The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB Plays Tulsa In Regular Season Home Finale
3/4/2008 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
March 4, 2008
UAB-Tulsa Game Notes | Gametracker | Watch & Listen Live
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The UAB men's basketball team will play its final regular season home game when the Blazers take on the Tulsa Golden Hurricane on Wednesday night at 7 p.m. in Bartow Arena. UAB's lone senior, forward Frank Holmes, will be honored in a pre-game ceremony beginning at approximately 6:50 p.m.
UAB (21-8, 11-3 C-USA) enters the game against Tulsa in second place in the latest Conference USA standings following a 69-44 home victory over Tulane last Saturday night. Junior guard/forward Robert Vaden capped a great week with 30 points en route to the win. Additionally, sophomore forward Jeremy Mayfield came off the bench to contribute eight points and a career-high 10 rebounds in the winning effort. The Blazers have now won 13 of their last 16 games.
Vaden currently leads the Blazers in scoring, averaging 22.0 points a game, which rank third in Conference USA. He also leads the team in three-point shooting (127-of-297, 42.8 percent) and minutes played (35.0).
Junior guard Channing Toney, who had to sit out during the first semester due to NCAA transfer rules, is second on the team in scoring, averaging 11.5 points and 3.5 rebounds. He is shooting 43.8 percent from three-point range (21-of-48), which ranks fifth in the league in C-USA contests only.
Junior forward Lawrence Kinnard is the team's third-leading scorer at 10.9 points a game, and also leads the team in rebounding with 6.8 boards per contest. He is also averaging an impressive 12.7 points and 7.6 rebounds per game in league play.
Huffman, who leads the squad with five double-doubles on the year, is second in rebounding (6.1 rpg) and fourth in scoring (7.1 ppg).
As a team, the Blazers are barely behind Memphis (46.6) in field goal percentage, hitting 46.1 percent from the floor, and lead Conference USA in three-point field goal percentage, connecting on 38.9 percent from beyond the arc. Additionally, UAB ranks third in the league in three-point field goal percentage defense (32.4 percent), field goal percentage defense (40.8 percent) and in scoring defense (65.3 ppg). The Blazers also rank third in league play by outscoring their opponents by an average of 9.3 points a game (74.6-65.3).
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 151-103 (.594) and has made five postseason appearances, including the 2002 national championship game. He is now 36-24 (.600) at UAB.
Scouting Tulsa
Tulsa enters the game at UAB having won six of its last seven contests following an 89-64 win over Marshall last Saturday night. Junior forward Ray Reese led the Golden Hurricane by accounting for a career-high 24 points on 6-of-8 shooting from beyond the arc, to go along with five rebounds in the win.
Tulsa (16-11, 7-7) is led on the year by sophomore guard Ben Uzoh, who leads his team in points (15.1), steals (1.1) and minutes (31.4) per game. Freshman guard Glenn Andrews is the only other player to average double-figure scoring, with 10.2 ppg.
Seven-foot center Jerome Jordan is third on the team in scoring (8.7 ppg) and second in rebounding (6.2 rpg). The sophomore also set a school record with 92 blocks (3.2 bpg) on the campaign. Senior forward Calvin Walls leads the team with 7.3 rebounds per contest, while also contributing 8.6 ppg.
As a team, the Golden Hurricane is shooting 45.0 percent from the floor and 36.2 percent from beyond the arc. Tulsa ranks second in the league in scoring defense (65.2), free throw percentage (.724) and blocked shots (5.74) and rank third in C-USA in rebound margin (+4.9).
Head coach Doug Wojcik is in his third season at the helm of the Tulsa men's basketball program and has compiled a record of 47-39 (.547) during his tenure as head coach.
UAB-Tulsa: The Series
UAB and Tulsa will face each other for the eighth time in series history this Wednesday night with the Blazers holding a 4-3 advantage. The Blazers have never lost to the Golden Hurricane when the two teams have squared off in Birmingham. It is the first time in over two years that Tulsa will visit Bartow Arena. The last time the teams met it Birmingham came on Jan. 11, 2006, with UAB capturing an 84-54 win. Last season, the Blazers slipped past the Golden Hurricane, 62-57, in Tulsa, Okla.
