VALDOSTA, Ga. - The No. 9-ranked Valdosta State men's basketball team takes on Gulf South Conference opponent West Florida at home Tuesday, Jan. 12 at 7 p.m. inside The Complex.
 
Due to the pandemic, there will be no paper programs at the games this season, please click on the link to the right of this story and each home game preview throughout the season.  There also will be sheets at the entrances of the P.E. Complex each gameday with the QR code for the game program.
 
Due to COVID-19 restrictions, there will be limited occupancy for home games (1,100 maximum attendance) and face coverings will be required at all times for all guests over the age of 2.
 
Fans can access links to live stats, audio/video streaming and radio broadcast information of the games all season long on vstateblazers.com on the men's basketball schedule page.  This season, VSU men's basketball games, both home and away, will be broadcast on WDDQ Talk 92.1 FM and online at talk921.com with Mike Chason and Spencer Van Horn having the call.
 
VSU (5-0, 5-0 GSC) is returning back to its home court after handing Shorter two losses last weekend by scores of 99-85 and 86-70. Over the weekend, the Blazers were led in the scoring column by senior guard Imoras Agee who averaged 19.0 ppg and 6.0 rpg, while redshirt sophomore Jakari Gallon recorded his first career double-double on Saturday with a career high 17 points and 12 rebounds. Redshirt junior Cam Hamilton finished second on the weekend in scoring, finishing the weekend averaging 17.5 ppg.
 
Valdosta State took care of business at home, leading by at least 20 points during both contests and as much as 27. Valdosta's large leads during both games gave it the momentum to come away with their fifth-straight win.
 
The Blazers remain at nine as of Monday, Jan. 11 in the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Division II rankings which is revealed every Tuesday. VSU looks to move up in the poll as four of the top five teams ranked dropped a game this past weekend. Valdosta is one of two GSC teams ranked in the poll, with Alabama Huntsville at 18 and Union who received votes.
 
West Florida enters the week with a 2-1 record overall, defeating Auburn Montgomery 78-70 on Saturday, just a few days after losing 72-81 to the Warhawks. The Argonauts were led by 24 points during the weekend tilt from sophomore Daniel Sofield to go with his four rebounds and three assists. Junior Wendell Matthews led the Argos with five rebounds to cap off his eight-point night.
 
Led by sixth year head coach Jeff Burkhamer, the Argonauts return four of their top-five scorers from the 2019-20 season in Tarik Mckelphin (10.4 ppg), Cameron Cox (8.5 ppg), Daniel Sofield (7.0 ppg), and Conor Flanagan (6.2 ppg). The Argonauts finished the 2019-20 season 14-14 (11-9 GSC) where it averaged 64.6 ppg (.403 FG%) while allowing 66.1 ppg (.423 FG%). The Argonauts also allowed 35.2 rebounds, just .3 less than the teams average of 35.5.
 
On the year, the Argonauts are shooting .418 from the field while going .333 from deep, edging out its opponents in both categories so far this year. During the Argonauts first three matchups, the team has brought down 109 rebounds while giving up 131 and have turned the ball over, on average, 15.7 times per game. West Florida ranks fourth in the GSC in offense with 76.3 ppg and first in defensive field goal percentage, allowing their opponents to shoot .397 on average from the field.
 
The Blazers have won the last four games against the Argonauts, dating back to a 77-58 win Jan. 3, 2019 in Valdosta, Ga. During that span, the Blazers have outscored the Argonauts 330-246 and have not allowed the team to score more than 70 points. Valdosta is 8-2 when playing inside The Complex in Valdosta, Ga. but struggle when they visit the Argonauts, posting a record of 5-5 over the last 20 games. The team's largest margin of victory came last season on Jan. 2, 2020, with a final score of 88-53, a season where they outscored the Argonauts by 49 points after an 80-66 victory almost two month later. Against the Argonauts, the Blazers longest losing streak was four games which spanned throughout three seasons, losing at home once and on the road for the other trio of games.
 
The Blazers come back after its pair of wins ranked first in the GSC in total offense, averaging 87.0 ppg, almost 10 more points per game than Shorter who ranks second. Agee finds himself in the top three in scoring with 21.4 ppg, just 1.1 points off from Maalik Cartwright from Delta State who sits at number one. Redshirt junior Cam Hamilton ranks seventh in field goal percentage at .519 while redshirt sophomore Jakari Gallon ranks in the top ten in the GSC in rebounds per game with 7.4.
 
Season tickets are on sale now. Please call 229-333-SEAT for more information on purchasing tickets. Check back with vstateblazers.com for updates on all things Blazer basketball and on all VSU's 12 intercollegiate athletic programs.