The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB Travels To Face Off Against South Alabama
12/18/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Dec. 18, 2009
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Fresh off its 64-47 victory over No. 25 Cincinnati last Wednesday night, the UAB men's basketball team will return to action on Saturday afternoon when the Blazers take on South Alabama in the first game of the Coors Classic in Mobile, Ala. The game will be televised live on CSS and can also be heard on the WUHT 107.7 FM with David Crane and Steve Mitchell on the call.
UAB will make its first road trip since a Nov. 17 contest at Jacksonville State when it travels to take on South Alabama on Saturday night in the opening game at the Coors Classic. The Blazers enter the contest on a hot streak, having won eight consecutive contests following their 64-47 victory of 25th-ranked Cincinnati on Wednesday night at Bartow Arena. Leading the way for UAB was junior guard Elijah Millsap, who collected 22 points and tied his career-high with 15 rebounds en route to the victory. Seniors Howard Crawford (14 points) and George Drake (10 points) each scored double-figures to help lead the Blazers to the win.
Millsap leads UAB in scoring (16.4 ppg), rebounding (9.9 rpg) and free throws made (51) and attempted (75) entering Wednesday's game. The Louisiana-Lafayette transfer has led the Blazers in scoring and/or rebounding in eight of their nine games this season.
Crawford is second on the team with 14.2 points per contest, while junior guard Jamarr Sanders adds 10.9 ppg and leads the team in three-pointers made (21) and attempted (54). Junior guard Aaron Johnson adds 9.2 points and leads the team in assists (4.1) and steals (1.8) per game.
As a team, the Blazers are shooting 44.7 percent from the floor and 33.9 percent from beyond the arc on the year. UAB also boasts a +6.5 advantage on the boards (37.4-30.9).
UAB head coach Mike Davis is now in his fourth season at the helm of the Blazers' basketball program and his 10th season as a head coach. He boasts a record of 69-40 (.633) at UAB and a 184-119 (.607) record overall.
South Alabama comes into Saturday's contest sporting an 8-3 overall record and have now won five of its last six contests following a 74-71 victory over Arkansas Little Rock on Wednesday night. The contest was the Sun Belt opener for both teams. The Jaguars were led by senior Bryan Sherrer's 21 points, while junior Gary Redus came off the bench to collect 16 points in the winning effort.
USA boasts a trio of players who average double figures, with junior forward Tim Williams leading the way with a team-best 13.5 points and 7.7 rebounds per contest. Sherrer collects 11.5 points a game, while freshman guard/forward Martino Brock chips in with 11.2 points and 6.7 rebounds per contest.
As a team, the Jaguars shoot 43.9 percent from the floor and 32.9 percent from beyond the arc, while averaging 71.3 points per game. South Alabama also averages 8.5 steals a game, which contributes to forcing its opponents into 16.8 turnovers per contest.
In his second go-around at the school where he began his Division I coaching career in 1987, head coach Ronnie Arrow holds a 168-116 (.591) reecord at USA. Arrow, who is in his 11th season overall at USA, first guided the Jaguars from 1987-94, posting a 114-93 (.551) record in the eight-year stint. Now in his 29th season as a head coach in the Division I and JUCO ranks and owns an overall coaching record of 604-250 (.707).
Quotable
UAB Head Coach Mike Davis
On preparing the team for South Alabama after a big win against Cincinnati:
"They are all human. Over the last 24 hours I've gotten tons of phone calls and texts and (the players) probably gotten the same thing. For the moment it's good, but we have a game on Saturday. That game last night is over. We can't think about it and focus on it unless we're thinking about what's going to make us a better basketball team. We've never been in this situation before. That's the best win we've had since I've been here. I know I can handle it, but it's my job to make sure that my team handles it well."