UAB-Tulsa: A Year Ago
Lawrence Kinnard scored 17 points and keyed a 12-3 second-half run with two three-pointers as UAB outlasted Tulsa 62-57 on Feb. 21, 2007 in Tulsa, Okla. The run turned a 38-36 deficit into a 48-41 lead for UAB with 7:33 left. Tulsa, which shot just 37.9 percent, could not generate enough offense to get back in the basketball game, even though the Blazers provided ample opportunities by making just 9 of 16 free throws in the final two minutes. Wen Mukubu scored 16 points and Maurice Gibbs added 12 for the Blazers. UAB connected on its first six 3-point attempts and 8 of 11 shots overall in jumping out to a 23-13 lead. The Blazers cooled off and made just three baskets in the final 11:37 of the first half, but still led 31-23 at halftime. The margin would have been greater but for a half-court 3-pointer at the buzzer by Tulsa's Brett McDade. Tulsa, which shot 31 percent from the field in the first half, began the second half in more energetic fashion, scoring the first 11 points to take a 34-31 lead. Calvin Walls gave Tulsa its first lead of the game at 32-31 with a slam dunk and a drive by Mark Hill gave Tulsa its final lead at 38-36. Kinnard took over from there, making a three-pointer then a rebound basket to put UAB ahead 41-38. He capped the run with another 3-pointer to make it 48-41.
Last Time Out
Robert Vaden scored 30 points to continue his hot shooting and lead UAB to a 69-44 victory over Tulane on Saturday. Vaden was coming off a 41 point effort at UTEP, which tied the school's single game scoring record. He now is averaging 31.8 points over his last three games. The Blazers captured their fourth consecutive victory, and the sixth win over UAB's last seven contests. The lone loss over the stretch was a one-point, last second defeat to then-No. 1 Memphis, 79-78, on Feb. 16. UAB jumped to a 41-18 halftime lead and cruised during the second half. Tulane got 12 points each from David Gomez and Robinson Louisme. The Green Wave shot 32.1 percent from the field in losing its seventh straight game. UAB jumped to an 11-4 lead and then went on a 13-0 run to make it 24-4. Vaden was fouled three times while shooting 3-pointers during that stretch and made all nine free throws. The Blazers' biggest margin was 28 points at 54-26 with 14:22 left in the game. Vaden was UAB's only player to score in the double digits. Jeremy Mayfield had eight points and 10 rebounds and Aaron Johnson dished out seven assists without a turnover.
Vaden Having One Of Best Seasons In School History
Junior guard/forward Robert Vaden is in the midst of one of the best seasons ever by a UAB player. He has already or is poised to break nearly every single-season school record. Against UTEP last Wednesday, Vaden connected on a school-record nine threes to tie Andy Kennedy's 19-year old record of 122 three-pointers attempted in a season. Vaden is currently 127-of-297 from three-point range on the year, which are also a school records. To the right is a list of each category in the school record book, which Vaden has already topped or has a chance to capture.
Darth Vaden Back-To-Back
Junior guard Robert Vaden had a week for the ages in leading UAB to two important league wins to give the Blazers sole possession of second place in the latest C-USA standings. Vaden was tabbed the Conference USA Co-Player of the Week for the week of March 3. In two UAB wins, Vaden averaged 35.5 points and 5.0 rebounds per game, while also shooting 52.7 percent from the floor and 56.0 percent from beyond the arc. In the process, he broke or tied nearly every single-game school record. 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. In the process, Vaden broke the school records for threes made in a game (9), road points (41), single-game points (tied with 41) and broke the Don Haskins Center record for treys made in a game. He followed that performance by going for 30 points in the 69-44 win over Tulane on Saturday night. It marked the second consecutive 30-point game and his fourth of the season (one off the school record). He also hit 11-of-11 free throws which tied for the fourth-best single-game performance at the charity stripe in school history. Vaden enters the final week of regular season play averaging 22.0 ppg (would be a school record), has hit 127-of-297 three pointers (both school records) and is shooting 87.5 percent from the charity stripe.
Earning National Awards
Junior Robert Vaden is not only getting conference recognition, but he is also getting noticed around the nation. Below is a brief look at some of the attention he has received:
• Midseason Honorable Mention All-America (CollegeBasketballReference.com)
• C-USA Midseason Co-Player of the Year (Memphis Commercial Appeal)
• C-USA Midseason Newcomer of the Year (Memphis Commercial Appeal)
• National Player of the Week - Dec. 17
(ESPN.com and Sporting News)
• National Player of the Week - March 3
(Fort Worth Star Telegram, CollegeHoops.net, Sporting News, Rivals.com, ESPN.com)
J-May Comes Through In Big Way
Sophomore forward Jeremy Mayfield played a key role off the bench in the Blazers 69-44 win over Tulane last Saturday. Mayfield was two points shy of his first career double-double, accounting for a career-high 10 rebounds to go along with eight points in the victory. Mayfield hit 3-of-4 shots and grabbed four offensive rebounds in 20 minutes of action. On the season, Mayfield has played a key role off the bench, contributing 4.3 points and 4.2 rebounds per game.
