The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
Blazers Set To Battle No. 25 Butler
12/29/2008 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Dec. 29, 2008
UAB-Butler Game Notes | Watch Live
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The UAB men's basketball team will return to action on Tuesday night when it takes on No. 25 Butler in Indianapolis, Ind. at 7 p.m. ET (6 p.m. CT). The contest marks the first time the two teams will square off on the hardwood since Dec. 4, 1980, and just the second meeting ever between the squads.
The contest will be video streamed live on the Horizon League Network at www.horizonleaguenetwork.tv. Registration is required, but all events are free to watch.
UAB enters Tuesday's match-up at Butler having won three of its last four contests. However, the Blazers are coming off an 82-62 defeat at No. 19 Louisville on Saturday afternoon. The trio of Robert Vaden (22 points) Lawrence Kinnard (19 points) and Paul Delaney III (16 points) scored 57 of the team's 62 points on the night.
Vaden, a Wooden Award and Naismith Trophy candidate and Preseason C-USA Player of the Year recipient, has now scored at least 20 points in eight of UAB's 12 games on the season. He currently leads the team in scoring (19.6 ppg) and is second in rebounding (6.3 rpg). Vaden has also picked up where he left off last season on three-point shooting, leading the team with 45 treys on the season. In fact, Vaden ranks seventh in the nation in total threes made and is tied for fourth in threes attempted (122).
Kinnard is second on the team in scoring with 16.8 points per games. He recently recorded his fifth double-double of the season and 12th of his career against in the win over Florida Atlantic (12/22). Kinnard's five double-doubles set his single-season career-high and leads Conference USA. He enters the Butler game leading the squad with 9.0 rebounds and 0.7 blocks per contest.
Delaney recorded 16 points, six steals. five rebounds and four assists in the loss to the Cardinals. He is third on the team with 16.7 ppg, to go along with 4.9 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.7 steals per game. Additionally, Delaney also leads the team in field goal percentage, connecting on 65-of-110 shots from the floor this season (.591).
As a team, the Blazers are shooting 45.3 percent from the floor and 35.7 percent from beyond the arc this season. UAB is also averaging 8.1 three-point makes per game and is outscoring opponents by 5.3 points a game (74.0-68.8), despite having one of the toughest schedules in the nation (current strength of schedule is No. 17 according to CBSsportsline.com's RPI rankings through games of Dec. 27).
Butler enters the contest against UAB sporting a 10-1 overall record on the season after capturing a 74-65 win at then-No. 14 Xavier on Dec. 23. The Bulldogs' combination of freshman guard/forward Gordon Hayward's 19 points and 10 boards and sophomore forward Matt Howard 19 points and 14 rebounds led the team to an important road victory.
The Bulldogs are not only ranked among the nation's top-25 teams, but they are also boasting a top-five RPI in nearly all RPI polls. Butler's lone loss of the season came with a 54-51 defeat at Ohio State on Dec. 13.
Howard leads Butler with 13.4 points and 7.5 rebounds a game on the season. He also has a team-high 1.5 blocks a game. Additionally, Hayward is second on the team in both scoring (13.2 ppg) and rebounding (5.7 rpg). He also has a team-best 18 steals on the season. Freshman guard Selvin Mack is the only other player to average double-figure scoring, collecting 12.5 points per contest. Mack also leads the team with 3.6 assists a game.
As a team, Butler is holding the opposition to 55.8 points a game and limits them to only 38.5 percent shooting from the floor and 30.1 percent from beyond the arc. Butler also outscores the opponents by 12.8 points a game (68.6-55.8) and averages 8.9 three-pointers made per game. Additionally, the Bulldogs are shooting 41.9 percent from the floor and 37.3 percent from beyond the arc.
The game will air live on the Blazers ISP Radio Network, WUHT 107.7 FM. David Crane, Steve Mitchell and Jon Gentile will broadcast the game with the pregame show beginning at 5:30 p.m. CT (6:30 p.m. ET).
