The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
Men's Basketball Team Battle American Division Foe DePaul
2/25/2003 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
It will mark the first time the Blazers have faced an American Division team, since Jan. 14 when they played Charlotte and the first time the Blazers and Blue Demons have met since Feb. 24, 2001.
DePaul enters Wednesday night's contest with an overall record of 14-9 and stand 6-6 in conference play. The Blue Demons currently sit in a tie for fourth place in the American Division standings. DePaul has won three of its last five games and is 2-0 against National Division opponents with wins over TCU and Southern Miss in overtime.
Most recently, the Blue Demons dropped a 62-61 decision at home against Saint Louis last Saturday. Andre Brown led the team with 16 points, while Sam Hoskin and Drake Diener each scored in double digits with 15 and 12, respectively. On the season, Hoskin leads the team with 14.7 points per game.
UAB currently sits alone in second place in the National Division, two games behind Memphis.The Blazers have won back-to-back games and are winners in three of their last four contests. Most recently, UAB defeated Houston 80-52 in Bartow Arena. Mo Finley hit a career-high seven three-pointers and scored 21 points to lead UAB. As a team, the Blazers hit 18-of-29 shots in the second half, outscoring the Cougars 50-30. Finley leads the team with 17.6 ppg.
In the teams last meeting, the Blazers won 68-61; however, DePaul holds a 16-10 advantage in the series' history. UAB has taken the last three contests and five of the last seven. The last five contests have been decided by a total of 22 points (4.4/game), including two one-point games. DePaul has an all-time record of 6-6 in Birmingham.
The game can be heard live on 1070 WAPI-AM, with the pregame show beginning at 6:30 p.m. Gary Sanders will handle play-by-play, Matt Coulter will be the color analyst and Jon Gentile will produce the broadcast. The postgame show will follow immediately after the game. The game can also be accessed through the UAB athletic website at www.uabsports.com
