The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB Jumps Into Polls At No. 24/No. 25
3/6/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
March 6, 2006
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- After weeks of being lumped in the "others receiving votes" category, UAB is back in the men's basketball national polls. The Blazers made their 2005-06 Top-25 debuts Monday, jumping in the Associated Press poll at No. 24 and the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll at No. 25.
UAB earned 144 points in the AP poll, a vote of national media covering college basketball. The Blazers were 22 points behind No. 23 Georgetown. UAB received 57 points in the coaches poll and stands 17 points behind No. 24 Nevada. The points in both polls are based on the 25 points for first place through one point for 25th method. The voters for the ESPN/ USA Today Poll are a panel of 31 head coaches at NCAA Division I institutions.
This is the first Associated Press ranking for UAB since the last poll of the 1993-94 season when the Blazers were ranked No. 22 in the nation. UAB has been ranked in 31 Associated Press polls all-time with a program-high of No. 9 in mid-December of 1981.
UAB is in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll for the first time since being ranked No. 23 in the final poll of the 2003-04 season. That year's UAB team earned voter recognition by upsetting Washington and Kentucky en route to the school's third Sweet 16 appearance. The final ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll is voted upon and published at the conclusion of the NCAA tournament.
The last time UAB was ranked in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll in the regular season was also at No. 23 and was during the last week of the regular season in 1993-94 before it lost to George Washington in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
Overall, it is the 12th week UAB has been ranked in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll. Its highest ranking in that balloting was at No. 17 in early February of 1994.
The Blazers travel to Memphis Tuesday to begin preparations for Thursday's quarterfinal contest in the 2006 Conference USA Men's Basketball Championships presented by Aeropostale. UAB faces the winner of Wednesday's SMU-Rice first-round contest in a noon CT contest Thursday to be televised live by CSTV.
