The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB Welcomes Houston For Wednesday Night Contest
1/31/2012 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jan. 31, 2012
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The UAB men's basketball team ends a two-game homestand on Wednesday night when it welcomes the Houston Cougars to Bartow Arena for a 8 p.m. CT tipoff.
The contest will be televised regionally on CSS and can also be heard on the Blazers Sports Network, 107.7 FM.
UAB and Houston will meet for the 23rd time in series history when the two teams take the hardwood Wednesday night. The Blazers own a 17-5 lead in the previous 22 contests and are 9-1 when taking on the Cougars at Bartow Arena. Last season, UAB captured a 68-55 decision in Houston, Texas.
GAME INFORMATION
Feb. 1, 2012 • 8 pm CT • Birmingham, Ala. • Bartow Arena (8,500)
UAB Game Notes vs Houston
| Gametracker | Listen
RADIO (Flagship: WUHT 107.7 FM): Blazer Sports Network
David Crane (play-by-play), Steve Mitchell (analyst) and Jon Gentile (Engineer)
TV:CSS
Mike Morgan (play-by-play) and Brian Oliver (analyst)
About UAB
• UAB (7-13, 2-5), which is still looking for its first home league victory, dropped its fourth consecutive home C-USA contest when it fell to East Carolina, 73-66, last Saturday at Bartow Arena. Senior forward Cameron Moore recorded his team-leading seventh double-double of the year with 14 points and a game-high 13 rebounds in the losing effort.
• Moore, the C-USA Preseason Player of the Year, enters the Houston contest leading UAB in scoring (15.7), rebounding (10.6) and blocked shots (2.6) a game. Nationally, he ranks 13th in rebounds a contest and is 18th in blocks a game (as of 1/31).
• Moore is just the second Blazer to earn the preseason player of the year honor, joining former standout Robert Vaden, who was tabbed with the accolade prior to the start of the 2008-09 campaign.
• Sophomore forward Jordan Swing, who injured his hand late in the game vs. UCF (1/21) and is not expected to suit up vs. the Cougars, is second on the team with 11.0 points per game. At the time of his injury, Swing ranked second in conference play in three-point field goal percentage (.500) and threes-made per game (3.0).
• Junior forward Ovie Soko is third in scoring (8.7 ppg) and is second in rebounding (7.3 rpg). Soko ranks second on the team with five double-double contests on the year. In fact, Moore (7) and Soko (5) have combined for 12 double-doubles on the year.
• UAB head coach Mike Davis, the 2011 C-USA Coach of the Year, owns a record of 114-70 (.620) during his five-plus seasons at UAB. He has a career mark of 229-149 (.606), now in his 12th season as a head coach. He now owns a record of 55-32 (.632) in conference play.
• Last season, the Blazers finished with a 22-9 record and a 12-4 mark in conference play as UAB captured its first outright regular season Conference USA championship in school history. As a result, the Blazers received an at-large berth to the 2011 NCAA Tournament, marking their first appearance in the "Big Dance" since the 2006 campaign and the 14th NCAA Tournament showing in program history.
About Houston
• Houston (11-9, 3-4) comes into Wednesday's contest having won two consecutive games, which followed a four-game losing skid. Most recently, the Cougars took an 81-76 overtime decision against UTEP last Saturday behind the strength of Jonathon Simmons' 25 points.
• As a team, the Cougars are shooting 47.2 percent from the floor, which ranks third in C-USA, and 36.9 percent from beyond the arc, while averaging 74.8 points per game, which is second-best in the league. However, the Cougars have struggled defensively, ranking last in the league in points allowed (72.5) and 10th in the field goal percentage defense (43.1 percent). Against C-USA competition, Houston is last in the league in scoring defense (74.9) and scoring margin (-9.9), but is fifth in both scoring offense (65.0) and field goal percentage (43.9 percent).
• Simmons, a junior guard, leads the team in scoring (14.9 ppg), while shooting an impressive 54.2 percent from the floor and 40.0 percent from beyond the arc. He also chips in with 4.7 rebounds a game, which ranks third on the squad.
• Sophomore forward Alandise Harris, who recorded his first double-double of the year against UTEP (15 points and 12 rebounds) is second on the team in scoring (13.9 ppg) and rebounding (6.2 rpg).
• Freshmen TaShawn Thomas (10.7 ppg) and Joseph Young (10.2 ppg) each average double figures. Thomas also leads the team in rebounding (7.9) and blocks (2.4) a game, while Young leads Houston in assists per game (2.9).
• Head coach James Dickey is in his second season at the helm of the Houston program and is in his 12th season as a head coach. Dickey has a record of 23-27 (.460) while with the Cougars and has an overall mark of 187-150 (.555).
A Few Notes From Last Game
• UAB made a 17-point second-half deficit evaporate to a one-possession game with 28 seconds left, but the East Carolina Pirates went a perfect six of six from the foul line to escape Bartow Arena with a 73-66 victory on Saturday night.
• UAB shot 50 percent (27-for-54) from the field, but it was the Pirates that fired at a blistering 59.5 clip for the game. ECU was on target even more so in the first half, draining 14 of 22 shots (63.6 percent) from the floor.
• The Blazers, which trailed 36-26 at the half, fell behind as much 17 after intermission when Darrius Morrow sank a jumper with 9:30 left. UAB was able to buckle down on defense and utilized a 25-11 run to pull within a possession, 67-64, with 28 seconds left, but could get no closer.
