VALDOSTA, Ga. – The Valdosta State Blazer basketball team will continue Gulf South Conference play as they host the West Florida Argonauts on Sunday, Dec. 15 at 6 p.m. at The Complex for the start of a three-game home stand. VSU enters this battle with a 6-2 overall record and a 1-1 record in GSC play following a weekend split in Alabama. UWF travels to Valdosta with a 1-7 overall record while being 0-2 in GSC play.
 
Fans can access links to live stats, audio/video streaming of the game at vstateblazers.com on the men's basketball schedule page.  The game will be broadcast on TALK 92.1 FM WDDQ with Mike Chason having the call, while it will be streamed on FloCollege with Spencer Van Horn.  
 
Valdosta State opened GSC play on the road last weekend, as they defeated West Alabama in Livingston for the first time since 2020 in a 92-82 victory. Following that matchup, the Blazers fell to the then no. 14 ranked Alabama Huntsville by a score of 108-87 on Saturday evening.
 
Valdosta State is led by head coach Mike Helfer, who enters his 20^th season in Titletown and holds a record of 367-193. Helfer is 30-9 against the Argonauts all-time, as he has won three consecutive games including a sweep last season. Helfer's offense continues to be the cream of the crop, as they are ranked first in the GSC and ninth nationally in scoring with 95.5 PPG. The Blazers have been aggressive getting to the free throw line, as they average 20.4 makes per game on 26.4 attempts. They are shooting .780 from the stripe which is second in the GSC and 23^rd nationally. This season, Helfer has incorporated a full-court press to his defense, and it has been doing wonders, as VSU is ranked first in the GSC and ninth nationally in steals, as they average 12.4 steals a night that has resulted in 30.13 fastbreak points which is second in the nation.
 
Individually, Valdosta State is led by senior Carlos Hart, who is ranked fourth in the GSC in scoring as he is putting up 19.1 PPG on a shooting split of .524/.231/.816. Hart is also VSU's leading passer and rebounder, as he is averaging 4.9 assists a game and 7.1 rebounds. Hart has been aggressive and getting to the line, as he is ranked ninth in the country in makes and tenth in attempts, as he is 62-76 on the campaign for a .816 clip. Junior Drew Mills had a career day on Saturday night in Huntsville, as the forward scored a season-high 28 points in 29 minutes of action on 11-21 from the floor, 3-5 from distance, and 3-5 from the line. On the season, the Baltimore native is averaging 13.8 points per contest while hauling in 3.8 rebounds per game.
 
West Florida enters The Complex this season with a 1-7 overall record with a 0-2 stretch in GSC play. The Argos most recently dropped a 96-63 decision to No. 14 UAH in Huntsville on Monday evening. UWF is under the leadership of second year head coach Justin Mann, who put together a 6-19 campaign as interim head coach in 2023-24, finishing at 12th in the conference. Under the guidance of Mann, West Florida will now look to right the ship after suffering the worst start to a season for the Argonauts since 2013 (1-7 through eight games.)
 
As a squad, West Florida has struggled to find its footing on both offense and defense, recording just 70 points a game while giving up 78.9 points a clip. A majority of UWF's early season struggles have come from its inability to effectively shoot the basketball, shooting just 42 percent from the field, 32.3 percent from beyond the arc and a conference-low 63.4 from the free-throw line. On average, opponents tend to shoot 45.8 percent against the Argos from the floor and 40 percent from three-point range. The strength of West Florida's game lies in its ability to clean up rebounds, ranking third in the GSC in offensive rebounds at 12 rebounds a game while averaging 36.6 combined rebounds per contest. The Argonauts also rank third in the conference in blocks per game at a 3.5 clip for 28 total on the season.
 
Individually, junior guard Ja'Ron Briggs Jr. leads the Argos on offense, averaging 28 points a game while shooting 33.9 percent from the field. As the only Argonaut to start all eight games this season so far, Briggs Jr. ranks second on the team in rebounds with 44 total boards while leading the team in steals with 14 takeaways. On the other side of the floor, graduate student forward Zondrick Garrett holds down the West Florida defense, leading the Argos with 55 total rebounds for 6.5 boards a game and seven total blocks this season.
 
Following Sunday night's game, the Blazers will continue their homestand with Trevecca Nazarene on Thursday, Dec. 19 at 8 p.m. followed by Lee on Saturday, Dec. 21 at 4 p.m.