VALDOSTA —
With a rare opportunity to play in front of a national television audience, the Valdosta State basketball teams will host Gulf South Conference foe, and rival, Delta State today at the P.E. Complex.
The games will be aired live on the CBS College Sports Network, a national TV station carried by nearly every cable and satellite provider.
The women’s game is set to begin at 11:30 a.m., with the men’s game beginning at 2 p.m.
The Lady Blazers enter today’s game with a 10-6 overall record, but 3-5 record in league play, including a 60-52 loss to Christian Brothers on Thursday night.
Following the loss to Christian Brothers, head coach Kiley Hill was not pleased with his team’s performance, saying they were “oblivious” to what the team was trying to accomplish on the floor.
To make matters worse, the Lady Blazers are facing Delta State, a school Hill has beaten just once in his 12-year coaching career with Valdosta State.
That lone victory came last year in Valdosta, when the Lady Blazers upset the Lady Statesmen 50-42. VSU lost the meeting in Cleveland, Miss., 56-52, despite leading late in the second half.
The Lady Statesmen are 10-6 on the season and 5-3 in league play, following a rare loss to West Florida on Thursday night in Pensacola.
While the Lady Statesmen are without four-time All-American and reigning conference player of the year Veronica Walker, who graduated after last season, Hill said the tradition of the program makes a game against Delta State tough.
“We are going to try and go out there and beat Goliath,” said Hill, speaking to media on Wednesday.
On the men’s side, the Blazers enter with an 11-5 overall record and a 3-5 record in league play. The Blazers enter following a 68-60 win over Christian Brothers on Thursday.
The Blazers never trailed the Buccaneers in the second half, using 17 points from junior guard Patrick Diop along with tough full-court defensive pressure to earn the win.
Delta State is clearly playing better basketball, as of late. After a 5-9 start to the season, and a 1-5 start in league play, the Statesmen have won two straight, including a 70-54 win over West Florida on Thursday night.
Last Saturday, West Florida beat the Blazers 99-93 in Pensacola, Fla.
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James Anacreon (23) leads the Valdosta State men’s basketball team in scoring, averaging 15.9 points per game. Anacreon and the Blazers will host Delta State today at 2 p.m. Ed Hooper | The Valdosta Daily Times
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