The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB Faces Tulane For Second Time This Season
2/29/2008 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Feb. 29, 2008
UAB-Tulane Game Notes | Gametracker | Watch & Listen Live
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The UAB men's basketball team returns to the friendly confines of Bartow Arena, where it will take on the Tulane Green Wave on Saturday, March 1, at 7 p.m. The Blazers (20-8, 10-3 C-USA) are looking for their fourth straight league victory and sixth win over the last seven games.
UAB enters the game against Tulane in second place in the latest Conference USA standings following an impressive 88-81 road victory at UTEP last Wednesday night. Junior guard/forward Robert Vaden had a career-high and tied the single-game UAB record, scoring 41 points to lift the Blazers to the win.
Vaden currently leads the Blazers in scoring, averaging 21.7 points a game, which rank third in Conference USA. He also leads the team in three-point shooting (122-of-286, 42.7 percent) and minutes played (35.2).
Junior guard Channing Toney, who had to sit out during the first semester due to NCAA transfer rules, scored nine points in the win over UTEP. Toney is second on the team in scoring, averaging 12.1 points and 3.6 rebounds. He is shooting 44.7 percent from three-point range (21-of-47), which ranks third in the league in C-USA contests only.
Junior forward Lawrence Kinnard is the team's third-leading scorer at 11.1 points a game, and also leads the team in rebounding with 6.9 boards per contest. He is also averaging an impressive 13.4 points and 7.8 rebounds per game in league play.
Huffman, who leads the squad with five double-doubles on the year, is second in rebounding (6.2 rpg) and fourth in scoring (7.3 ppg).
As a team, the Blazers are barely behind Memphis (46.4) in field goal percentage, hitting 46.3 percent from the floor, and lead Conference USA in three-point field goal percentage, connecting on 39.1 percent from beyond the arc. Additionally, UAB ranks fourth in the league in three-point field goal percentage defense (32.6 percent), field goal percentage defense (41.1 percent) and in scoring defense (66.1 ppg). The Blazers rank third in league play by outscoring their opponents by an average of 8.8 points a game (74.8-66.1).
Head coach Mike Davis is in his second season at the helm of the UAB men's basketball program. Davis, who is in his eighth season as a head coach, boasts a career record of 150-103 (.593) and has made five postseason appearances, including the 2002 national championship game. He is now 35-24 (.593) at UAB.
Scouting Tulane
Tulane enters Saturday's matchup against UAB with a 15-12 overall record. The Green Wave fell to 5-8 in league play after dropping an 80-63 decision at UCF last Wednesday night. The loss marked Tulane's six straight league loss.
The Green Wave were led by sophomore guard Kevin Sims, who collected a team-high 18 points in the losing effort. Sims leads the team with 4.0 assists and 1.4 steals per game, while also ranking second on the team with 12.5 points a game.
Senior forward David Gomez leads Tulane in points (14.4 ppg), rebounds (5.8 rpg) and blocks (1.5 bpg) on the season. The duo are the only Tulane players to average double-figure scoring this season.Junior forward/center Robinson Louisme is third on the team in scoring (9.5 ppg) and leads Conference USA in field goal percentage (62.4).
As a team, Tulane ranks third in the league in three-point field goal percentage defense (32.2 percent) and blocked shots per game (5.56). The Green Wave shoots 44.8 percent from the field, which ranks fifth in the league, and 32.2 percent from beyond the arc.
Head coach Dave Dickerson is in his third season at the helm of the Tulane men's basketball program and has compiled a record of 44-42 (.512) during his tenure as head coach.
UAB-Tulane: The Series
UAB and Tulane will face each other for the second time this season and the 28th time in series history this Saturday night. The Blazers hold a 15-12 advantage in the all-time series, and have captured wins in four of the last five games. The only Green Wave victory over the stretch of games came in UAB's regular season home finale last year, 76-74, at Bartow Arena on March 3, 2007. The Blazers own an 8-5 advantage when the two teams meet in Birmingham, Ala. Earlier this year in New Orleans, Ed Berrios hit three free throws with 1.6 seconds left to sneak past Tulane, 62-61, in the C-USA opener for both teams (1/9).
