VALDOSTA, Ga. – The Valdosta State men's basketball team returns home for Senior Weekend and Play4Kay/Pink Out riding a five-game winning streak.  VSU faces Christian Brothers on Thursday at 8 p.m., followed by Union on Saturday at 4 p.m.

Fans are encouraged to wear pink for Thursday's game for Play4Kay/Pink Out, while Saturday's game is Senior Day as the Blazers will honor eight seniors playing in their final regular season home game in a Blazer uniform before the men's game.  The 2026 Senior Class includes; Michael Batchelor, Ethan Pires, Tony Green Jr., Maalik Leitch, Lucas Brown Jr., MJ Jones, Peter McKey and Drew Mills.  VSU Athletics would like to wish each of these seniors the best in their future endeavors.

The games will be broadcast on 94.3 WJEM FM and www.foxsportsvaldosta.com with Mike Chason having the call, while the games also will be streamed on FloCollege with Spencer Van Horn having the call. 

The Blazers enter at 16-8 overall and 11-7 in Gulf South Conference play and clinched a berth in the upcoming Gulf South Conference Championship with an 89-80 win at Mississippi College on Saturday.  Last Thursday, VSU needed overtime to defeat Delta State, 112-103, as the Blazers trailed by eight with just over seven minutes remaining in regulation.  Last Thursday's game marked the third overtime victory in the last four games to that point. 

Blazer junior Blaise Wallace averaged a double-double for the week at 23.5 points per game and 11.5 rebounds per game.  He finished 17 of 25 from the field (.680), while he was 4 of 8 from deep and 9 of 11 from the line, pulling down 23 rebounds, while registering six assists and one block in 73:25 minutes of action.  Wallace scored 2 points against DSU on 8 of 11 from the field, 1 of 3 from deep and 5 of 7 from the line along with 17 rebounds for his team-leading 12th double-double of the year.  He finished with 25 points on 9 of 14 from the field, 3 of 5 from deep and 4 of 4 from the line against Mississippi College. 

The Blazers currently sit fifth in the GSC standings 1.5 games back of UAH (13-6), while VSU owns a one game lead on Trevecca Nazarene (10-8).  The top four teams in the final standings, following the conclusion of the regular season on Feb. 27, will host quarterfinal playoff games of the conference tournament beginning Monday, Mar. 2, with the semifinals set for Mar. 5 and the championship Mar. 8 as the entire league tournament will be at campus sites this season.  Click here for the GSC Men's Basketball Championship Central webpage. 

During the five-game winning streak, the Blazers are shooting .483 from the field on 175 of 362 from the field, while they are 42 of 130 from deep (.323) and 104 of 129 from the line (.806) making more free throws than the opponent has attempted (73 of 98).  VSU is averaging 39.8 rebounds per game during the winning streak and has 68 assists to 54 turnovers, registered 16 blocks and has 31 steals while averaging 99.2 points per game and allowing 92.0 per contest. 

Individually, six players are averaging double figures during the streak as Mills is 40 of 76 from the field (.526) and 28 of 38 from the line (.737), while averaging 5.4. rebounds per game and 22.0 points per contest.  Wallace is second in scoring at 20.0 points per game and 11.6 rebounds per game during the streak as he is 37 of 61 from the field (.607), 4 of 9 from deep and 22 of 29 from the line.  McKey (16.0 ppg.), Leitch (11.0 ppg.), junior Samarion Bond (10.0 ppg.) and Brown (10.0 ppg.) all are averaging double figures as well.

Nationally speaking, the Blazers enter the week fourth in scoring offense at 94.0 points per game to lead the league.  VSU is eighth nationally in offensive rebounds per game (14.96), 19th nationally in turnover margin (4.1), while it is 21st nationally in turnovers forced per game (16.28), 20th in rebounds per game (40.12), 25th in steals per game (9.6), 32nd in free throws made per game (17.5) and 48th in assists per game (16.0) which all lead the GSC. 

Wallace is sixth nationally in double-doubles with 13 for the season for tops in the GSC, while he is fourth in the league in rebounds (233) for 18th nationally and is fifth in the league in rebounds per game at a 9.3 clip for 22nd nationally.  Wallace is third in the GSC in field goal percentage at a .539 clip on 125 of 233 from the field.  Mills leads the GSC in points scored with 447 for 48th nationally, while he is fourth in scoring at 17.9 points per game in the league.  Mills is second in the GSC in field goal attempts (332) and fourth in field goal percentage at a .515 clip on 167 of 324.  Jones is fourth in the GSC in steals with 35. 

Blazer head coach Mike Helfer is 402-206 at VSU in his 21st season, while he is 588-289 overall in 29 seasons of coaching.  Helfer is just 34 wins away from catching former Blazer head coach James Dominey who leads the school record book with 436 victories in 29 years at the helm of the Blazers. 

Christian Brothers enters the week with a 4-18 record overall and a 3-15 mark in GSC play.  The Bucs have lost five-straight and VSU handed CBU a 75-69 setback in Memphis, Tenn., on Jan. 10.  In that game, VSU hung on for the win as McKey led four players in double figures with 17 points in 34 minutes in a game that saw ten lead changes and five ties.  VSU has won 16 of the last 28 in the series dating back to Mar. 4, 2004, and has won three-straight and five of seven.  CBU's Marquis Gill leads the team averaging 18.0 points per game on 150 of 364 from the field (.412), while he is 54 of 161 from deep (.335) and 43 of 46 from the line.  Iman Kheirati leads the team averaging 9.5 rebounds per game and is second in scoring at 14.6 points per contest.

The Union Bulldogs enter the week with a 9-15 record overall and a 5-13 mark in GSC play. The Bulldogs are on the outside looking in at a postseason berth currently and 2.5 games out of the eighth and final playoff spot.  The Bulldogs have dropped three-straight and will travel to West Florida for a Thursday matchup before heading to Titletown for Saturday's Senior Day.  VSU has won 15 of the last 24 meetings in the series, including the last five and six of seven. 

VSU won a 103-101 overtime thriller in Jackson, Tenn., on Jan. 8 as Mills paced the team with 27 points and 11 rebounds.  McKey added 21 points, while Wallace scored 16 points and Brown finished with 20 points off the bench.  McKey hit the game-tying bucket with 22 seconds remaining in regulation as Union led 91-85 with 1:24 to play and 89-82 with 2:14 to go, before the Blazers closed the game on a 9-2 run.  In overtime, Wallace put VSU up four at 101-97 with two free throws and a layup, but Union trimmed the deficit to one at 102-101 with five seconds left, but McKey was fouled immediately and made one of two free throws for a 103-101 score as the Bulldogs were not able to get a shot off at the buzzer.

This season, Union is led y Terrence Ringo Jr., who leads the team averaging 18.6 points per game and 10.3 rebounds per game.  He is 177 of 301 from the field (.588), while he is 90 of 123 from the line (.732).  Ringo Jr., leads the team with 57 assists and has a team-high 50 blocks.  Will Lovings-Watts averages 15.9 points per game for second on the team, while Jamiir Allen is third in scoring at 9.0 points per game.  Devaki Garr has a team-high 44 made 3-pointers for the season. 

Following the two games, the Blazers are scheduled to close out the regular season at Auburn Montgomery (Feb. 25) and at Montevallo (Feb. 27).