VALDOSTA, Ga. - The No. 5-ranked Valdosta State men's basketball team is set to face Gulf South Conference foe Lee Friday, Jan. 15 at 7 p.m. and Saturday, Jan. 16 at 2 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 (6-0, 6-0 GSC) is returning back to the court just three days after handing West Florida its second loss on Tuesday by a score of 95-83. The Blazers were led by redshirt junior Cam Hamilton who sank eight treys, shot 10 for 15 from the field, and recorded 29 points, all of which were career highs. Junior Malik Hunt led the way in rebounds, coming off the boards with eight, a season high. The Blazers were lights out from deep draining 17 threes (.515), its most made three pointers in the past two years.
 
Both teams kept it close during the first half, seeing a few ties as well as slight leads from West Florida and Valdosta State. Graduate transfer Travis Bianco fueled the Blazers flame after hitting back-to-back threes to break the tie with less than four minutes left to play in the half which eventually turned into the last time the game was tied. A big 16-4 run to end the half put the Blazers up 12 heading into the locker room, just what it needed to close out the second half and come out on top 95-83.
 
The Blazers moved up to the top five in the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Division II rankings after four of the previously ranked top five teams dropped a game last week. Valdosta State is one of three GSC teams recognized in the poll, with Alabama Huntsville at 18 and Union who received votes. Along with the NABC rankings, the Division II Sports Information Directors Association (D2SIDA) came out with its week one rankings, placing the Blazers at eight, six spots greater than its preseason rank. Alabama-Huntsville falls right behind the Blazers at nine while Union cracked the poll at 25. Alabama-Huntsville and Valdosta State find itself tied for first in the South Region, both receiving three first place votes, followed by Union at third, Montevallo, Delta State, and West Florida in the four, five, and six slot, and West Alabama, Lee, and Shorter receiving votes.
 
Lee enters the weekend double-header with a record of 2-1 with its sole loss coming from the hands of West Florida by a score of 66-79. Notably, the Flames took care of business against West Georgia, winning 81-67 on Jan. 8 and barely coming away with a W the following day winning that match by just one point. The Flames were led in scoring by junior guard Quay Kennedy who averaged 19.5 ppg to go along with his nine total rebounds. Leading the boards during the weekend was redshirt junior Michael McGuirk who averaged 6.5 rpg.
 
The Flames, led by fifth year head coach Bubba Smith, returned seven players from the 2019-20 season but lost its top scorer along with more than half of its starting five. Lee finished the 2019-20 season 22-7 overall and 16-4 in conference play and averaged 75.8 ppg with a positive scoring margin of 7.0 and grabbed more rebounds than their opponents, on average, with 35 rpg. Kennedy, who was named to the Preseason All-GSC Team this season, returns as the top scorer, shooting 154 of 289 from the field while recording 404 points for second best on the team.
 
The Blazers lost its last outing against the Flames 88-74 on Dec. 17, 2019, the last loss before it went on a VSU school-record 19-game single season win streak. Agee is the only returning starter from that loss where he put up nine points and three rebounds, shooting four of eight from the field. The Flames also have just one returning starter from the matchup in Kennedy, who also shot 50 percent from the field and finished with 14 points and seven rebounds. As a whole, Lee shot 32 for 68 (.471) from the field while going 11 for 24 (.458) from three and the Blazers shot 28 of 70 (.400) from the field while draining five shots from deep.
 
VSU looks to end a two-game skid against Lee, losing during the 2018-19 season by one point which snapped its six-game win streak against Lee which dated back to Dec. 10, 2015. Usually a defensive matchup, VSU averages 76.6 ppg over its 12 games played. A tough place to play, the Blazers are 3-3 when they face the Flames in Cleveland, Tenn., although they outscore them 456-443 on the road but take care of business at home with a 5-1 record.
 
The Blazers come back after its weekday game ranked first in the GSC in total offense, averaging 88.3 ppg, 10.3 more points per game than West Florida who rank second. Agee finds himself first in total points scored with 122 and sits at the top five in points per game with 20.3, just 2.2 points off from Maalik Cartwright from Delta State who sits at number one. Redshirt junior Cam Hamilton ranks third in three-point field goal percentage at .537 and leads the league in most threes made with 22. Redshirt sophomore Jakari Gallon ranks in the top ten in the GSC in rebounds per game with 7.0 and second in total rebounds.
 
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.