UAB-Tulane: Earlier This Season
UAB's Ed Berrios nailed three straight free throws with 1.6 seconds left in the game to snap Tulane University's four-game win streak with a 62-61 come-from-behind win on Jan. 9. The two teams combined for 13 ties and 15 lead changes in the back-and-forth affair. Lawrence Kinnard scored 16 and pulled down 11 rebounds for the Blazers, while Robert Vaden added 16 and Reggie Huffman had 11. With the score tied at 57-57 and under a minute remaining in the game, Reggie Huffman gave his team a lead on a short jumper. But Tulane's Johnny Mayhane responded with a three-pointer from the right corner to push the Green Wave to 60-59 with 23.3 seconds left. Senior David Gomez would then hit 1-of-2 free throws in Tulane's next possession to put them ahead 61-59. Then, Berrios tried a last-second three-pointer and was fouled by Kevin Sims. He then hit all three shots to win the game for UAB. The Blazers outrebounded the Green Wave, 40-29, including an 18-11 advantage on the boards in the second half. Furthermore, UAB collected 14 offensive rebounds on the night, which it converted to 19 second-chance points.
Last Time Out
Robert Vaden scored 41 points, including 27 off 3-pointers, to lead UAB to an 88-81 victory over UTEP on Wednesday night. Vaden broke the single-game school record for threes made (9) and points on the road in the win. He also tied former Blazer great Andy Kennedy's record for points scored in a game with the 41 points. The Indianapolis, Ind. native shot 12-of-21 from the field and 9-of-14 from 3-point range for UAB. In the second half alone, Vaden connected on 8-of-12 shots from the floor and 5-of-6 from deep, helping UAB recover from an eight-point deficit with just over eight minutes remaining. He also hit eight of 10 free throw attempts in the contest. Aaron Johnson scored a career-high 13 points for UAB. He also had four assists and only one turnover in the contest. Stefon Jackson scored 23 points and Randy Culpepper added 15 for UTEP. Marvin Kilgore scored 13 for the Miners. UTEP led by eight points, 64-56, with 8:19 left before UAB rallied. Back-to-back 3-pointers by Lawrence Kinnard and Vaden tied the score at 70-70. After Jackson hit a jumper for UTEP, Vaden countered with eight straight points on two 3-pointers and two free throws for a 78-72 lead. UTEP could get no closer than two points the rest of the way.
Darth Vaden Strikes Back
Junior guard Robert Vaden had a night for the ages in the 88-81 victory at UTEP last Wednesday night. The All-America candidate connected on 12-of-21 shots from the floor and 9-of-14 from beyond the arc en route to a career-high 41 points in the victory, which also earned its way into the record books (see next note). Additionally, Vaden has now tied Kennedy's single-season school record of 122 threes in a season, which Kennedy set in 1988-89. He already owns the school record for threes attempted in a season (286).
He enters the Tulane game leading the team in scoring average (21.7 ppg), three-point shooting (42.7 percent) and minutes per game (35.2). Furthermore, he ranks second in the nation and leads Conference USA in three-point field goals made per game (4.5). He also leads Conference USA in minutes played, ranks third in free throw percentage (86.2 percent) and scoring and is fourth in three-point percentage.
More On Vaden's Performance
In the victory over UTEP, junior guard/forward Robert Vaden not only had a career-high 41 points, but he also set several records in the process. Below is a complete breakdown of the records achieved by Vaden during the contest:
• Vaden's nine three-pointers set a school record for threes made in a game. Vaden had tied the record of eight three-pointers in a game on three previous occasions this season.
• His nine treys at the Don Haskins Center also set a record for threes made in the venue. The previous record was seven three pointers by four players, most recently SMU's Jeryl Sasser on Jan. 22, 2001.
• Vaden's 41 points in the contest set the school record for points in a road game, previously held by Marvett McDonald who scored 39 points in a win over SMU on Feb. 25, 2006.
• He tied the single-game scoring record of 41 points set by Andy Kennedy on Jan. 13, 1991 against Saint Louis.
• Became just the second player in school history to reach the 40-point plateau in a contest.
