The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB Opens C-USA Play Saturday At Houston
1/9/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jan. 9, 2009
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The UAB men's basketball team will open its 2009 Conference USA slate at Houston on Saturday at 7 p.m. It marks the third consecutive season the Blazers will open league play on the road. The Blazers opened the 2006-07 C-USA season with a 76-63 loss at UTEP and began conference play last year with a 62-61 win at Tulane.
Saturday's contest between Houston and UAB will mark the 20th time the two teams will have met on the hardwood. The Blazers have controlled the series, owning a 15-4 advantage. The Cougars last win in the series was a 70-64 decision on Feb. 17, 2007 at Houston.
UAB enters Saturday's match-up against Houston sporting a 9-5 overall record following a 63-37 victory over Savannah State last Saturday. Senior guard Paul Delaney III led the Blazers with a game-high 19 points in the contest, while senior Robert Vaden chipped in with 17. The 37 points the Blazers allowed were the lowest point total since allowing 37 to Charlotte on March 4, 2000.
Vaden, a Wooden Award and Naismith Trophy candidate and Preseason C-USA Player of the Year recipient, has scored at least 20 points in nine of UAB's 14 games on the season. He currently leads the team in scoring (19.6 ppg) and is second in rebounding (5.8 rpg). Vaden has also picked up where he left off last season on three-point shooting, leading the team with 52 treys on the season. In fact, Vaden ranks 10th in the nation in total threes made and is third in threes attempted (141).
Delaney, who is the only Blazer to have scored double figures in every game he has played this season, also added five rebounds and connected on 8-of-9 from the charity stripe. He is second on the team with 17.1 ppg, to go along with 4.8 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.6 steals per game. Additionally, Delaney also leads the team and ranks second in the league and 20th in the nation in field goal percent¬age, connecting on 77-of-128 shots from the floor this season (.602).
Senior forward Lawrence Kinnard leads the team with 8.9 rebounds a game and is third on the team in scoring with 16.1 points per game. He recently recorded his Conference USA-leading fifth double-double of the season and 12th of his career in the win over Florida Atlantic (12/22). He enters the Houston game tied for second in the league in rebounding and is 10th in scoring.
As a team, the Blazers are shooting 45.6 percent from the floor, which leads Conference USA, and 35.2 percent from beyond the arc. UAB also averages 7.8 three-point makes per game and is outscoring opponents by 6.1 points a game (72.8-66.7), despite having one of the toughest schedules in the nation (current strength of schedule is No. 16, according to RPIRatings.com's through games of Jan. 4).
Houston enters Saturday's contest sporting a 9-3 overall mark following an 85-65 victory Tuesday over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. Senior center Marcus Cousin and junior guard Aubrey Coleman each posted double-doubles to help lead Houston to the victory. Coleman led all players with 22 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, while Cousin came off the bench to score 14 points with 10 boards.
Junior guard Kelvin Lewis leads Houston with 18.5 ppg and is one of four Cougars to average double-figure points. Coleman is second on the team in scoring (17.3 ppg) and rebounding (7.9 rpg). Additionally, Coleman leads the league and ranks sixth in the nation with 3.2 steals per game (as of Jan. 4).
Cousin leads the team and Conference USA with 9.7 rebounds a game, while also contributing 12.5 ppg. He also leads the Cougars with 2.4 blocks per game, which rank third in the league. Junior forward Qa'rraan Calhoun collects an average of 11.5 ppg, while freshman guard Desmond Wade leads the team with 4.8 assists a contest.
As a team, the Cougers enter the game against the Blazers shooting 43.3 percent from the floor and 35.2 percent from beyond the arc. A big reason for Houston's non-conference success has been playing mistake-free basketball. The Cougars currently lead the nation in fewest turnovers per game (9.3) and lead the league and rank ninth in the nation in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.45). Furthermore, Houston is outscoring the opposition by 15.2 points a game (78.0-62.8) which ranks 29th in the country.
The contest will air live on the Blazers ISP Radio Network, WUHT 107.7 FM, beginning with the pregame show at 6:30 p.m. CT.
