The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB Hosts Middle Tennessee On Wednesday Night At Bartow Arena
12/6/2011 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Dec. 6, 2011
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The UAB men's basketball team will return to the friendly confines of Bartow Arena to do battle against Middle Tennessee on Wednesday night at 7 p.m. CT.
Wednesday's contest marks the fifth meeting in series history between UAB and Middle Tennessee, with the Blazers having never lost to the Blue Raiders over the previous four meetings (4-0).
It also marks the third consecutive season the two teams have met on the hardwood, with both games being decided by a total of six points. The Blazers took a 76-71 victory last season on Nov. 17, 2010 in Murfreesboro, Tenn., and also escaped with a 65-64 victory over Middle Tennessee on Dec. 2, 2009.
GAME INFORMATION
Dec. 7, 2011 • 7 pm CT • Birmingham, Ala. • Bartow Arena (8,500)
UAB Game Notes
| Gametracker | Watch
RADIO (Flagship: WUHT 107.7 FM): Blazer Sports Network
David Crane (play-by-play), Steve Mitchell (analyst) and Jon Gentile (Engineer)
TV: None
About UAB
• UAB dropped a 57-48 decision at Kent State on Saturday night. The defeat dropped the Blazers to 1-6 on the season, which is the worst start in program history.
• Senior forward Cameron Moore, the C-USA Preseason Player of the Year, was the only Blazer to reach double figures, collecting 14 points in the losing effort. He leads the team in scoring (14.9), rebounding (10.1) and blocked shots (4.3).
• Moore is just the second Blazer to earn the preseason player of the year honor, joining former standout Robert Vaden, who was tabbed with the accolade prior to the start of the 2008-09 campaign.
• Sophomore forward/guard Jordan Swing is second on the team with 9.0 points per game, while junior forward Ovie Soko is third in scoring (8.3 ppg) and is second in rebounding (6.9 rpg).
• UAB head coach Mike Davis, the 2011 C-USA Coach of the Year, owns a record of 108-63 (.632) during his five-plus seasons at UAB. He has a career mark of 223-142 (.611), now in his 12th season as a head coach.
• Last season, the Blazers finished with a 22-9 record and a 12-4 mark in conference play as UAB captured its first outright regular season Conference USA championship in school history. As a result, the Blazers received an at-large berth to the 2011 NCAA Tournament, marking their first appearance in the "Big Dance" since the 2006 campaign and the 14th NCAA Tournament showing in program history.
About Middle Tennessee
• LaRon Dendy and J.T. Sulton each posted a double-double to lead Middle Tennessee past the Akron Zips, 77-53, on Sunday afternoon in Murfreesboro, Tenn. The win was the Blue Raiders fourth in a row to improve to 8-1 on the season - the best start since the 1980-81 campaign when the Blue Raiders started 12-1.
• Dendy, a transfer from Iowa State, enters the contest leading the Blue Raiders in scoring (14.6) rebounding (7.0) and blocked shots (15). He had 19 points and grabbed 11 rebounds against the Zips.
• Two other MT players are averaging double-figure scoring in Marcos Knight (12.9 ppg) and J.T. Sulton (12.2 ppg). Knight also leads the team with 17 steals, while Sulton is tied with Dendy for the team lead with 7.0 rebounds a game.
• Bruce Massey leads the team with 3.2 assists per game, while also contributing 6.8 points a contest.
• As a team, the Blue Raiders are one of the top teams in the country in terms of field-goal percentage, shooting an incredible 53.7 percent from the floor and 43.6 percent from beyond the arc. Middle Tennessee is outscoring opponents by 17.1 points a game (80.2-63.1), while also owning a +5.3 advantage on the glass (38.0-32.7).
• Head coach Kermit Davis is in his 10th season at the helm of the Middle Tennesse program and has compiled a record of 161-127 (.559). In 14 years as a head coach, Davis owns an overall record of 232-177 (.567).
