The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
Blazers Host Wyoming In Regular Season Home Opener
11/21/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Nov. 21, 2006
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - For the first time all season, the UAB men's basketball team will compete at the friendly confines of Bartow Arena, when it does battle with the Wyoming Cowboys on Wednesday, Nov. 22, at 7 p.m. CT. It marks the second consecutive game between the two schools, with the Cowboys taking a 93-87 victory last Saturday in Laramie, Wyo.
It is the first time in school history the Blazers will battle a non-conference team in back-to-back games. UAB will also put its 13-game home-winning streak on the line when it battles Wyoming.
Scouting Wyoming
Wyoming enters the contest against UAB with a 3-0 record on the season, after defeating the Blazers, 93-87, last Saturday. The Cowboys have also recorded wins over Boise State (94-79) on Nov. 11 and Montana (76-71) on Nov. 15. The game against the Blazers will mark the Cowboys' first road contest of the 2006-07 campaign.
Wyoming is led by three players scoring in double figures. Junior guard Brad Smith, who accounted for a career-high 35 points against UAB in the teams' last meeting, leads the way with 24.7 ppg, while sophomore guard Brandon Ewing is averaging 23.0 ppg. James Spencer also averages double figures with 14.0 ppg. Jones also leads the team in assists, with 5.7 helpers per contest, and rebounds at 7.3 per contest.
Head coach Steve McClain enters his ninth season as head coach at the University of Wyoming. In his eight previous seasons at the University of Wyoming, McClain has posted the fifth highest winning percentage in school history -- 58.3 percent (143-100 record). His teams have averaged 17.5 wins per season through his first eight seasons.
Scouting UAB
UAB will play Wyoming in its first home contest of the regular season, sporting a 2-2 record on the campaign. The Blazers are coming off a hard-fought loss at Wyoming on Nov. 18 (93-87). The Blazers opened the season at the John Thompson Foundation Classic with a 71-60 loss to Washington State, before rebounding with back-to-back wins over Radford (76-63) and tournament host UW Milwaukee (75-60) over the tournament's final two contests.
The Blazers are led by senior guard/forward Wen Mukubu, who led the team in scoring, with 16.8 ppg, including shooting a scorching 60.0 percent (9-of-15) from beyond the arc (9-of-13).
Along with Mukubu, junior guard Paul Delaney and sophomore forward Lawrence Kinnard are also threats on offense. Delaney averaged 16.0 points per contest, while also leading the team with 6.5 rebounds and 6.8 assists per game. Kinnard ranks third on the team with 14.8 ppg, and also leads the team from beyond the arc (62.5 percent on 10-of-16 three-point attempts) and from the floor (57.9 percent).
UAB head coach Mike Davis enters the game against Wyoming sporting an overall record of 117-81 (.594) overall record, and is 2-2 at UAB.
UAB In Home Openers
The Blazers have been successful in past home openers, and are currently riding a four-game win streak in the first game of the season in Bartow Arena. The last time a UAB team lost its season-opening home contest came in a 60-59 defeat to Richmond on Nov. 24, 2001. In fact, the Blazers have an impressive overall record of 24-4 in home openers in school history.
A UAB Win Would Mean:
• Improve UAB's record to 3-2 overall.
• Mark the first time the Blazers have beaten Wyoming (0-3).
• UAB's 14th consecutive home win.
• Improve to 25-4 in home openers and five straight home-opening victories.
Difference At The Line
One of the main factors in the loss at Wyoming was the difference at at the free throw line. The Cowboys made more free throws (25) than the Blazers attempted (21) during the contest. UAB connected on just 57.1 percent of its free throws (12-of-21), compared to Wyoming's 83.3 percent (25-of-30) from the charity stripe.
Furthermore, the Blazers have struggled throughout the year at the line. On the season, UAB is shooting only 58.3 percent (42-of-72), compared to 79.3 percent (65-of-82) by its opponents.
Doesn't Happen Often
Losing a game when a UAB team scores 87 points is something that does not happen often. In fact, the Blazers' 93-87 loss at Wyoming last Saturday was only the third time since 1994 UAB has lost when scoring 87 or more points in a game. The Blazers fell 95-90 in overtime at American Puerto Rico on Nov. 26, 1994 and 98-87 at Marquette on March 1, 2003.
Highlights From The Previous Wyoming-UAB Game
If Wednesday night's game against Wyoming is as good as the two teams previous matchup last Saturday, then UAB fans are in for an exciting contest. Below are a few of the highlights from the 93-87 Wyoming victory:
• The 180 combined points were the most in a UAB game since a 100-80 victory over Murray State on Dec. 28, 2004.
• The game featured 17 ties and 17 lead changes between the two teams.
• The squads accounted for 120 shots, making a combined 65 of them (54.2 percent).
• Wyoming's Brad Smith accounted for a career-high 35 points, while UAB's Paul Delaney and Lawrence Kinnard also hit career-highs with 26 and 20 points, respectively.
May-Day
Freshman Jeremy Mayfield is showing why he was considered one of the top recruits in the nation last season. The 6-10 forward nearly earned his first collegiate double, collecting 10 points and eight rebounds in 18 minutes of action in the Blazers' loss at Wyoming. In fact, after combining for just five points and six rebounds through UAB's first two games, Mayfield has collected 20 points and 13 rebounds over its last two contests. For the season, the Irving, Texas native is fourth on the team in scoring (6.3 ppg) and tied for second in rebounding (4.8 rpg).
Gibbs Makes First Career Start
Senior guard Maurice Gibbs started his first career game in the Blazers' loss to Wyoming. It was his first career start in 34 games as a Blazer. He accounted for nine points on 3-of-4 shooting from three-point range in the 93-87 loss at Wyoming.
