The Tuskegee University men's basketball team is set to open the 2017-18 season this weekend in the Gulf South Conference versus Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GSC/SIAC) Challenge. in Cleveland, Tenn hosted on the campus of Lee University.

The Golden Tigers will face Lee University Saturday at 5 p.m. and the University of West Georgia on Sunday at 2 p.m. Both will be a pair of teams that TU did not see a year ago.  

Jame Eads, a junior out of Orlando, Fla. returns as the team's leading scorer averaging 13.4 points per game while shooting 39 percent from the field. The Edgewater High School graduate also shot a team high 77 percent from the free throw line.  Last season, Eads scored a career high 31 points on 10-of-21 shooting.  Last month he earned a spot on the (SIAC) Preseason basketball team. 

Senior guard Travis Flagg and his 3.3 assists dished out per game leads the Golden Tigers and was also good enough for seventh best in the conference.

Benedict is expected to finish first in the poll for the eastern division with nine first place votes. Claflin is anticipated to finish second with only one first place vote ahead of Clark Atlanta who is excpected to finish third with six first place votes. With two first place votes, Morehouse is expected to finish fourth, followed by Fort Valley and Albany State. Paine garnered one first place vote to place seventh and finish out the division.
 
Lane led the west division in the preseason poll with nine first place votes, followed by Miles who is expected to finish second with two first place votes. Kentucky State was third with two first place votes ahead of LeMoyne-Owen who managed four first place votes. With two first place votes, Tuskegee is expected to finish fifth place ahead of Central State who garnered one first place vote. Spring Hill rounded out the west division in seventh place with three first place votes.

The entire crossover tournament can be seen live via Lee University's game central.