Last Year's Meeting
• Jamarr Sanders scored 19 points and Cameron Moore had 15 points and 10 rebounds to help UAB hold off Middle Tennessee 76-71 on Nov. 17, 2010.
• Dexter Fields added 15 points for the Blazers and Aaron Johnson dished out 10 assists with one turnover, to go along with nine points.
• UAB hit 10 of 25 3-pointers and led by 16 with 9:53 to go. But the Blue Raiders closed to 74-71 on three-straight free throws by James Washington with eight seconds to go. But Johnson answered with two foul shots three seconds later to seal the victory.
• Jason Jones led the Blue Raiders with 14 points.
Tough Competition
• Part of the reason UAB has struggled this season has been the quality of competition through seven games of the 2011-12 campaign.
• When including Middle Tennessee's 8-1 mark on the year, the combined record of the Blazers opponents is 44-17 (.721).
• Additionally, the combined record of the six teams that have beat UAB currently stands at 32-12 (.727) and includes No. 19 Creighton (7-0) and unbeaten Murray State (9-0) who also claimed the 2011 Great Alaska Shootout championship.
Defending Just Fine
• This year's 1-6 start to the season is certainly not attributed to the Blazers' efforts on the defensive end of the floor.
• Only three teams have scored over 60 points in a game against UAB (No. 19 Creighton, Murray State and Wichita State).
• The Blazers have held every opponent to under 45-percent shooting and only three teams have shot better than 40 percent against UAB (Creighton, UT Martin and Kent State).
Finding The Right Starting Five
• UAB head coach Mike Davis has had to tinker with this year's starting lineup to try and find the right combination of players to start the game.
• Through seven games, Davis has used five different starting lineups and has only used the same starting five on two separate occasions.
Did You Know...
• ...that UAB's current four-game losing streak is the longest since losing four in a row at the end of the 2004-05 campaign.
• ...the longest losing streak in school history is a five-game skid which was set during the 1992-93 season.
• ...UAB has allowed just three teams to score over 60 points in a game this season.
"Moore" Blocks Than Most
• Senior forward Cameron Moore has had a great start to the season in terms of blocked shots.
• Moore ranks third in the nation in blocks per game (4.3) entering Wednesday night's contest against Middle Tennessee.
• Moore recorded seven blocks in each of the first two UAB games, becoming the first player in school history to achieve that feat.
• Moore's seven blocks against Creighton (11/16) and Murray State (11/20) tied for the fifth-most swats in a game in school history. Alan Ogg holds the school record with 12 blocks in a contest.
• With 94 blocked shots in his career, Moore climbed to fifth on the school's all-time block charts. He needs seven blocks to move past Lawrence Kinnard in to fourth on the all-time list.
A Few Notes From Last Game
• Randal Holt scored 13 points and Chris Evans added 12 to lead Kent State to a 57-48 win over UAB on Saturday night.
• Cameron Moore led the way for UAB, finishing the night with a game-high 14 points, while Jordan Swing had nine points and a team-high eight rebounds in the losing effort.
• The Blazers led by 11 points midway through the first half (22-11), but was unable to hold off a Kent State charge at the end of the half, which cut the margin to four points by halftime (28-24).
• The score was close for most of the second half, until the Golden Flashes went on an 11-0 run that was capped by Holt's three-point play to give them 49-45 lead with 7:36 left to play.
Early Season Struggles
• UAB's 1-6 record to start the year is the worst start in program history.
• The Blazers' previous worst start came with a 1-4 record through the first five games of the 1982-83 campaign. However, that season UAB rebounded back from a rough start to win the Sun Belt Tournament title and a berth to the NCAA Tournament.
Second Half Setbacks
• UAB has had its fair share of struggles in the early part of the season, but the real struggle has come over the final 20 minutes of play.
• In five of the six losses, UAB has held a second half lead, only to see it vanish.
• Against Creighton on Nov. 16, the Blazers led, 48-42, with 12:57 remaining. But the Bluejays would use the strength of a 22-5 run over the next 10:28 and won by a final score of 70-60.
