The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
Men's Basketball Team Makes Holiday Plans For Arkansas
11/25/2010 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Nov. 25, 2010
UAB Game Notes 
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The UAB men's basketball team will travel to Little Rock, Ark. to take on Southeastern Conference foe Arkansas on Friday night at 7 p.m. CT. The contest can be heard live on the flagship station for UAB sports, WUHT 107.7 FM with J.D. Byars and Steve Mitchell on the call.
RADIO (Flagship: WUHT 107.7 FM): Blazer Sports Network
J.D. Byars (play-by-play) and Steve Mitchell (color)
TV: Razorback Sports Network (Local Only)
A LITTLE BIT ABOUT TONIGHT'S GAME
• Tonight's contest marks just the fourth meeting in series history between UAB and Arkansas. However, it is the second-straight season the two teams will meet on the hardwood. Last year, the Blazers took a dramatic 73-72 win over the Razorbacks in Fayetteville, Ark. UAB won on a Howard Crawford dunk with one second remaining.
• Senior point guard Aaron Johnson enters tonight's matchup at Arkansas having recorded three-straight double-digit assist games. He has 40 assists and just 13 turnovers this season. The 40 helpers set a school record for assists by a player during a four-game stretch.
• The Blazers are in the midst of playing four road contests in this current five-game stretch to end the month of November. UAB began with a two-game road swing - at Middle Tennessee (W, 76-71 on Nov. 17), followed by a loss at Arizona State (69-66 on Nov. 20) on a three-pointer with 2.2 seconds remaining. Following Tuesday's 82-58 home win, UAB will close the month with road games against Arkansas (Nov. 26 in Little Rock, Ark.) and at Troy (Nov. 29).
BLAZING BITS
• The Blazers have attempted 101 three-pointers this season, hitting 34 of them (.337). That averages out to a little over 25 attempts per game from deep. In comparison, UAB opponents have gone 16-of-67 (.239) from beyond the arc through the opening four contests.
• The Blazers have a combined 65 assists on their 108 made baskets this season and currently rank fifth in the league with 16.3 assists per game.
• UAB is now in its 33rd season of basketball during the 2010-11 campaign. The Blazers have had much success on the hardwood, boasting an overall program record of 464-376 (.632) - an average of over 20 wins per season (20.1).
• Over the past four seasons (2007-pr.), UAB has an impressive record of 72-33 (.686) and its 70 wins over the last three years (2007-10) were the second-most wins in a three-year stretch in school history (the Blazers had 71 wins freom 1984-87).
About UAB
• UAB will play its third road game over its last four contests when it travels to take on Arkansas Friday night in Little Rock, Ark. The Blazers will not get a reprieve as they will next travel to take on Troy on Monday night.
• The Blazers rebounded nicely from its first loss of the 2010-11 campaign (a 69-66 defeat at Arizona State on Saturday) with an 81-58 victory over South Alabama Tuesday night at Bartow Arena. The Blazers began the second half on a 30-6 run and never looked back, outscoring USA 46-25 over the final 20 minutes.
• Senior point guard Aaron Johnson leads the country and the conference with an average of 10.0 assists per game. Johnson, who also leads the team with nine steals, now has 40 assists and only 13 turnovers this season.
• UAB junior Cameron Moore leads the team in scoring and rebounding. Furthermore, his 18.5 points a game rank third in C-USA, while his 9.5 rebounds per contest is fourth-best in the league and his .630 field goal percentage is fifth-highest in the conference.
• Senior Jamarr Sanders is second on the team with 14.5 ppg, while also averaging 5.0 rpg. He has connected on 10 three pointers over UAB's last three contests.
• Head coach Mike Davis improved to 88-49 (.642) during his five seasons at UAB, including a 73-33 (.689) mark over his last four years (including the 2010-11 season) alone.
About Arkansas
• Arkansas comes into Friday's contest sporting a perfect 3-0 record on the year. The Razorbacks are coming off a 10-point home victory over Southeast Missouri State (66-56) on Wednesday.
• The Razorbacks are led by junior guard Rotnei Clark, who had a game-high 19 points in the win over SEMO. Clark leads the team with 17.7 points per game and is the only Razorback player to average double figures.
• Clark is a deadly shooter from beyond the arc, averaging .480 from deep this season. Of his 16 made baskets this season, 12 have come from beyond the arc.
