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West Georgia Wolves Set to Face Hatters of Stetson

1/12/2026 3:30:00 PM

By: Danny Talbert
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - West Georgia men's basketball heads back to Florida to face off against Stetson University this Thursday (Jan. 15) at 7 p.m. in the Pack's third straight game in the Sunshine State. 

Coming off its first ASUN loss of the season, UWG (9-6, 3-1 ASUN) looks to get back on track against a Stetson team (6-11, 2-2 ASUN) that has secured half of its total wins in the last six games. Notably, a victory against the Hatters ties last season's ASUN and overall win total for the Wolves.

SU leads the all-time series 2-0 after beating UWG 78-62 (Jan. 4, 2025) and 82-78 (Jan. 18, 2025) last year. 

Riding a team-high four-game double-digit scoring streak going into Thursday night's clash is junior guard Josh Smith. Reaching that mark 13 times this season, Smith's 16 points per game average ranks the Chicagoland native second on UWG and eighth in the ASUN in scoring. Utilized as the Wolves' offensive spark plug off the bench, Smith's scoring average is the best of all ASUN sixth men. Not only is he consistently dropping double-digits, the guard has also showcased his reliability during make-or-break moments multiple times this season. Just last Friday (Jan. 9), Smith earned ASUN Play of the Week honors for his buzzer-beating jumper against Bellarmine in the conference-opener (Jan. 3). 

On the other side of the ball, West Georgia's defense has been anchored by the big men, JaVar Daniel and Kenneth Chime. Fueled by the pair averaging 1.7 blocks per game each, the Wolves average a league-best 5.06 blocks per game as a Pack, almost a full block more than the next ASUN team. These averages rank Daniel first and Chime third in the ASUN (Daniel played less total games). With just under half the season remaining, the pair are closing in on breaking into the UWG record books, with Daniel's 26 putting him ten away and Chime's 27 putting him nine away from tying Darrell Smith and Gavin Field for the tenth most blocks in a single season (36). Outside of blocks, Daniel averages 6.1 points and 5.1 rebounds per game while shooting 46 percent from the field. Chime averages 4.3 points and 5.6 rebounds while shooting 54 percent from the field.  

 Pushing the pace for the Hatters is sophomore guard Jamie Phillips Jr., who is averaging a Stetson-best 16.5 points (fifth in ASUN) and 5.8 rebounds (tenth in ASUN) while shooting 46 percent from the field (tenth in ASUN) and 35 percent from three. In addition to leading the Hatters in scoring and on the glass, the Winter Haven, Florida native's 2.9 assists per game average ranks him second on the team. Starting in all 16 contests this season, Phillips has dropped 20 or more points six times. Currently, the guard is riding a three-game streak in which he achieved this feat, highlighted by a career-high 30-point performance in the Hatters' win over Lipscomb (Jan. 8). Notably, Phillips did not play in Stetson's most recent game and it is unclear whether or not he will be available against the Wolves. 

Another Hatter putting up top-ten ASUN figures is junior guard Calvin Sirmans III. Currently, Sirmans' stellar 4.6 assists per game average ranks him third in the league. Going over his game logs, the Keiser transfer has recorded double-digit assists twice this season and has recorded six five-plus assist performances. Remarkably, 33 percent (78-235) of all the Hatters' assists have been facilitated by Sirmans. In addition to leading the team in assists, he averages 4.4 points and two rebounds per game while shooting 26 percent from the field and 23 percent from three. 

Looking at team stats, UWG takes the edge in all scoring and shooting categories, with the Pack averaging 76.1 points per game while shooting 43 percent from the field, 35 percent from three and 72 percent from the line. On the other hand, Stetson averages 70.4 points per game while shooting 43 percent from the field (.001 lower than UWG), 32 percent from three and 66 percent from the line. On defense, UWG has allowed 79.8 points per game and SU has allowed 80.8 points per game. 

Tipoff in DeLand on Thursday (Jan. 15) is set for 7 p.m. The midweek matchup is streaming live on ESPN+. Links to live streaming and stats are tagged at the top of the page. 
 
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