VALDOSTA, Ga. – After two weeks off, the Valdosta State men's basketball team will return to action for three games in five days, beginning Sunday against No. 6 Alabama Huntsville at 4 p.m., at The Complex.  The Blazers then will host Lee on Tuesday at 8 p.m., and then face Thomas University Thursday at 8 p.m., in a non-conference matchup.
 
Fans can access links to live stats, audio/video streaming, ticket information and more at vstateblazers.com on the men's basketball schedule page.  Check back with the site for complete recaps and stats following each game.
 
Alabama Huntsville is ranked No. 6 nationally in the NABC Top 25 this week, while the Blazers are receiving votes and 29^th overall.  In the D2SIDA Top 25, UAH also is sixth, while VSU is not ranked.  The D2SIDA South Region Poll as UAH has the top team in the region and the Blazers are tied for fifth with Miles College.  
 
The Blazers are 6-2 on the year and 1-1 in Gulf South Conference play as they haven't played since a 104-95 loss at Florida Southern on Nov. 30.  For the season, the Blazers are shooting 46.2 percent from the field on 258 of 558, while going 66 of 206 from beyond the arc (.320) and are 132 of 190 (.695) from the line.  VSU is averaging 41.4 rebounds per game, while recording 127 assists, 99 turnovers, 36 blocks and 65 steals.  VSU is averaging 89.2 points per game in eight games.  
 
Conversely, the opposition is shooting .439 from the field (225-513), while going 78 of 201 (.388) from beyond the arc and 108 of 140 (.771) from the line.  The opponents are averaging 37.2 rebounds per game, while recording 108 assists with 122 turnovers, 18 blocks and 55 steals.  VSU is allowing 79.5 points per game.
 
Individually, senior Clay Guillozet leads four Blazers in double figures.  He is averaging 17.8 points per game on 57 of 101 (.564) from the field and is 21 of 33 from the line, while draining seven 3s.  He is second on the team in rebounding at 7.8 per game and is second on the team in steals with 13, while leading the team with 34 assists in eight starts.  Guillozet has scored 938 points in his three years in Titletown after transferring to VSU from West Liberty following his freshman year.  He has played in 70 games for his VSU career with 62 starts, while averaging 13.4 points per game at VSU and 6.5 rebounds per game.  He has 458 rebounds for his VSU career.
 
Senior Bryce Smith is second in scoring at 17.3 points per game as he is 50 of 102 from the floor.  Smith leads the team with 18 triples and is 20 of 25 from the line.  He is averaging 5.0 rebounds per game.  Senior Darrell Jones is averaging a double-double with 16.6 points and a team-high 10.9 rebounds per game.  Jones is 48 of 92 from the field with six triples and 31 of 38 from the line to lead the team (.816).  Jones has 23 assists for second on the team and nine steals for third on the team.  Jones has scored in double figures in every game this season, with five double-doubles and has recorded three-straight double-doubles.  Guillozet also has scored in double figures in every game thus far.
 
Nationally speaking, VSU leads the GSC in assist/turnover ratio at a 1.28 clip for 46^th nationally out of 303 schools in NCAA Division II and are second in the league in assists per game at 15.9. The Blazers are second in the league in blocked shots per game, averaging 4.5 rejections per game for 24^th nationally.  VSU leads the league and is 20^thnationally in offensive rebounds per game at 14.4, while leading the league in scoring offense at 89.3 points per game for 26^th nationally.  VSU leads the league in rebounds per game at 41.4, for 37^th nationally, while sitting second in the league in turnover margin at 2.9 and lead the league in turnovers per game at 12.4.
 
Individually, Jones is sixth nationally in double-doubles with five for first in the league, while he leads the league in offensive rebounds per game at 3.5 for 29^th nationally.  Jones is 12^th nationally in rebounds per game at 10.9 for second in the conference.  His 87 total rebounds are good for second in the league and 13^th nationally.  He has one triple-double this season for second in the league.  
 
The Blazers are under the direction of head coach Mike Helfer who is in his 15^th season at the helm of the red and black.  He is 283-139 at VSU and 469-222 overall in 23 seasons of coaching.  Helfer has guided VSU to three-straight Gulf South Conference regular season titles and three-straight trips to the NCAA postseason.
 
Alabama Huntsville, who is 8-0 overall and 2-0 in Gulf South Conference will face the Blazers for its third road game of the season on Sunday.  The Chargers are ranked No. 6 nationally in the latest National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Top 25.  Most recently, UAH defeated Lane College 84-53, on Dec. 9 in Huntsville.  The 8-0 start by the Chargers matches the best start in program history, as the 2010-11 team also began 8-0.
 
