent shooting and 33.4 percent from three. Rebounding and turnovers have been the Achilles heel for the Warhawks as they've gotten outrebounded in 10 of 13 games while averaging 11.2 turnovers per game.

Chappelle Whitney has been a bright spot for AUM. Whitney, a 6'4" Forward, is one of the best scorers in the league thus far, averaging 17.7 points per game on 46 percent shooting. The junior is also active on the glass, snagging 6.0 rebounds per game. Whitney is in the midst of playing the best basketball of his career as he's comes into the week averaging 24.0 points and 7.5 rebounds in his last four games. The Forward's momentum was halted after the Holiday Break as he missed AUM's last contest against Montevallo on Sunday, putting his availability for Thursday's game into question. 

If Whitney is unable to play, the Warhawks will lean on Marius Canery and Colby Williams. Canery is averaging 11.0 points while Williams is averaging 9.4 points and 6.1 rebounds. 

West Alabama's matchup against Montevallo on Saturday will arguably be the Tigers' toughest test of the year thus far. Before the season began, the Falcons were picked to finish first in the GSC and now sit in third with five conference wins and nine overall. Montevallo is averaging 78.8 points per game on 46.3 percent shooting while allowing 66.8 points and holding opponents to 39.7 percent from the floor.

The Falcons returned their two best players from last year in Brandon Fussell and Derek Moore. Fussell is a top guard in the league, averaging 15.1 points plus a league-high 6.1 assists and 2.3 steals per game. The 6'1" Guard is a three-level scorer and is a prolific playmaker, making him a tough assignment for UWA. While Fussell is averaging solid numbers and can explode any given night, his shooting splits are down from his previous two season, bringing in a 42 | 35 | 73 percent shooting split which currently stands as a career-low.

With Fussell running the show in the backcourt, Moore dominates the frontcourt for Montevallo. The 6'7" Forward leads the Falcons in scoring with 17.8 points per game and rebounds with 6.9 boards per game on 66 percent shooting. Moore is one of the best low-post offensive bigs in the region and will test West Alabama's interior defense that's anchored by one of the top rim protectors in Christian Thompson.

Thursday's matchup between West Alabama and AUM is set for 7:30 p.m. while Saturday's game against Montevallo is slated for 4:00 p.m.