Defense Leads The Way
With the 69-44 defeat over Tulane last Saturday, the Blazers captured their 11th straight win when holding an opponent to 50 points or less in a contest. The last time UAB lost when allowing 50 or less points occurred on Jan. 2, 2002 with a 50-36 loss to Southern Miss. In fact, the Blazers are 25-1 since the 1993-94 campaign when giving up 50 or fewer points. The Blazers boast an overall record of 52-4 when accomplishing the feat.
UAB has held five of its opponents to 50 points or less this season and 12 of its foes to 60 or fewer points. That is impressive in its own right, but it is even more impressive when taking a look back into the UAB record books. This year marks the first time in school history a UAB team has held four non-conference opponents to 50 points or less. In fact, this year's team is approaching a single-season school record for holding the opposition to 50 points or less in a game. The 1983-84 team held six opponents to 50 or fewer points, while on two separate occasions (1985-86 and 1992-93) the Blazers have held five opponents to 50 or less points.
Doing Charity Work
The Blazers connected on 17-of-20 from the charity stripe (85.0 percent) in the 69-44 win over Tulane last Saturday night. In fact, free throw shooting has been one of UAB's most improved statistics during conference play. During Conference USA play, UAB has shot an impressive 78.6 percent from the line. That number ranks second in C-USA in league games only. Prior to league play, UAB was shooting only 63.7 percent from the foul line. However, since then the Blazers have improved to an average of 71.5 percent foul shooting as a team.
Floor General
Freshman point guard Aaron Johnson played a huge role in the Blazers' 69-44 win over Tulane last Saturday. Johnson had four points, four steals and seven assists without a 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 14-1 this season, with the lone loss coming to then-No. 1 Memphis (79-78 on Feb. 16).
Senior Day Success
The UAB men's basketball program has historically fared well on senior day. The Blazers boast a record of 23-6 when playing their last home game of the regular season. However, over the past seven seasons, UAB has a record of 4-3 when playing the final home game of the season. Prior to the tip, the Blazers will honor their lone senior, forward Frank Holmes. Holmes, who will close his UAB career ranked among the top five in field goal percentage, has played in 121 games, starting 66 times.
A Key To Victory
Junior forward Reggie Huffman is proving to be a key cog in UAB victories this season. In the 21 wins this year, Huffman is averaging 8.7 points and a team-best 6.8 rebounds a game. He also has connected on 82-of-143 shots (57.3 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).
Furthermore, the junior proved that he doesn't have to score to be a contributing factor in an outcome of a game. There has been nine occasions when Huffman has recorded eight or more rebounds in a game, 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 6.1 rebounds per game, while also contributing 7.1 points a game, which ranks fourth-best on this year's squad. Over his last four contests alone, Huffman is averaging 9.3 points and 9.3 rebounds and has collected two double-doubles over that span.
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 Tulsa game having connected on 127-of-297 three-pointers this season. Both numbers currently rank second 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 three contests, Vaden is shooting 19-of-32 (59.4 percent) from the floor and 14-of-24 (58.3 percent) from beyond the arc, while averaging 26.0 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 12.5 points and is shooting 46.0 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 16 different occasions this season. In fact, he has now led the Blazers in scoring in 18 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 12 of UAB's last 18 contests. During that time, he has averaged 22.9 points and has led the Blazers to a 14-4 mark.
Tough At Home
The Blazers close out a very impressive 2007-08 home slate when they host the Tulsa Golden Hurricane Wednesday night. Despite dropping a 79-78 decision to No. 1 Memphis on Feb. 16, for the only home defeat this season. However, despite leading the Tigers for the other 31 minutes and 6 seconds, UAB dropped its first home contest of the campaign. In the 14 games played at Bartow Arena, UAB has compiled a 13-1 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).
With a win over Tulsa, UAB would secure the second-best home record in Bartow Arena history, matching the 2005-06 team who won 14 of 15 games in Bartow Arena that season. The best Bartow Arena record was 15-1 set during the 1993-94 campaign. Additionally, the Blazers have beaten opponents on their home floor by an average of 17.6 points a game (78.1-60.4).
