The Jacksonville State men’s basketball team will host Fort Valley State Wednesday in a Pre-Thanksgiving matinee at 12 p.m. Admission is free for all fans ages 18 & under.

The Gamecocks welcome Division II foe Fort Valley State to Pete Mathews Coliseum for the first time in a pre-Thanksgiving Matinee and JSU’s last home game for two weeks.

JSU and the Wildcats have never met on the hardwood despite being less than 200 miles apart. Located less than 20 miles southwest of Macon, Ga., Fort Valley State is a member of the
Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) and has already played one like opponent this season.

The Gamecocks and Wildcats have both squared off with Alabama State, who defeated FVSU 79-71 in an exhibition game before upending the Gamecocks 84-73 less than two weeks later.

As experienced a team as the Gamecocks will face this season, FVSU boasts nine seniors and three juniors on its roster of 15 players. Only one freshman and two sophomores are on the team. Heading into the weekend, they were led by Brandon Davey’s 22.5 points and 10.3 rebounds per game.

JSU is looking to head into Thanksgiving on a positive note with a couple of tough trips looming. The Gamecocks leave Thursday for Mt. Pleasant, Mich., where they will face Central Michigan on Saturday. They will then be off for a week for final exams before heading south to Tallahassee, Fla., to take on Florida State.

In the Gamecocks’ last time out, freshman Undre Mitchem scored a career-high 21 points and keyed a 15-0 second-half run in a 76-69 win at Alabama A&M on Monday. Junior Darion Rackley leads the team with 16.0 points per game on the year.

(jsugamcocksports.com)