The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
Blazers Host USF In 2008-09 Home Opener
12/2/2008 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Dec. 2, 2008
USF Game Notes | | Gametracker | Watch
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - For the first time this season, the UAB men's basketball team will play in Bartow Arena when the Blazers take on long-time rival USF on Wednesday at 8:00 p.m. CT. The contest will follow the UAB-Florida women's game, which is set to take place at 5:30 p.m. CT.
UAB enters Wednesday's contest against USF having lost its last two games after opening the season with four straight victories. The Blazers' losses came in the 2008 NIT Season Tipoff, as they fell to then-No. 11 Oklahoma, 77-67 last Wednesday, and Boston College, 83-77 on Friday.
The Blazers are led by three seniors who average double figures. Senior guard/forward Robert Vaden, a Naismith Award candidate and Preseason C-USA Player of the Year recipient, leads the team in scoring (19.2 ppg) and is second in rebounding (6.7 rpg). He also picked up where he left off on three-point shooting, leading the team with 22 treys on the season (22-of-59).
Senior guard Paul Delaney III is second on the team, averaging 18.4 ppg, to go along with 4.4 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.0 steals per game. Delaney sat out the last UAB game against Boston College with an injured ankle but is expected to return to the lineup against the Bulls.
Senior forward Lawrence Kinnard is coming off a monster game against Boston College, where he scored a career-high 29 points to go along with eight boards and four assists. He is third on the team in scoring, averaging 17.0 points and leads the squad with 8.0 rebounds per contest.
As a team, the Blazers are shooting 44.3 percent from the floor and 36.6 percent from beyond the arc in four contests this season. UAB is also averaging 8.7 three-point makes per game and is outscoring opponents by 4.0 points a game (74.0-70.0).
USF enters the contest at UAB with a 3-1 overall mark and an 0-1 record in road games. The Bulls' lone loss was a two-point defeat at Virginia on Nov. 19 (77-75). USF has also defeated Conference USA rival SMU (60-46 on Nov. 14). Most recently, the Bulls recorded their second straight win with a 55-37 victory over Northeastern last Saturday.
The Bulls boast two players averaging double-figure scoring in sophomore guard Dominique Jones (16.3 ppg) and senior guard Jesus Verdejo (15.5 ppg). In addition to leading his team in scoring, Jones also has team-highs of 4.8 assists and 1.8 steals per contest. However, normally a good marksman, Jones has struggled from deep, connecting on just 1-of-15 (.067) from beyond the arc.
Verdejo is the team's best shooter from three-point range, connecting on 44.8 percent of his shots from deep (13-of-29). Junior center Alex Rivas and freshman forward Eladio Espinosa are tied for the team lead with 5.8 rebounds per game, while senior forward Aris Williams leads the team with six blocked shots.
As a team, the Bulls are shooting 43.1 percent from the floor and 29.5 percent from beyond the arc. USF is also outscoring opponents by 10.8 points a game (62.2-51.5).
UAB and USF will meet for the 57th time on the hardwood Wednesday, which is the most games UAB has played against any one opponent in school history. The Blazers enter the contest with a 36-20 advantage in the all-time series. However, the Bulls snapped an eight-game losing streak to UAB last season when they captured a 68-58 victory on Dec. 8, 2007 at USF Arena. Wednesday's game marks the 16th straight year the two former conference rivals have met on the hardwood. In fact, there has been only one season when the two teams have not met on the court since UAB began its basketball program in 1979 (1991-92).
The game can be heard live on WUHT 107.7 FM with David Crane and Steve Mitchell on the call, beginning with the pregame show at 6:30 p.m. CT. Additionally, the contest can be followed live on Gametracker by logging onto UABsports.com.
