The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
Men's Basketball To Face Cincinnati
12/1/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Dec. 1, 2006
Cincinnati Game Notes
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BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - For the sixth time in seven games this season, the UAB men's basketball team will return to the road where it will take on former Conference USA and current Big East rival Cincinnati on Saturday, Dec. 2, at 4 p.m. EST. The radio broadcast can be heard on the Blazers ISP Sports Network, beginning with the pre-game show at 2:30 p.m. CT. Birmingham and Huntsville listeners can follow all the action on WYDE 101.1 FM.
It will mark the first meeting between the two schools since Feb. 15, 2005, when UAB fell at Cincinnati, 72-69.
Scouting Cincinnati
Cincinnati enters its game against UAB with a 5-1 record overall on the season. This game will mark the Bearcats' seventh consecutive home game. UC is coming off a 68-61 victory over Oakland on Wednesday night, thanks in large part to forward John Williamson's 27 points on the evening.
The Bearcats are led by Williamson's 17.7 points and 7.5 rebounds per game. He also leads the team with 64.5 percent shooting from the field, as well as 72.7 percent from beyond the arc (8-of-11).
Cincinnati head coach Mick Cronin is in his first season at the helm of the program. After beginning the season at 5-1, Cronin, who came to UC from Murray State, has compiled an impressive 74-25 (.747) record as head coach.
Scouting UAB
UAB will enter its contest at Cincinnati sporting a 3-3 overall record on the 2006-07 campaign. The Blazers are coming off a 69-54 loss at Western Kentucky on Tuesday. The two teams were tied at the half; however, the 6-1 Hilltoppers used high pressure defense and hot shooting to outscore UAB by 15 over the game's final 20 minutes.
The Blazers are led by junior guard Paul Delaney III, who had a career-best 32-point performance in the victory over Wyoming (Nov. 22). Delaney leads the team with 18.8 points, 6.0 rebounds and 6.0 assists per contest. Along with Delaney, senior guard/forward Wen Mukubu and sophomore forward Lawrence Kinnard are also threats on offense. Mukubu averages 13.3 points per contest and a team-best 1.8 steals a game, while Kinnard ranks third on the team with 12.3 points per game, and also ranks second the team from beyond the arc (509 percent on 13-of-25 three-point attempts). UAB head coach Mike Davis enters the game against Western Kentucky sporting an overall record of 118-82 (.590) in his seventh season as head coach, and is 3-3 at UAB.
A UAB Win Would:
• Improve UAB's record to 4-3 overall.
• Mark only the second win over the Bearcats in the last 11 contests between the two teams (1-10).
• Improve the Blazers to 3-3 in games played away from Bartow, matching its win total on the road from the 2005-06 regular season.
• Earn the Blazers their eighth victory over Cincinnati in 22 contests between the two schools (8-14).
Losing To Quality Opponents
UAB's 3-3 record may be a little misleading considering who the Blazers have lost to this season. The Blazers have lost to 6-0 Washington State, 6-1 Wyoming and 6-1 Western Kentucky. Combined, the three teams who one-upped UAB this season have a combined 18-2 record. UAB also gave the Cowboys its lone loss this season, defeating them 92-71 on Nov. 22.
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 once again nearly earned his first collegiate double-double, collecting 10 points and eight rebounds in a career-high 25 minutes of action in the Blazers' loss at Western Kentucky on Nov. 28. In fact, after combining for just five points and six rebounds through UAB's first two games, Mayfield has collected 32 points and 26 rebounds over his last four contests (8.0 ppg and 6.5 rpg). For the season, the Irving, Texas native is the top scoring reserve on the team, averaging 6.2 ppg, and third on the squad in rebounding (5.3 rpg).
Deja Vu?
What fans witnessed in UAB's loss at Western Kentucky on Nov. 28 may have looked familiar. For a second consecutive season, the Blazers and Hilltoppers entered halftime tied, only to have WKU control the second half and win by double figures. The two teams were tied at 28 all at the half in their most recent meeting, with Western Kentucky outscoring the Blazers by 15 in the second half to win 69-54. On Nov. 29, 2005, UAB and WKU entered the half tied at 36, and once again the Blazers were outscored in the game's final 20 minutes, falling at home, 92-76. That game also marked the last time UAB has lost a home contest (14 consecutive games).
Bench Production
A way to forecast a UAB win or loss may lie in the team's production from the reserves. When the Blazer bench outscores their opponents, UAB is 3-0. However, UAB has not won a game when the reserves get outscored by the opposition (0-3). On the year, the UAB bench has bettered its opponents, outscoring them 94-83 through five games on the campaign. Below is a game-by-game breakdown of how UAB's bench matches up against its opponent.
Opponent UAB Opp W/L
vs. Wash. State 12 13 L
vs. Radford 21 10 W
at UW Milwaukee 18 12 W
at Wyoming 10 11 L
WYOMING 17 16 W
at W. Kentucky 16 21 L
Road Warriors
When the Blazers take the court against Cincinnati on Dec. 2, it will mark the team's sixth road game in seven contests this season, which is the most road games to start a season in school history. The Blazers will return home for the first time since Nov. 22, and second time this season, when they battle Minnesota on Dec. 5, at 7 p.m. CT.
"Run"ning To Victory
In each of the Blazers' three victories, the team has gone on a big run. Below is a breakdown of each UAB victory before, and after, the run occurred (Codes - BR=Before Run, AR=After Run):
OPP. BR RUN AR FINAL
Radford 9-6 15-5 26-11 76-63
UW Mil. 23-13 20-6 43-19 75-60
Wyoming 15-19 20-2 35-21 92-71
Delaney Sets Another Career-High
For a second consecutive game and the third time this season, junior guard Paul Delaney set a career-high in points scored in a contest. After accounting for a then-career best 26 points at Wyoming on Nov. 18, Delaney poured in a career-best 32 points in the 92-71 win over the Cowboys on Nov. 22. Over UAB's last three contests, the Decatur, Ga. native has scored 75 points (25.0 ppg).
Hot-Shooting
UAB was on fire from the floor in the 92-71 win over Wyoming on Nov. 22. The Blazers hit 32-of-53 shots from the floor, which equates to 60.4 percent. It was the first time the Blazers shot over 60 percent from the floor since a 90-71 win over Oklahoma State on Dec. 28, 2005.
Free Throws Over The Last Five Minutes
Below is a breakdown of how UAB fares from the foul line in the final five minutes of a contest:
Kinnard 4-4 1.000
White 2-2 1.000
Delaney 9-13 .692
Wen Mukubu 1-2 .500
Holmes 1-3 .333
Ollie 1-3 .333
Crawford 0-4 .000
Totals 18-31 .581
Rebounding Advantage
One of the most improved categories of this year's UAB team has been its production on the glass. After outrebounding only four opponents during the entire 2005-06 campaign, the Blazers have yet to be outrebounded during the 2006-07 season. In six contests this year, the Blazers have tied two opponents on the boards, while holding an advantage over three opponents this season. For the year, UAB holds a +2.0 advantage on the boards (34.3-32.3).
Difference At The Line
An area in which the Blazers have struggled throughout the year is at the line. Despite hitting 11-of-14 from the charity stripe in the loss
at Western Kentucky, UAB is shooting only 60.5 percent (72-of-119). However, after a 14-of-14 performance by the Hilltoppers on Nov. 28, Blazer opponents are shooting 80.2 percent (89-of-111).
