CLEVELAND, Tenn.-The 2023 Gulf South Conference Men's Basketball Championship will begin on (Tuesday) Feb. 28 with the quarterfinal matchups hosted on campus by the higher seed. The semifinals and championship rounds will be played at the Pete Hanna Center in Birmingham, Ala. on March 4-5.
The No.3 seeded Lee men (19-6 overall, 18-6 GSC), riding a five-game winning streak and boasting an 11-2 record inside Paul Dana Walker Arena this season, will be hosting the No. 6 seed University of Auburn at Montgomery (15-13 overall, 13-11 GSC) in the opening round of the championship playoffs. The winner will advance to the semifinal round and face the winner of No. 2 West Alabama and No.7 Union on Saturday at 8:15 (EDT). In other Tuesday games, No.1 seed Alabama Huntsville will face No. 8 Mississippi College and No. 4 West Georgia tests No. 5 Valdosta State.
"There's nothing better than playoff basketball," commented Lee coach Bubba Smith as he, his staff and players looked at the eight-team field. "We are really happy to be hosting a first round game on Tuesday. Auburn Montgomery is an extremely talented team with multiple scoring threats. They are well-balanced and well-coached and present some matchup challenges. I like the momentum our team has been building heading into the GSC tournament, but it will take a complete 40 minutes to advance to Birmingham on Saturday."
Coach Smith took some time to praise the work of his reserves. "We have been getting great minutes and contribution from our bench down the stretch. They have made a huge difference in multiple games over these last few weeks, and we need them to continue to bring their defensive energy and effort for us to make a run in the tournament. This is a new season now. Every team in the GSC has seniors that are looking to extend their own season. We need to set a great tone early."
Senior Jayce Willingham is leading the Flames with a 16 ppg average. He is joined by sophomore PJay Smith (15.7 ppg) and junior Beyuan Hendricks (12.4 ppg). PJay does more than score, he also paces the Flames in rebounding (6.1 per game, 3.1 assists, and 1.7 steals). But it is defense that coach Smith always takes pride in. The Flames are the second-leading defense (65.4 ppg) in the GSC and rank first in opposing field goal percentage (42.1%).
However, throw the stats out when the Flames and Warhawks play. In two meetings this season, the two teams put 336 points on the scoreboard. Lee won a Feb. 4 meeting at AUM 101-90 and the Flames scored 85 points in an earlier contest. Balance is the name of the game with a Warhawk team that averages over 77 ppg but allows over 78 in posting a 15-13 overall record.
Travis Anderson (14.7 ppg) paces a team that has five players score in double figures. Rebounding is a key factor and could be a problem inside for the Flames. The Warhawks average 37.7 rebounds per game, which ranks second in the GSC, and James Graham leads the way with 8.1 rebounds per game. He has posted a double-double in seven of his last 13 games, including a season-high 17 rebounds against Montevallo.
