The Lee men make their second and third appearances inside Walker Arena this season when they host the University of West Florida in games slated for Friday (6 p.m.) and Saturday (2 p.m.). The Flames will be seeking to avenge their only loss (79-66) of the year to the Argonauts in their season opener on Dec. 12. Overall, the Flames hold a 10-4 advantage in the series. Lee brings a five-game winning streak into the contest while the (2-3) West Florida club will be seeking to recover from a Saturday loss to West Georgia.
Coach Bubba Smith's team cracked the top 25 for the first time this season at No. 18 in the NCAA D2 Media Poll after sweeping No. 5 Valdosta State on the road and winning at home against Shorter on Tuesday. Smith was named HoopDirt.com's National D2 coach of the Week after the impressive showing last weekend in taking down the Blazers.
Coach Bubba Smith said:
"This weekend should be a great test for our team. UWF is a really good team, with good size and athleticism. (Coach) Jeff (Burkhamer) has done a great job with his group. (The Flames are 4-3 against Burkhamer since he took over the Argo program). They are playing with a lot more pace in transition and have some guys that can score in the open court.
"I though they outplayed us at their place to start the season. It was our first game, and there were a lot of things we didn't know about our own team going into that first game. I know we have improved since then, and we are looking forward to seeing how we match up against them this time around. We have had some great battles against UWF over the last few years. These games have always been close and normally come down to who gets a few stops and makes a few plays down the stretch. We will have to be really good defensively this weekend, and it starts on Friday."
Argo Leaders: Senior guard Tarik Mckelphin posted a double-double in the first game against the Flames (32 points, 10 rebounds). He averages 16.8 ppg and 10 rpg. Mckelphin also tops the Agro's in assists per game (3.6). Sophomore guard Daniel Sofield is his team's leading point maker (17 ppg) and shoots 54% (15 of 28) in 3-point attempts. He also goes to glass for five rpg. Redshirt sophomore post player Conor Flanagan scores at a 9.8 ppg clip and junior forward Wendell Matthews enters at 9.3 ppg while senior guard Cameron Cox rounds out the likely starters (8.6 ppg).
Flame Throwers: Lee junior guard Quay Kennedy earned this past week's GSC East Player of Week honor for the second consecutive week, leading the Flames to a pair of wins at No. 5 Valdosta State. Redshirt freshman Makhi McGuire was also named Freshman of the Week.
Kennedy is averaging 19.3 ppg and 6.2 rpg. He is knocking down over 80% of his free throws including those key freebies in the weekend sweep of Valdosta. Sophomore guard Beyuan Hendricks missed the first meeting at West Florida but has returned to guide the five-game winning streak and is scoring at a 12.2 ppg pace. He also leads his team with 25 assists. Redshirt junior guard Michael McGuirk is averaging a double-double, 13 ppg and 10 rpg. Redshirt sophomore guard Jayce Willingham follows at 9.2 ppg and 5.3 rpg.
Looking at GSC: Due to COVID issues Montevallo (1-0) has still played only one conference game and is not scheduled to play this weekend. The Flames stand at 5-1 in the East and Valdosta 6-2. The Auburn Montgomery (1-3) at West Georgia series has been postponed. Over in the West, Alabama Huntsville retains an unbeaten league mark (6-0). West Alabama is 3-1 and Union 5-3. The Huntsville, West Alabama games slated for this weekend have been postponed.
Lady Flames Looking to Bounce Back: While the Lee men are hosting West Florida, the Lee women will be in Pensacola for Friday and Saturday games with the Lady Argos. Friday evening's contest will start at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday's matchup will begin at 4 p.m. Valdosta State leads the East with an 8-1 record while Lee and Montevallo follow at 5-2. In the West, Union holds a 6-2 record. Mississippi College has played just four games (3-1) while Alabama Huntsville is 4-3.
