The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
Men's Basketball Releases 2011-12 Non-Conference Schedule
8/5/2011 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Aug. 5, 2011
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- Showdowns at Southeastern Conference foe Florida and 2011 Final Four participant VCU, as well as contests against NIT Champion Wichita State and traditional powers Creighton and Murray State, highlight the 2011-12 UAB men's basketball non-conference schedule, announced Friday by Blazers' head coach Mike Davis.
In all, UAB's out-of-conference schedule includes 13 games, seven of which will be played at Bartow Arena.
"This is a good schedule from the standpoint that it will really help prepare us for Conference USA play," Davis said. "We wanted to play some quality road games early in the season and also play games throughout the non-conference portion that will continually challenge us to get better. We will face five teams who played in the NCAA and or NIT a year ago. Our team is excited for the season and we hope our fans are, too."
UAB and Florida will meet for the first time in just over five years when the two teams square off in the Stephen O'Connell Center at Gainesville, Fla. on Jan. 3, 2012. The last time the two teams met on the hardwood came at the Orange Bowl Classic on Dec. 30, 2006, when the Blazers narrowly missed an upset of the eventual NCAA Champion Gators, falling 75-70 in Miami, Fla. The contest will be the final non-conference matchup for UAB, prior to entering league play.
Meanwhile, VCU and UAB will meet for the second consecutive season and the seventh time in the last nine years when they do battle Dec. 20 in Richmond, Va. The former Sun Belt Conference rivals will meet for the 39th time in series history with the Blazers owning a 32-16 lead, including wins in five of the last six meetings between the two teams.
Last season's showdown was one of the most exciting games in the long series history between the Blazers and Rams. VCU led the majority of the contest and by many as 19 points with just over 12 minutes remaining in the second half before UAB staged a furious rally that resulted in a 68-65 Blazer win. The Blazers finished the contest on an 18-2 run over the final 6:02 to pull out the victory.
The Blazers will open the campaign with three-straight home contests, marking the first time that has happened since the 2004-05 campaign. UAB will open the 2011-12 season by hosting Creighton (Nov. 16), Murray State (Nov. 20) and in-state foe Troy (Nov. 22) at Bartow Arena.
Three of UAB's next four games will be played away from Birmingham. Following the game against the Trojans, the Blazers will travel to Wichita, Kansas to take on Wichita State on Nov. 25. The Shockers, who defeated Alabama to win last year's NIT title, and Blazers will play at Intrust Bank Arena in downtown Wichita.
After a home contest against UT-Martin on Nov. 27, the Blazers will play back-to-back road contests at South Alabama (Nov. 30) and Kent State (Dec. 3).
UAB will next play host to Middle Tennessee (Dec. 7) and will have a 13-day break before traveling to take on the Rams of VCU.
The Blazers will return home and take on Jacksonville (Dec. 22), followed by a road contest at George Washington (Dec. 28). UAB will then close out the calendar year with a New Years Eve game against Alabama A&M (Dec. 31) prior to the showdown at Florida.
The Green and Gold will open the season with an exhibition game against Auburn-Montgomery on Nov. 12.
The Conference USA schedule is expected to be released in the near future.
2011-12 UAB Non-Conference Schedule
| Sat. | Nov. 12 | AUBURN-MONTGOMERY (Exh.) | BIRMINGHAM, ALA. |
| Wed. | Nov. 16 | CREIGHTON | BIRMINGHAM, ALA. |
| Sun. | Nov. 20 | MURRAY STATE | BIRMINGHAM, ALA. |
| Tues. | Nov. 22 | TROY | BIRMINGHAM, ALA. |
| Fri. | Nov. 25 | at Wichita State | Wichita, Kan. |
| Sun. | Nov. 27 | UT MARTIN | BIRMINGHAM,ALA. |
| Wed. | Nov. 30 | at South Alabama | Mobile,Ala. |
| Sat. | Dec. 3 | at Kent State | Kent, Ohio |
| Wed. | Dec. 7 | MIDDLE TENNESSEE | BIRMINGHAM, ALA. |
| Tues. | Dec. 20 | at VCU | Richmond, Va. |
| Thurs. | Dec. 22 | JACKSONVILLE | BIRMINGHAM, ALA. |
| Wed. | Dec. 28 | at George Washington | Washington, D.C. |
| Sat. | Dec. 31 | ALABAMA A&M | BIRMINGHAM, ALA. |
| Tues. | Jan. 3 | at Florida | Gainesville, Fla. |
