CLEVELAND, Tenn.-The Lee University men's basketball team will be in a revenge mode when they travel into the western half of the state to face Union University (Jackson, Tenn.) on Thursday (7:30 CST) and Memphis Christian Brothers on Saturday (3:00 CST).

The Flames lost to Union and Christian Brothers inside Walker Arena back-to-back in January. In fact, Coach Bubba Smith's team dropped four of five contests during that period and has lost only twice since.

Union (12-14, 9-13) has lost six of its last eight games while the surging Lee team has recorded 10 wins in its last 11 starts. Coach Smith has not forgotten the first meetings with the Bulldogs and Bucs. On the other hand, Christian Brothers (16-9, 14-8) has won seven of its last eight games.

"We have two huge tests this weekend. Both Union and CBU present challenges. They are two well-coached teams that execute, have good size and athleticism, and isolate matchups well," the coach stressed.

"We will have to be better than we were the first time we played them. We did a poor job with our assignments, especially against Union, and we let too many guys hurt us in isolation. We will have to be a more connected team defensively over the weekend to play well and win at Union and CBU," Coach Smith pointed out.

It is tournament time, and the Flames are looking to solidify their host role officially on Super Tuesday with a win over the Bulldogs or Bucs. At the same time, it would better their chances of advancing to the Final Four at Samford (Birmingham) and climb higher in the regional rankings. The Flames debuted in the NCAA South Region rankings at five.

"There are ten teams in the GSC playing for something this weekend, whether it be a home game on Super Tuesday or the chance to make the top eight," noted the Lee coach. "I am not sure if we have had a league this balanced in a while. It shows the strength of the GSC and how hard it is to win consistently, especially on the road.

"We have played some pretty good basketball and have found a lot more consistency over the last half of the season. The win over West Georgia was the signature win we needed on our resume and put us in the region conversation at the five spot. 

"We know how good our league is, as well as (how strong) the Sunshine State Conference is, so to be in the top five this week speaks to the body of work we have done all season. However, there is so much that can happen over the next two weeks. We need to keep hunting growth and keep the next opponent as our focus," Coach Smith said in closing.