The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB Ready For NCAA Tournament Game Against Washington
3/18/2004 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
March 18, 2004
COLUMBUS, Ohio ----- The UAB men's basketball team is set to square off with Washington in the first round of the 2004 NCAA Tournament. The Blazers, a ninth seed, and the eighth-seeded Huskies will play the final game on Friday in Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio.
UAB (20-9) enters the contest as winners of four of its last five contests, with the lone loss coming in overtime in the semifinals of the Conference USA Tournament to DePaul (75-74). The Blazers are led by senior guard Mo Finley, who leads the team with 13.5 ppg, 57 threes made and 171 threes attempted.
UAB senior forward Gabe Kennedy averages a team-high 5.5 rebounds per contest, while also contributing 11.5 points per game, which is second-best on the team. Carldell "Squeaky" Johnson has team-highs of 4.2 assists and 2.2 steals per contest. Johnson's 123 assists to 30 turnovers results in a 4.1 assist to turnover ratio which leads the nation for players with 50 or more assists on the campaign.
Washington (19-11) enters the NCAA Tournament as one of the hotter teams in the country. Since beginning the season with a 5-8 record, the Huskies have won 14 of their last 17 contests, including three wins over Arizona and a win over Stanford, the Cardinals' lone loss of the season.
Five players average double figures for the Huskies, led by Brandon Roy's 13.1 ppg and 5.2 boards per contest - both team-highs. Will Conroy leads the team with 4.6 assists per game, while also adding 12.1 ppg. Nate Robinson (12.7 ppg), Bobby Jones (11.2) and Tre Simmons (10.7) all average in double digits.
The Blazers are making their 11th appearance in the NCAA Tournament, but the first since the 1999 campaign. In fact, the Blazers have not won an NCAA Tournament since taking a 66-64 victory over Missouri on March 13, 1986 in the first round of the West Regional.
UAB and Washington will tip off at approximately 9:40 p.m. EST, or a half an hour after the end of the Kentucky/Florida A&M contest. The game will be televised on CBS and will also be carried live on WYDE 101.1 FM.