On defeating Cincinnati despite poor shooting:
"Defensively I think we did great. We rebounded the ball well and if you do that then you give your self a chance. That's the point I'm really going to really express to our guys. We didn't shoot the ball well. We were under 40 percent from the field and under 20 percent from the three-point line and still we win by 17. It shows you where we are as a basketball team and the room we have left to grow as a basketball team."
On not relying on one player to produce offensively:
"That's the beauty of this basketball team. I just hope we can stay unselfish and the chemistry can stay good. When you hear those good things, that's when things go south and the chemistry tends to go away."
On facing South Alabama Saturday:
"They are a tough, hard-nosed basketball team. They've only lost one home game this year and it's going to be tough game if we don't come ready to play."
UAB vs. South Alabama: The Series
Former longtime conference rivals UAB and South Alabama will meet for the 41st time in school history and for the first time since Dec., 31, 2004 on Saturday night. The Blazers own a 27-13 lead in the series and have won four straight and five of the last six meetings between the instate rivals.
Last Time Out
Elijah Millsap had 22 points and 15 rebounds to lead UAB to a 64-47 victory over No. 25 Cincinnati on Wednesday night, the Blazers' eighth consecutive win. UAB held the Bearcats to 32 percent shooting.
The Bearcats whittled a 15-point halftime deficit down to eight twice in the opening minutes of the second half but trailed by as many as 25 points before a last-minute spurt.
Howard Crawford added 14 points and George Drake had 10 for the Blazers, who have won 30 straight home games against non-conference teams and all 23 under coach Mike Davis. Millsap added four steals, three assists and two blocked shots.
50-Something
UAB held Cincinnati to 47 points in the Blazers' 64-47 victory on Wednesday night. It was the first time this season UAB has held an opponent to under 50 points. In fact, when UAB holds the opposition to 50 or fewer points, it is usually a good thing. The Blazers have a record of 56-5 when it happens, including a perfect 12-0 mark under Mike Davis. The last time UAB lost when giving up 50 or fewer points came on Jan. 12, 2002 when the Blazers fell at Southern Miss, 50-36.
Board Work
A big reason for UAB's win over No. 25 Cincinnati on Wednesday night was because of the rebounding advantage. The Bearcats, who came into the game outrebounding the opposition by nearly 12 rebounds per game, were outworked on the boards, 47-34, on the night. On the season, UAB has only been outrebounded in three games and boast a 6.5 advantage on the boards this year (37.4-30.9).
Approaching A School Mark
UAB's fast start to the 2009-10 season is approaching a school record. Currently the 9-1 record through the opening 10 games ranks as the sixth-best start in school history. Below is a chart of the best starts in school history and where this year's team currently ranks on that list.
Season Start Final Record Postseason
1993-94 13-1 22-8 NCAA
1991-92 13-1 20-9 NIT
1985-86 12-1 25-11 NCAA
1983-84 11-1 23-11 NCAA
1992-93 10-1 21-14 NIT Final Four
2009-10 9-1 ??? ???
Top Lineups
Below is UAB's top five lineups based on their time on the court together, as well as their cumulative points scored and points allowed.
Lineup Time PF/PA +/-
Johnson, Sanders, Moore, Millsap, Crawford 69:36 147/128 +19
Johnson, Sanders, Drake, Millsap, Crawford 52:00 108/73 +35
Johnson, Sanders, Moore, Crawford, Cooper 37:45 63/57 +6
Johnson, Sanders, Drake, Crawford, Cooper 16:33 32/28 +4
Johnson, Millsap, Drake, Fields, Cooper 16:03 28/19 +9
Defensive Dominance
A calling card for this year's UAB squad has been its defensive prowess. The Blazers held 25th-ranked Cincinnati to just 47 points, which was a season-best. In fact, in UAB's 10 contests on the year, it has held seven opponents to under 60 points and held nine foes to 64 or less this season. As a result, the Blazers are holding teams to 57.9 points a game, which ranks second in C-USA. Additionally, the Blazers also rank third in the league in three-point field goal percentage defense (.285) and fifth in field goal percentage defense (.395).
