The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
League Leader UAB Prepares For Tough Task At Louisville
2/6/2004 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Feb. 6, 2004
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. ----- The UAB men's basketball team faces an important Conference USA battle with the Louisville Cardinals Saturday (5 p.m. CST) as both teams look to maintain their positions among the league's elite teams. First place in the C-USA standings will be on the line in the nationally-televised contest (ESPN).
The Blazers are currently all alone atop the league standings with a 6-1 record but Saturday's game in Freedom Hall will doubtless be their greatest challenge in C-USA play to date this season. The Cardinals, along with Cincinnati and Memphis, are all a half game back in the standings with a 6-2 conference mark.
Saturday's game between UAB (13-5, 6-1) and Louisville (16-3, 6-2) will mark the 13th meeting in series history. The game will be a rematch of last year's Conference USA championship game in which the Cardinals won 83-78 on March 15, 2003, which was also the last time UAB played on national television (CBS). UofL has won two consecutive games in the series; however, UAB has won three of the last five meetings.
Last time out, UAB won its seventh game in its last eight contests, winning, 72-52, against Saint Louis last Saturday. The win marked a season-long four-game win streak for UAB. The Blazers have three players averaging double figures in scoring, Morris Finley's 12.3 ppg, while Gabe Kennedy (11.7) and Ronell Taylor (10.8) also average double figures. Kennedy also leads the team with 5.5 rebounds a game, while Carldell Johnson continues to lead the team with 3.9 assists per game.
Louisville dropped its second consecutive C-USA game this past Wednesday, falling 62-58 at Memphis. The 58 points, which was a season-low, was partly due to the fact Louisville was missing its top two scorers in Francisco Garcia (15.8 ppg) and Taquan Dean (12.3 ppg) due to injuries. Larry O'Bannon, who scored 26 points against the Tigers, averages 11.0 ppg, while Luke Whitehead averages 13.4 points and a team-high 8.8 boards. Garcia also leads the team with 4.7 assists per contest.
In addition to the game being on ESPN, it can also be heard locally on WYDE 101.1 FM with the pregame show beginning at 4:30 p.m. CST.
