The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB Closes Out 2012 Against Northeastern
12/28/2012 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Dec. 28, 2012
Game Notes 
| Watch Here | Listen | GameTracker
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. ---- The UAB men's basketball team will close out the 2012 portion of its schedule by hosting the Northeastern Huskies on Saturday at 2 p.m. CT inside Bartow Arena.
UAB (6-6) vs. Northeastern (5-6)
Date: Sat., Dec. 29, 2012
Time: 2 p.m. CT
Location: Birmingham, Ala.
Venue: Bartow Arena (8,500)
Multimedia
Video: All-Access (UABsports.com)
Radio: WUHT-FM 107.7
Talent: David Crane (pxp), Steve Mitchell (analyst)
Twitter Updates: @UABathletics
Inside The Series
First Meeting
The Coaches
UAB: Jerod Haase (Kansas, '97)
Record at UAB: 6-6 (1st season)
Career Record: 6-6 (1st season)
Northeastern: Bill Coen (Hamilton College, '83)
Record at Northeastern: 96-105 (7th season)
Career Record: 96-105 (7th season)
On The Blazers
>> UAB has been on an eight-day layoff during the holiday season, prior to hosting Northeastern on Saturday. The Blazers last played on Dec. 20, defeating ULM 76-69 behind Rod Rucker's 22 points and five total players scoring in double figures.
>> The Blazers are averaging 77.6 ppg as a team, third highest in Conference USA, led by three players averaging in double figures. Jordan Swing tops the team, scoring 15.4 ppg, followed by Rucker (13.5 ppg) and Fahro Alihodzic (10 ppg).
>> UAB is a perfect 5-0 at home this season and has won nine consecutive games inside Bartow Arena. The last time the Blazers lost at home was on Jan 28, 2012 vs. the East Carolina Pirates.
>> As a team UAB ranks 10th in the nation in assists per game, dishing out 17.7 helpers a contest, which also tops C-USA in that statistic.
>> Swing, a Birmingham native, has scored in double figures in all 12 games this season and has recorded 10-or-more points in 14 straight games dating back to last year.
>> UAB tops C-USA in 3-pointers made per contest, draining 7.5 per game. In total, the Blazers have made 90 treys in 12 total games and shooting 35.9 percent from downtown.
On The Huskies
>> Northeastern, located in Boston, Mass., and a member of the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) enters Saturday's tilt with a record of 5-6 overall.
>> The Huskies last played on Dec. 21, winning on the road at Central Connecticut, 82-63. The win snapped a five-game losing streak. Northeastern started the season 4-1 prior to the five-game skid.
>> Like the Blazers, the Huskies rank third in their conference in scoring, averaging 67.2 ppg, with four players averaging double figures. Also similar to UAB, Northeastern makes shots from long range, sitting second in the CAA connecting for 6.1 3-pointers per game, making 33 percent of its attempts.
>> Joel Smith tops the Huskies in scoring, averaging 17.8 ppg, fourth highest in the CAA. Smith is coming off a 27-point outing vs. Central Connecticut. During that game, Smith, a senior, surpassed the 1,000 career point mark. For the season, Smith also leads the Huskies in 3-point percentage (40.5) and 3-pointers made (32).
>> Another guard to watch out for in the Northeastern lineup is Jonathan Lee. Another senior, Lee missed the first nine games due injury and has bounced back and been an immediate contributor. Lee is averaging 17 ppg and 7.5 rebounds per game in his first two games of the season.
>> Reggie Spencer, who joins Smith as the only other player to start all 11 games for the Huskies this season, is averaging 11.8 ppg and 7.0 rpg.