• Against Murray State, UAB held a 49-37 lead with 10:17 left. However, the Blazers only hit one more field goal the rest of the way and were outscored 22-4 over the next 9:30 to lose 62-55.
Getting Into The "Swing" Of Things
• After sitting out the 2010-11 season due to NCAA transfer rules, sophomore Jordan Swing played his first regular-season contest in a year-and-a-half in UAB's season opener against Creighton (11/16).
• The Western Kentucky transfer and Birmingham, Ala. native led the Blazers with career highs of 15 points and five assists against UT Martin (11/27).
• Through seven contests, Swing ranks second on the team with 9.0 ppg and is third in minutes played (28.0), while also averaging 2.2 rebounds per contest.
Big Night For The Big Man
• Senior Cameron Moore had a huge game against Troy (11/22), as he finished with 22 points and 17 rebounds in the win. It was one of the biggest games in quite sometime by a UAB player.
• The last time a Blazer went for 20 or more points and 17 or more rebounds came on Nov. 18, 2007 when Walter Sharpe had 26 points and 17 boards against Rhode Island.
Double Double-Double
• UAB forwards Cameron Moore and Ovie Soko each posted a double-double in the win over Troy on Nov. 22.
• Ironically, the last time two UAB players had a double-double in the same game was against the Trojans on Nov. 29, 2010. Three Blazers - Jamarr Sanders (23 pts., 10 rebs.), Cameron Moore (16 pts., 10 rebs.) and Ovie Soko (10 pts., 13 rebs.) - accomplished the feat.
Non-Conference Home Streak Snapped
• With a 70-60 loss to Creighton on Nov. 16, UAB snapped its 38-game regular-season home win streak against non-conference opponents.
• Prior to the loss vs. the Bluejays, the last time UAB dropped a non-league regular-season game on its home floor was on Nov. 29, 2005 when UAB fell to Western Kentucky, 92-76.
• The Blazers have a combined home record of 34-4 against non-conference competition under head coach Mike Davis.
Jerome Harris Signs NLI
• Junior college guard Jerome Harris signed a National Letter of Intent during the early signing period to continue his playing career at UAB. The 6-3, 180-pound point guard is currently enrolled at Olive Harvey (Ill.) College where the team's 2011-12 season is just underway.
• Harris, a native of Chicago, Ill., played at Collins High School under head coach Michael Clark. He earned fourth-team all-state honors following his senior season (2009) when he averaged approximately 22 points and nine assists per game.
• Harris spent the 2009-10 campaign at Spoon River Junior College located in Canton, Ill. While there, he started every game and averaged approximately 13 points and six assists per game. By the end of the year, several junior college publications listed him as one of the top up-and-coming point guards in the nation.
• However, the men's basketball program at Spoon River folded following his freshman season, leading Harris to transfer to Mississippi Valley State for the 2010-11 campaign. But he received a medical redshirt and sat out the year after playing in only three games. He then transferred to Olive Henry JC at the end of the year.
• Harris has also done well in the classroom, earning a spot on the Dean's List at Spoon River in each semester, as well as at Mississippi Valley State.
UAB Basketball Begins 34th Season
• The UAB men's basketball team has tipped off its 34th season with the 2011-12 campaign.
• The Blazers have been one of the more successful programs on the national scene. UAB boasts an overall record of 666-390 (.632) and has earned postseason berths in the NCAA Tournament (14) or NIT (11) in 25 of its 33 years in program history.
• UAB has made eight postseason appearances over the past nine years, including four NCAA Tournaments (2004, 2005, 2006, 2011) and four NITs (2003, 2008, 2009, 2010).
• The Blazers made a Sweet 16 appearance in 2004 after defeating the tournament's No. 1 overall seed, Kentucky, marking the third Sweet 16 appearance in school history.
• UAB has averaged over 20 wins per season (20.1) and has recorded 21 20-win seasons.