• Eight other players average at least 6.0 points a game, while 11 players average at least 12 minutes per contest.
• Delvon Johnson and Julysses Nobles each average 8.3 points per contest. Johnson is active on the boards with an average of 7.3 rpg, while Nobles also leads the squad in assist (5.3 apg).
• As a team, Arkansas is shooting .480 from the floor and .403 from beyond the arc. Even more impressively has been its defense, holding the opposition to just .308 from the field, including .175 from three-point rage.
• Head coach John Pelphrey is in his fourth year with the Arkansas men's hoops program and now owns a record of 54-46 overall. He is in his ninth season overall as a head coach and is 134-113 during his coaching career.
Notes From Last Game
• UAB used a 30-6 run to begin the second half to help lift the Blazers to an 82-58 win over South Alabama on Tuesday night.
• Aaron Johnson recorded 12 assists and just two turnovers. It is the third-straight game the senior point guard has recorded double-digit assists in a contest.
• UAB began the second half with a 10-0 run through the first 3:09. After a pair of South Alabama free throws, the Blazers erupted for a 15-0 spurt. In all, UAB scored 25 of the first 27 points in the second half, all in a span of 6:50.
• UAB had 24 points off 15 South Alabama turnovers. In comparison, USA collected just eight points off 12 turnovers by the Blazers.
Who's Hot?
• Cameron Moore - Leads the team with two double-doubles ... has connected on 29-of-47 field goals from the floor to lead the squad in field goal percentage (.630), along with scoring (18.5) and rebounding (9.5).
• Aaron Johnson - Has 40 assists and only 13 turnovers, not to mention he is a perfect 18-of-18 from the foul line this season.
• Ovie Soko - Recorded career highs of 19 points and eight rebounds against South Alabama ... also had career-best five blocks in the contest.
Can I Assist You?
• With 40 assists this year, including 34 over his last three contests, senior point guard Aaron Johnson ranks first in the nation with 10.0 assists per game.
• Johnson became the first player in school history to record three consecutive double-digit assist games. He had 10 assists against Middle Tennessee (11/17), 12 at Arizona State (11/20) and 12 vs. South Alabama (11/23).
• He has recorded 40 assists compared to just 13 turnovers through UAB's opening four contests.
• Johnson, a member of the C-USA All-Defensive team a year ago, is also making his mark on the defensive end of the floor, leading UAB with nine steals. He also has recorded a team-best nine charges, including four against MTSU on Nov. 17.
Second Half Sensation
• Over his last two games, senior Jamarr Sanders has been ice cold in the first half, but red hot in the second half.
• During that time, Sanders has averaged 0.0 points during the opening 20 minutes, going 0-for-7 from the floor and 0-for-5 from beyond the arc. However, over the last 20 minutes, he is averaging 15.0 points, connecting on 12-of-24 from the field and 7-of-13 treys.
We Want "Moore"
• Junior Cameron Moore is off to a sensational start this year, leading the team in scoring (18.5 points) and rebounding (9.5) entering the Arkansas game.
• The San Antonio, Texas native recently collected his second double-double with career-highs of 22 points and 13 rebounds Saturday at Arizona State.
• Entering this year, he has had four double-figure scoring contests. He is now the only Blazer to have scored double figures in every game.
Charity Stripe Streak
• Senior guard Aaron Johnson is a perfect 18-of-18 from the foul line this season. Dating back to the 2009-10 year, Johnson has connected on 20-straight free throws.
• The UAB record for consecutive foul shots made is currently held by former great Andy Kennedy, who made 31 straight during the 1990-91 season.
• As a team, the Blazers are shooting 74.3 percent from the charity stripe, connecting on 52-of-70 free throws this year.
Jacking Up The Threes
• UAB has attempted 101 three pointers over its first four games of the season. That number averages out to over 25 three-point attempts per contest.
• The Blazers have a distinct advantage in three-pointers, hitting more than twice as many treys as their opposition. UAB has connected on 34-of-101 from beyond the arc (.337), while, UAB opponents have made just 16-of-67 shots from deep (.239) this year.
• In its last game, UAB connected on 13-of-28 threes in the win over South Alabama. The 13 made three-pointers tied for the sixth-most made treys in a single game in school history.
