* FRIDAY & SATURDAY LIVE STATS
* THERE WILL NOT BE STREAMING VIDEO FOR THE UWF GAMES THIS WEEKEND
The UWF men's basketball team will open the 2019-20 season in Valdosta, Ga. this weekend against Albany State and Fort Valley State in the GSC/SIAC Challenge. The Argonauts will face ASU on Friday at 3 p.m. ET/2 p.m. CT and FVSU on Saturday at 6 p.m. ET/5 p.m. CT. Both games will be played at The Complex on Valdosta State's campus.
A year after winning the GSC Tournament and making the program's first NCAA Tournament in 2017-18, the Argos were hit hard by injuries and finished 2018-19 with a 12-16 record and 8-12 in league action. UWF defeated Fort Stewart 80-64 in an exhibition game last week. Junior
Chinedu Okonkwo had 17 points and eight rebounds as four players scored in double figures for the Argonauts.
UWF has won 60 games in the last three seasons, the most in any 3-year stretch in the 35-year history of the program.
HEAD COACH JEFF BURKHAMER
Jeff Burkhamer is entering his fifth season at UWF and has a 67-48 record. The Argos have two 20-plus win seasons in the last three years, including a school-record 28 in 2017-18 when the team won its first GSC Tournament Championship and advanced to the NCAA Regional Tournament for the first time in program history. Burkhamer has a 273-184 NCAA coaching record, which includes seven seasons at Armstrong State and six at Lander.
ABOUT ALBANY STATE
Albany State went 14-16 a year ago and 12-5 in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC). Patrick Gayle is in his second season leading the Golden Rams. The top returning scorer is Jared Harrington who averaged 15.7 points per game last season. Also back is Tyrell Williams who averaged 13.7 points and 7.6 rebounds per game. He led the team with a .63,6 field goal percentage.
UWF is 5-0 against the Golden Rams since 2004, with all five games coming in the last six years. The Argonauts won last year's matchup, 63-59, in Albany, Ga.
ABOUT FORT VALLEY STATE
FVSU was 7-22 in 2018-20 under first-year head coach Mark Sherrill and return seven players from last season. Shawn Foxbrennen led the team in scoring at 13.1 points per game and 6.8 rebounds per contest, while K'Viontae Williams posted 11.8 points and was the top assist man with 80 helpers. FVSU played Duke in an exhibition game, falling 126-57.
UWF and FVSU have met each of the last four years with the Argos holding a 3-1 series lead. The lone win in that stretch came in the second game of the
Jeff Burkhamer era, an 82-81 overtime loss in which Austin Sommerfield had 35 points and 17 rebounds - both top-10 single-game performances in program history. Two years ago in Pensacola, the Argos needed an extra five minutes for a 75-68 win at the UWF Field House.
UWF will return home to the UWF Field House next week to play host to Webber International on Wednesday night. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m.
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