Home Sweet Home
• UAB's Bartow Arena has always been a tough place for opponents to play, but that has been even more true over the past five seasons. Over that time, the Blazers have been nearly unbeatable, compiling a record of 55-11 (.833) at home.
• During head coach Mike Davis' six seasons at UAB, the Blazers own a home mark of 64-15 (.810). Furthermore, Davis owns a record of 35-4 (.897) in non-conference games played at Bartow Arena.
• The Blazers own an overall record of 278-61 (.820) in their 23rd season of use on their home floor
Beating Final Four Teams
• In each of the last two seasons, UAB has accomplished a feat not many teams can claim. The Blazers have been victorious over an NCAA Final Four team in each year, defeating Butler during the 2009-10 season (67-57 on Dec. 22, 2009) and VCU during the 2010-11 campaign (68-65 on Dec. 21, 2010), winning with both contests at Bartow Arena.
• UAB is one of only five teams in the nation that has defeated a Final Four team in each of the last two seasons. Also joining the Blazers in the accomplishment are North Carolina (defeated Michigan State in 2009 and Kentucky in 2010), Pitt (defeated West Virginia in 2009 and UConn in 2010), Notre Dame (defeated West Virginia in 2009 and UConn in 2010) and Syracuse (defeated West Virginia in 2009 and UConn in 2010).
One Of The Winningest Programs Since 2002-03
• Dating back to the 2002-03 campaign, UAB ranks as one of the winningest programs in the nation.
• Over that nine-year span, the Blazers have totalled 196 victories (averages out to 21.8 wins per season). That number ranks 26th in the country in terms of total victories.
• Kansas tops the list with 267, followed by Duke (263), Memphis (258), North Carolina (244) and Pittsburgh (244).
• The Tigers and the Blazers are the only two Conference USA teams to appear on the top-50 list of teams.
Blazers Will Need To Make Up For Key Personnel Losses
• Despite returning seven letterwinners from last season's NCAA Tournament team, UAB head coach Mike Davis and his staff will have to replace a pair of departed senior leaders in point guard Aaron Johnson and shooting guard Jamarr Sanders.
• Both Johnson and Sanders were first-team all-conference performers in 2010-11, with Johnson also earning the Conference USA Player of the Year award.
• Combined, the duo averaged 29.6 points, 7.4 rebounds and 9.6 assists per contest a year ago. That equates to approximately 43 percent of the scoring, 21 percent of the rebounding and 71 percent of the assists of UAB's total output last season.
Four-Year Success Story
• UAB head coach Mike Davis has led UAB to one of the program's best four-year stretches in terms of number of wins in school history.
• From the 2007-08 season through the 2010-11 campaign, the Blazers compiled a record of 92-41 (.692). It ranks second in program history in terms of wins over a four-year period. The school record for wins in a four-year stretch is 94, set during the 1983-87 seasons.
• Over the four seasons, the Blazers had at least 20 wins overall and 11 wins in C-USA play in each campaign. UAB also recorded 20 regular-season wins for a fourth straight season, marking the first time in school history it has achieved that feat.
• Recently graduated Blazer Aaron Johnson was the only Blazer associated with all 92 victories over the four-year stretch, which ranks as the second-most wins by a single-player in school history. Former UAB great Archie Johnson, who played from 1983-87, leads all UAB players with 94 victories during his four-year career at UAB.
• With 34 true road wins since 2007, Davis has led the Blazers to the most road victories of any four-year stretch in school history. He is also the first coach to record at least 11 wins in conference play in four consecutive years.
Three-Point Streak Still Going
• The Blazers continue to enjoy much success from behind the arc. So much so, that UAB has made at least one three-pointer in 500 consecutive games.
• The last time the Blazers played a game without a trey was on Dec. 18, 1996, against Chattanooga. UNLV currently holds the NCAA mark with a three-pointer made in 814 consecutive games. The Runnin' Rebels have hit at least one three-pointer in every game since the NCAA adopted the three-point line in 1986.