The Chargers are under the direction of first year head coach John Shulman, who had a nine-year run as the head coach at Tennessee Chattanooga from 2004 to 2013.  The Chargers were picked to win the Gulf South Conference title this season in the preseason poll and had two players named to the GSC Preseason all-league team in JJ Kaplan and Sam Orf.  
 
This season, the Chargers are led by Triston Chambers who leads the team in scoring at 14.5 points as he has come off the bench in each of the eight games thus far.  Chambers is 39 of 76 from the field (.513), second on the team in made 3s with 20 in 45 attempts (.444), while going 18 of 24 from the line.  Kaplan is second in scoring at 12.0 points per game and leads the team in rebounding at 10.8.  He is 36 of 63 from the field for a team-best .571 percentage and is 22 of 29 from the line.  Orf is third in scoring at 11.5 points per game, while Max Shulman leads the team with 24 made 3s and averages 10.5 points per game for fourth on the team. 
 
As a team, the Chargers are shooting .445 from the field with 89 triples and 103 of 144 from the line for a .715 clip.  UAH is averaging 76.5 points per game and allowing 62.8 per contest, while the team is averaging 40.1 rebounds per game and allowing 35.3 per game.  
 
UAH is 11^th nationally and first in the league in defensive rebounds at 31.00 per contest, while leading in the league in fewest turnovers with just 96 through eight contests.  The Chargers are 13^th nationally and second in the league in scoring defense at 62.8 points allowed per game, while they are 11^th nationally in 3-point field goal defense, holding teams to .268 from range.  Conversely, UAH is second in the league and 20^th nationally in 3-point field goals per game at 11.1.   
 
Individually, Kaplan is second nationally in defensive rebounds per game at 9.3 to lead the league, while he is 23^rdnationally in double-doubles with four, ninth in rebounding per game at 10.8 and 25^th in field goal percentage at .571.  Shuman leads the league in 3-point field goal percentage at .479 for 35^th nationally.  
 
Lee returns to conference play with a 6-3 record and a 1-1 mark in the GSC.  The Flames will travel to West Florida, before heading to Titletown on Tuesday.   The Flames are coming off a 94-72 win over Campbellsville-Harrodsburg on Dec. 11.  For the season, Lee is shooting .506 from the field on 264 of 522, while going 67 of 189 from beyond the arc (.354) and 125 of 165 from the line (.758).  The team is averaging 80 points per game and allowing 73.6, while the Flames are pulling down 33.4 rebounds per game and allowing 32.3 per contest.  
 
Ryan Montgomery leads the team averaging 22.8 points per game on 45 of 74 from the field for a .608 clip.  He is 11 of 23 from beyond the arc and 36 of 43 from the line (.837).  Montgomery is second on the team in rebounding at 5.3 per game.  Quay Kennedy is second in scoring at 14.2 points per game and leads the team averaging 5.9 rebounds per game.  Kennedy is 51 of 10 from the field for a .505 average, while leading the team with 12 triples.  Parker Suedekum leads the team with 45 assists and is third in scoring at 11.1 points per game.  He is 38 of 83 from the field and 10 of 34 from deep.  Suedekum leads the team with 19 steals.  
 
Lee is under the direction of fourth year head coach Ryan "Bubba" Smith as he is 48-46 at Lee and 241-201 overall in his 17^th year of coaching.  Smith is 1-4 against VSU at Lee. 
 
Nationally speaking, the Flames are 20^th nationally in field goal percentage at a .506 clip to lead the league, while they lead the league in free throw percentage at a .758 clip for 58^th nationally.  The team is second to VSU in scoring average at 80.0 points per game.  Individually, Seudekum is third in the GSC in assists per game at 5.0, while he is second in the league in steals per game at 2.11.  Kennedy is sixth in the GSC in field goal percentage at .506.
 
Thomas University enters with a 5-8 record overall in National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) play.  The Night Hawks are 2-3 in the Sun Conference and have gone 3-6 in their last nine games.  Thomas split a pair of games last weekend on the road, losing to Keiser 80-61 and winning at Johnson & Wales 75-65. 
 
For the season, the Night Hawks are averaging 68.8 points per game and allowing 74.8, while shooting .419 from the field on 309 of 737.  Thomas is 81 of 245 from range (.331) and 194 of 245 from the line for a .792 clip.  TU is averaging 34.6 rebounds per game, while averaging 8.5 assists, 16.2 turnovers, 5.1 steals and 1.6 blocks per game.  
 
Individually, Joshua Scott leads the team averaging 16.5 points per game on 65 of 159, while draining a team-high 16 triples and is 52 of 59 from the line to lead the team.  He is second on the team in rebounding at 4.7 per game.  
 
Following the holiday season, VSU opens the 2020 portion of the season January 2 at 8 p.m. at The Complex versus West Florida.