VALDOSTA, Ga. – Despite the snow flurries in Titletown, the No. 11 Valdosta State Blazers (15-2, 10-1 GSC) are heating up, as the Blazers will play host to West Alabama (9-8, 5-6 GSC) on Saturday, Jan. 25 at 4 p.m. followed by No. 4 Alabama Huntsville (16-1, 11-0 GSC) on Monday, Jan. 27 at 5:30 p.m. to finish the VSU Athletic Hall of Fame Weekend.
 
Fans can purchase tickets to the Athletic Hall of Fame Brunch, scheduled for Saturday, Jan. 25 at 10 a.m., in the Student Union Ballroom by clicking here.
 
In the most recent NABC poll, Valdosta State jumped seven spots to No. 11 after winning two more games last week to extend the winning streak to nine games. Alabama Huntsville jumped up one spot to No. 4, which is their highest ranking since 2013 when they were ranked No. 3. To view the full rankings, click here.
 
The Blazers have won seven straight at The Complex and are currently on their longest overall win streak since the 2019-20 season when VSU won 19 consecutive games and went 14-1 at home. This season, Valdosta State is 9-1 at The Complex as they have been enjoying the home cooking in Titletown.
 
Head coach Mike Helfer is in his 20^th year at the helm of the Blazers, as he is accumulated 376 wins during his time in Titletown which is second in the program's history. Helfer's offense continues to be the crown of the Gulf South Conference, as the VSU offense is averaging 93.9 PPG which is the tops in the league and seventh nationally. Much of that offense is generated from steals, as the Blazers are first in nation across DI and DII in steals per game with 12.8 per contest. Those steals have resulted in high fast break numbers with 26.35 points per game coming in transition which is second in the nation.
 
Individually, senior Carlos Hart is leading the team in PPG (17.9), RPG (6.2), APG (4.4), and total steals with 49. On top of that, Hart is third in the nation in free throw attempts with 150 total. Hart has made a total of 119 for a clip of .793. This past weekend, the Miami, Fla. native tallied a season high in blocks as he rejected three shots at Auburn Montgomery on Saturday. Junior Lucas Brown Jr. has been a much needed spark plug off the bench for VSU, as the guard is fourth on the team in scoring as he averages 9.0 PPG and holds a 22/12 assist to turnover ratio while averaging just over one steal per game. As of late, graduate student JC Clausi has been unconscious, as the former Union Bulldog has averaged 16.3 PPG over his last three games while shooting 13-19 from distance.
 
For the Hall of Fame Game on Saturday, Jan. 25 Valdosta State will be hosting West Alabama at 4 p.m. The Tigers enter this matchup on a three-game losing streak as they are 9-8 overall and 5-6 in GSC play thus far. UWA is led by head coach Nick Woodruff, who is in his fifth season with the Tigers and holds an overall record of 86-38. The Tigers are averaging 70.7 PPG on a .426/.337/.723 shooting clip. West Alabama is holding opponents 69.0 PPG which is the best in the GSC while holding them to a .464/.346/.713 clip. The Tigers are led in scoring by guard Thaddeus Williams, who is putting up 15.3 PPG. In their first matchup of the season back on Dec. 5, Williams put up a career high 32 points against the Blazers as VSU came out with a 92-82 win.
 
Monday's game versus No. 4 Alabama Huntsville will have major postseason implications, as Valdosta State currently sits one game behind the Chargers in the GSC standings as UAH is a perfect 11-0 in conference play and are winners of 16 straight. This game was originally scheduled for Thursday night but the poor weather conditions in Valdosta moved the game to Monday, Jan. 27 at 5:30 p.m.
 
Alabama Huntsville handled Valdosta State in Huntsville, Ala. back on Dec. 7 in a 108-87 victory. In that game, junior Drew Mills scored a season high 28 points on 11-21 from the floor. For UAH, Tommy Murr scored 24 points on 8-10 from the floor while shooting a perfect 3-3 from deep and 5-5 from the charity stripe. The Chargers shot 36-66 from the floor and 14-29 from distance as the Blazers were 31-75 from the floor and 9-25 from beyond the arc. Tommy Murr is one of the top players across all of DII, as the senior is averaging 19.8 PPG on an impressive shooting clip of .520/.412/.933. Fellow guard Luke Burnett completes the Charger backcourt as he is averaging 17.4 PPG while drilling a league high 69 three pointers on 171 attempts for a .404 percentage.
 
The Chargers are led by first year head coach Mick Hedgepeth, who leads UAH after previous head coaching experience at Berry and Sewanee. Throughout his career, he holds an overall record of 96-33. Hedgepeth's team ranks fourth in the country in field goal percentage as they are shooting .524 from the field while holding opponents to .412 from the floor. The Chargers control the tempo and don't give teams second looks as they are second across DII in defensive rebounds at 30.59 per game.
 
The Chargers have won four in a row against the Blazers with VSU's last win coming back in 2023 at The Complex.