VALDOSTA, Ga. – The No. 9 Valdosta State Blazers (20-4, 15-3 GSC) will travel to the Volunteer State for the last time this season, as they make the trek to Tennessee for a game against Union (12-13, 8-11 GSC) on Saturday, Feb. 22 at 5 p.m. ET. VSU will then travel to Memphis for a game against Christian Brothers (9-15, 5-13 GSC) on Monday, Feb. 24 at 6:30 p.m. ET.
 
Fans can access links to live stats, audio/video streaming on FloCollege and more at vstateblazers.com on the men's basketball schedule page.  The games also will be broadcast on the radio with Jaylan Scott having the call on 92.1 WDDQ FM for Saturday's game and 94.3 FM WJEM and foxsportsvaldosta.com for Monday's game, which is subject to change. 
 
The game against Christian Brothers was originally supposed to be on Thursday, Feb. 20 but weather conditions in Memphis closed the campus and resulted in the game being rescheduled to Monday.
 
In the first edition on the NCAA DII South Region rankings, Valdosta State is under consideration for a spot in postseason play. The first set of rankings were alphabetical with numerical rankings coming out the next two weeks followed by a selection show on Sunday, Mar. 9 at 10:30 p.m.
 
The Blazers clinched a hosting spot for the GSC Tournament as VSU will host the quarterfinals on Tuesday, Mar. 4 at The Complex. To purchase tickets, please click here.
 
The Blazers dropped three spots in the weekly NABC poll after they were ranked sixth last week. This is the 114^th week VSU has been ranked in school history including the 46^th week they have been in the top ten. Currently, Valdosta State has been ranked for eight straight weeks with the last four being in the top ten. GSC foe Alabama Huntsville jumped up one spot to No. 3 in the rankings as the Chargers have won 24 games in a row after they dropped their season opener to now No. 2 Nova Southeastern. To view the full rankings, click here.
 
Head coach Mike Helfer is in his 20^th year at the helm of the Blazers, as he has a record of 381-195 during his 20 years in Titletown. Helfer's offense is still the cream of the crop in the GSC, as VSU is ranked first in scoring at 92.8 PPG which is seventh in the country thus far. As a squad, the Blazers are shooting .467 from the floor, .348 from distance, and .760 from the stripe while holding the opponents to 81.1 PPG on an .456/.300/.710 shooting clip. Despite the high scoring from opponents, Helfer's team is fifth in the nation in steals per game as they are averaging 11.3 a night which has resulted in 25.42 points per game in transition, which is second in the country. Individually, Carlos Hart leads the Blazers in points per game (18.0), rebounds per game (6.8), assists (98), and steals (61). Hart is ranked top ten in all of those categories across the GSC while eighth nationally in total steals and steals per game. Hart has been effective at getting to the line as the Miami, Fla. native is ninth in the country in free throw attempts at 188 and 11^th in makes at 145 which is good for a percentage of .771. Sixth-man Maalik Leitch has been lights-out off the bench for VSU, as the guard has averaged 19.8 PPG over his last six games all while coming off the pine for coach Helfer.
 
Saturday's matchup will be against the Union Bulldogs, who Valdosta State defeated in Valdosta back on Jan. 9 by a final of 102-79. Braxton Williams scored a game-high 25 points as he shot 9-16 from the floor and 3-8 from deep in just 24 minutes of action. Hart had a full stat sheet, as he picked up 21 points, four rebounds, seven assists, and six steals in the Blazer win. VSU split the season series with UU last year as both teams won their home games. Valdosta State last won at Union in the 2022-23 season. The Bulldogs are led by head coach David Niven, who is in 16^th year the helm of Union and holds an overall record of 270-199 during his time in Jackson. The Bulldogs are currently on a three game losing streak as they lost to West Florida last night after losing to West Alabama and Alabama Huntsville last week. UU is currently averaging 74.7 PPG on .441/.338/.796 shooting splits while allowing 74.6 PPG on .429/.293/.738 splits. The Bulldogs are led in scoring by graduate student CJ Jackson, who is putting up 17.7 PPG on .480 from the field, .328 from deep, and .752 from the line while leading the team in steals with 22. Down low, sophomore forward Parker Applegate is a walking double-double as he has tallied seven double-doubles this year while averaging 12.2 PPG and 8.8 RPG, which is third in the GSC. Applegate tallied 16 points and 11 rebounds in Valdosta as he went a perfect 8-8 from the free throw line in that game.
 
Following Union, Valdosta State will jump over to Memphis to play Christian Brothers on Monday, Feb. 24 at 6:30 p.m. ET to finish the road trip. VSU defeated CBU 90-75 back at The Complex on Jan. 11 as JC Clausi scored 18 points in the second half on 7-10 from the floor and 7-10 from three. Christian Brothers is led by head coach John Reilly, who is in his sixth year at CBU and 32^nd year as a head coach after making stops at Gannon and Brescia. Reilly's team is averaging 70.0 PPG on .445/.343/.670 splits while surrendering 73.3 PPG on .438/.355/.745 splits. Rebounding in the Bucs' bread and butter, as they are averaging 41.3 RPG on a +11.9 margin, which is first in the nation. Guard Iman Kheirati is the main catalyst, as the Iran native is grabbing 11.2 rebounds per game which is seventh in the nation individually and first in the GSC. VSU held him in check in Valdosta as he grabbed nine boards and committed four turnovers.
 
Following the road trip, VSU returns to Titletown to host AUM on Thursday, Feb. 27 at 8 p.m. ET before they play Montevallo on Saturday, Mar. 1 at 4 p.m. for Senior Day.