The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
Men's Hoops Set To Take On USF This Saturday
12/7/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Dec. 7, 2007
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - UAB will travel to Tampa, Fla. where it will meet former conference rival USF on Saturday, at 7 p.m. ET (6 p.m. CT). Both teams enter the contest playing well, as the Blazers have captured five consecutive wins, while the Bulls are winners of six straight contests.
UAB and USF will be meeting for the 56th time in the series history. It is the most games the Blazers have played against any opponent in school history. The two rivals have played at least twice a year in all but five seasons (1992, `94, `95, `06, `07) dating back to when UAB began its basketball program in 1978-79.
UAB enters the game at USF having won five consecutive games following a 91-48 victory over Alabama A&M last Tuesday night. The Blazers opened by scoring 33 of the game's first 39 points and never looked back. Junior guard/forward Robert Vaden led the team with 20 points on 7-of-10 shooting from the floor and 6-of-8 from three-point range. UAB shot 64.8 percent from the floor and 65.0 percent from three-point range for the game, while all 11 players played at least 11 minutes in the contest.
Vaden leads the Blazers in scoring, averaging an impressive 18.4 points a game which ranks fourth in Conference USA. He also leads the team in three-point shooting (38-of-88, 43.2 percent) and minutes played (33.5).
Sophomore Walter Sharpe, who collected nine points, seven boards and three blocks in 16 minutes of action against Alabama A&M, is second on the team in scoring with 14.6 points a game, while leading the team in rebounding (7.2) and blocked shots (1.9). Junior forward Reggie Huffman is second on the team in rebounding (6.9 rpg) and third in scoring (10.7 ppg). Furthermore, the Birmingham, Ala. native has hit 50-of-66 shots from the floor and ranks second in Conference USA and second in the country in field goal percentage (75.8 percent).
Additionally, junior forward Lawrence Kinnard contributes 9.6 points and 5.0 rebounds per contest.
As a team, the Blazers are averaging 50.4 percent shooting from the floor and 40.4 percent from three-point range. The Blazers (7-3) are outscoring their opponents by 13.9 points a game (75.8-61.9).
Head coach Mike Davis is in his second season at the helm of the UAB men's basketball program. Davis, who is in his eighth season as a head coach, boasts a career record of 137-98 (.583) and five postseason appearances, including the 2002 national championship game. He is now 22-19 (.537) at UAB.
Scouting USF
After dropping their opening three contests this season, USF enters Saturday's contest on a six-game winning streak. Most recently, the Bulls won at Richmond, 79-65, last Wednesday night. Freshman guard Dominique Jones led the team with his second consecutive 30-point performance, going for 30 points and 14 rebounds en route to the win.
Thanks in large part to his recent performances, Jones leads the team with 15.8 points per contest and 55.6-percent shooting from three-point range (15-of-27). He also is the team's leader in field goal percentage (52.2 percent) and steals per game (2.1).
Jones is one of four Bulls players to average double-figure scoring. Senior center Kentrell Gransberry is second on the team with 15.4 ppg, and leads the team in rebounding (10.1 rpg) and blocks (7). Meanwhile, junior guard Jesus Verdejo (12.2 ppg) and sophomore guard Chris Howard (11.9) each average double figure scoring. Howard also leads the team in assists, averaging 7.0 helpers a game.
As a team, the Bulls rank among the nation's leaders from behind the arc, averaging an impressive 43.6 percent from three-point range, while shooting 47.0 percent from the floor. It is a main reason why USF is scoring 76.2 points a game as a team and outscoring the opposition by an average of 6.6 points a game.
USF head coach Stan Heath is in his first season at the helm of the men's basketball program and his seventh season as a head coach. Heath has compiled a career record of 112-77 (.593) during his coaching tenure.
UAB-USF The Series
UAB and USF will meet for the 56th time on the hardwood, which makes the Bulls its most familiar foe (see chart on page five). The Blazers hold a 36-19 advantage in the series history, and are winners of eight consecutive games over the Bulls, including four straight victories at USF. The Bulls last victory came in a 65-62 win on March 6, 2002.
UAB-USF A Year Ago
Lawrence Kinnard and Paul Delaney scored 13 points each to lead UAB to a 78-62 victory over USF on Dec. 27, 2006. Wen Mukubu scored 12 points and Maurice Gibbs had 11 for UAB. The Blazers had a 35-25 lead at halftime and led by as many as 22 points in the second half. Melvin Buckley scored 16 points, and Kentrell Gransberry had 13 points and 11 rebounds to lead USF. McHugh Mattis added 12 points for the Bulls. USF committed 21 turnovers and lost its fourth game in a row. The Bulls now have lost eight in a row to UAB. USF grabbed an early 8-5 lead but Mukubu drove for a basket and dunked off a steal to spark a 10-0 UAB run. The Bulls tied it 21-21 on a short jumper by Buckley. But Mukubu hit a 3-pointer to start a 14-4 run that gave UAB its 10-point halftime lead. Gibbs scored UAB's first 11 points of the second half, hitting three straight 3-pointers from the left corner.
Last Time Out
Robert Vaden hit six 3-pointers and scored 20 points to lead UAB to a 91-48 victory over Alabama A&M Tuesday night. UAB (7-3) led 54-24 at halftime and built the margin to 44 points in the second half. The Blazers won their fifth game in a row, their longest winning streak under second-year coach Mike Davis. Howard Crawford scored a career-high 12 points for UAB. Lawrence Kinnard, Walter Sharpe and Ed Berrios had nine points each for the Blazers. Trant Simpson scored 14 points to lead Alabama A&M (3-4). Evan Hilton scored 11 points and Jonathan Belt and Jonathan Inman had 10 points apiece for the Bulldogs. Kinnard hit two 3-pointers and Reggie Huffman had two inside baskets to help UAB take an 11-2 lead. The Blazers were never threatened from there. Aaron Johnson had eight assists to help UAB shoot 64.8 percent from the field. The Blazers were 13-for-20 from 3-point range.
Shooting Towards History
UAB put on a hot-shooting display when the Blazers defeated Alabama A&M last Tuesday night. UAB shot a blistering 64.8 percent for the contest on 35-of-54 shooting. The mark is the fourth-best single-game shooting night in school history.
As a team, the Blazers are shooting 50.4 percent from the floor and 40.4 percent from beyond the arc. Those numbers rank third in the most recent Conference USA statistics. Following their performance against the Bulldogs, the Blazers have now shot 50 percent or better from the floor in seven of 10 games, capturing victories in each of the seven contests. Along with the Alabama A&M game, UAB also shot 57.1 percent in an overtime victory at UL-Lafayette (11/27), 55.1 percent at Georgia State (11/10), a season-high 63.5 percent against Stetson (11/13), 50 percent in the win over Eastern Kentucky (11/21) and 50.9 percent against Jacksonville (11/24).
Dynamic Defense
Not only are the Blazers shooting the ball well, they are also one of the best defensive teams in the league. UAB is allowing the opposition to score 61.9 points a game, which ranks second in Conference USA. Additionally, the Blazers are holding opponents to just 39.1 percent shooting from the floor and 26.3 percent from beyond the arc. Those numbers rank fourth and second, respectively, in Conference USA.
Battle Of The Best
USF and UAB enter Saturday's game as one of the nation's leaders around the perimeter. USF is currently 15th in the country in three-point field goal percentage, shooting 43.6 percent from beyond the arc. However, the Blazers are one of the best teams in guarding the perimeter, and are allowing opponents to shoot just 26.3 percent from deep this year.