A Thorn In Tulane's Side
Junior forward Lawrence Kinnard looks forward to playing against Tulane possibly more than any of his teammates. Earlier this season, Kinnard recorded 16 points and 11 boards in the 62-61 win over Tulane on (Jan. 9). In four career games against the Green Wave, Kinnard is averaging an impressive 17.8 points and 8.0 rebounds per contest.
Floor General
Freshman point guard Aaron Johnson played a huge role in the Blazers' 88-81 win at UTEP last Wednesday. Johnson scored a career-high 13 points and had four assists with only one turnover en route to the victory. This season, when Johnson dishes out at least four assists in a game, the Blazers often fare well. When that happens, UAB is 13-1 this season, with the lone loss coming to then-No. 1 Memphis (79-78 on Feb. 16).
Air Force 51
Former Air Force cadet Reggie Huffman proved that he doesn't have to score to be a contributing factor in an outcome of a game. The junior forward failed to score a point in the road win at UTEP last Wednesday, yet he had eight rebounds in the victory. It marked the ninth time this season the Birmingham, Ala. native has recorded at least eight rebounds in a contest, with the Blazers sporting an impressive 8-1 record when he reaches the mark. For the season, Huffman ranks second on the team with an average of 6.2 rebounds per game, while also contributing 7.3 points a game, which ranks fourth-best on this year's squad. Over his last three contests alone, Huffman is averaging 11.7 points and 11.0 rebounds and has collected two double-doubles over that span.
Huffman is proving to be a key cog in UAB victories this season. In the 20 wins this year, Huffman is averaging 9.0 points and a team-best 6.9 rebounds a game. He also has connected on 81-of-133 shots (60.9 percent). However, those numbers drop significantly during UAB's eight losses. Huffman averages 3.0 points and 4.5 rebounds in the eight defeats. Additionally, his field goal percentage drops to 34.8 percent (8-of-23).
Conference Record Books
Junior guard/forward Robert Vaden is not only threatening school records, but is also preparing to overtake some conference records as well. Vaden enters the Tulane game having connected on 122-of-286 three-pointers this season. Those numbers currently rank second and third, respectively in the C-USA single-season record books. The all-time league leader in threes made and attempted is Charlotte's Demon Brown, who hit 137-of-350 treys during the 2002-03 campaign.
The Later It Goes, The Better He Gets
UAB junior guard/forward Robert Vaden seems to play better the further it gets in a game. In the second half alone over his last two contests, Vaden is shooting 15-of-26 (57.7 percent) from the floor and 12-of-18 (66.7 percent) from beyond the arc, while averaging 24.0 points over the final 20 minutes. During the first half of games this year, Vaden has connected on 38.5 percent from the floor, averaging 9.5 points. However, he improves to 13.0 points and is shooting 45.9 percent during second half action on the campaign.
The All-America and C-USA Player of the Year candidate has now recorded 20 or more points on 15 different occasions this season. In fact, he has now led the Blazers in scoring in 17 contests on the campaign. The single-season school record for 20-plus point games is 17 set by two former Blazers, the last by Carlos Williams during the 1995-96 campaign. Furthermore, Vaden has reached or eclipsed the 20-point plateau in 11 of UAB's last 17 contests. During that time, Vaden has averaged 23.9 points and has led the Blazers to a 13-4 mark.
Tough At Home
This season, UAB has been a very tough team to play at Bartow Arena. Despite dropping a 79-78 decision to No. 1 Memphis on Feb. 16, the Blazers led the contest for all but 8 minutes and 54 seconds. However, despite leading the Tigers for the other 31 minutes and 6 seconds, UAB dropped its first home contest of the campaign. In the 13 games played at Bartow Arena, UAB has compiled a 12-1 record and trailed only four of the 13 teams. The Blazers trailed Stetson (11/13), UTEP (2/9), Memphis (2/16) and Houston (2/20). Additionally, the Blazers have beaten opponents on their home floor by an average of 15.1 points a game (78.2-63.1).
Hoping History Repeats Itself
With an 88-81 win at UTEP last Wednesday, UAB improved to 20-8 on the year and 10-3 in Conference USA. When the Blazers have earned at least 20 overall wins and 10 league wins in the same season, good things usually happen. Of the eight previous times it has occurred, the Blazers have earned seven NCAA appearances and one NIT bid.
