The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB Renews Rivalry With Old Dominion Thursday
12/22/2005 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Dec. 21, 2005
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - UAB continues its current three-game home stand Thursday when it welcomes former Sun Belt Conference rival and 2005 NCAA Tournament participant Old Dominion to Bartow Arena. The teams battle in a 7:30 p.m. CT tip-off.
The Blazers (5-3) are coming off a 72-58 home win over Centenary Monday night. Marvett McDonald scored 15 points, Brandon Tobias added career-highs with 11 points and six rebounds and the UAB swiped a school record-tying 23 steals in the win.
"I'm still looking for that consistency with our guys," UAB head coach Mike Anderson said. "I'm talking about consistent minutes where we play well. I'm also looking for bench productivity. I need somebody else to come off the bench and give us a lift. More than anything else, though, I want us to be consistent with what we're doing. I think we're on the verge of doing some good things, but I think we need to do them for 40 minutes and not 22 minutes."
UAB is forcing over 24 turnovers per game and is third nationally in steals per game with 13.3. Senior forward Demario Eddins leads the way with a 14.1 points per game average. McDonald (13.3) and Wen Mukubu (11.0) also average double figure scoring for UAB.
Old Dominion is 7-3 after Tuesday night's 61-58 overtime loss at Richmond. The Monarchs, currently ranked No. 4 in the College Hoops Insider mid-major poll behind Gonzaga, Northern Iowa and Bucknell, have beaten Georgia, DePaul and East Carolina already this year. Blaine Taylor's club was 28-6 last year and lost to Michigan State, 89-81, in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
Size is the biggest factor for ODU. Sophomore center Sam Harris is 7-3, but plays sparingly off the bench. Still, the Monarchs have 6-9 senior forward Alex Loughton's 13.7 points and 7.2 rebounds per game. Forward Arnaud Dahi (6-7, 220) leads ODU with a 14.1 points per game average. The Monarchs are holding opponents to 39 percent field goal shooting while hitting at a 43 percent pace. Opponents hit just 30 percent of their three-pointers against ODU as well.
"Old Dominion is a very good basketball team," Anderson said. "When you look at some of the teams they've played and what they've done, they are a team that's been together for a while. They are a team that is very versatile. They have good guards and good post players. It's a team that is well balanced. Defensively, they do a lot of good things. They alternate through a lot of defenses. We've got our work cut out for us."
UAB and Old Dominion are former Sun Belt Conference rivals who played together in the league from 1982-83 until the Monarchs left for the Colonial Athletic Association after the 1990-91 season. The teams have not played, however, since the Monarchs departed the Sun Belt. UAB leads the all-time series, 14-8. In 10 meetings in Birmingham, Old Dominion has won only once - a 59-58 nail-biter in the BJCC in 1985. UAB is 3-0 against ODU all-time in Bartow Arena.
The game will air live on the ISP/Blazer Sports Network which can be heard locally in Birmingham on WYDE-101.1 FM.
UAB Men's Basketball Game Notes in PDF Format
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