• A balanced attack for UAB, featured four players in double figures, led by Preston Purifoy's 17 points. Cameron Moore posted his seventh double-double of the year, making 6 of 10 shots for 14 points to go along with a game-high 13 boards.
• ECU was paced by Morrow's game-high 24 points making 11 of 15 shots, adding six rebounds and three assists to his stat line.
• Despite the strong shooting from both clubs, it was the foul line that proved to be the difference. ECU went to the line 21 times, knocking down 16 tries (76.2 percent), but UAB was only able to attempt three for the game.
UAB-Houston: The Series
• UAB and Houston will meet for the 23rd time in series history on Wednesday night. The Blazers own a 17-5 lead in the previous 22 contests. The Blazers have won two straight and eight of the last 10 games played between the two teams.
• UAB has claimed victories in nine of 10 games played at Bartow Arena. The lone loss to the Cougars in Birmingham came on Jan. 19, 2001 (L, 80-71).
• The Blazers captured a 68-55 decision last season in Houston, Texas and a 75-66 victory on Feb. 20, 2010 in the last meeting in Birmingham.
Defending The Home Court
• UAB is still looking for its first home conference win of the season when it takes the floor against Houston on Wednesday night.
• In four home C-USA contests this season, UAB is shooting 40.1 percent from the floor and 37.3 percent from beyond the arc. However, in the three road conference games, the Blazers' percentage improves to 45.3 percent shooting from the floor and 41.3 percent from beyond the arc.
• UAB, which is 0-4 at home and 2-1 on the road in C-USA play this year, has lost all four home conference contests by a combined 19 points (Memphis, 62-59, Marshall, 61-59, UCF, 48-41 and East Carolina, 73-66).
Lock Down Defense
• UAB has held two of its last three opponents to under 50 points entering the Houston game, while only six of 20 opponents have scored more than 62 points in a game this season.
• As a team, the Blazers have held the opposition to an average of 60.8 points a game, which ranks third in C-USA. The Blazers are fifth in the league in field goal percentage defense, allowing the competition to shoot just 41.0 percent from the floor.
• Against league competition, the Blazers are giving up an average of 58.9 points a game, which ranks second in the conference, while the 43.0 percent UAB allows opponents to shoot from the floor ranks fourth-best in the league.
• Only three teams have reached 70 points in a game against UAB this season (No. 13 Creighton, No. 12 Florida and East Carolina).
• The Blazers have held all but four opponents (VCU, Florida, Memphis and East Carolina) to under 45-percent shooting.
Swing Sidelined
• UAB junior Jordan Swing is expected to be out for the near future with an injured right (non-shooting) hand.
• Swing suffered the injury late in the UCF game (1/21). He has a target date set for a mid-February return.
Slim Margins In League Play
• UAB has now played seven games in conference play, with all seven contests being decided by a total of 31 points (an average of 4.4 points per game).
• The Blazers are being outscored by 2.1 points a game against league competition (58.9-56.7) and have only hit the 60-point mark once (61 points in the overtime win at Rice).
Tough Competition
• UAB's strength of schedule ranks as No. 48 in the country (Warrennolan.com) and is certainly part of the reason why it has struggled this season through 20 games of the 2011-12 campaign.
• Eleven of the Blazers' 20 opponents are ranked among the top 100 RPI according to WarrenNolan.com (as of Jan. 27). Of those 10 teams, six are ranked in the top 50 RPI and three are ranked among the top-25.
• Of the Blazers' 13 losses, three have come against teams ranked in the top 25 (No. 9 Murray State, No. 11 Florida and No. 12 Creighton).
• The record of the 12 teams who have beaten UAB is a combined 176-68 (.721) (as of Jan. 27).
UAB Trends
• There are a few game trends to watch out for when UAB takes the court. The Blazers are:
- 5-2 when shooting 45% or better
- 2-11 when shooting less than 45%
- 0-7 when outrebounded
- 2-10 when scoring less than 60 points
- 5-3 when scoring more than 60 points
Countdown To 1,000-Point Club
• With nine regular season contests remaining, UAB senior Cameron Moore has a chance to become the 20th member to reach 1,000 points in his Blazer career.
• Moore currently has 876 points and is 124 points shy of joining the elite group. He needs to average 13.8 points a game to reach the achievement by the end of the regular season.
50 Points Or Fewer
• For the third time this season, UAB has held a team to 50 points or below with the 56-49 victory at Marshall on Jan. 25.
• Historically, when UAB holds opponents to 50 or fewer points, it is usually a good thing. The Blazers have an overall record of 66-6 when it happens. Furthermore, UAB head coach Mike Davis is 20-1 in his six seasons at UAB when holding the opposition to 50 or fewer points in a game.
• For the first time since Jan. 12, 2002, the Blazers lost a game when allowing the opposition to score 50 or fewer points in the 48-41 loss to UCF on Jan. 21. The last time that happened came with a 50-36 loss at Southern Miss.
That's 600 If You're Counting
• With 15 rebounds at Rice on Jan. 18, senior forward Cameron Moore became only the eighth player in program history to reach 600 rebounds in his career.
• The San Antonio, Texas native comes into the Houston game with 634 rebounds in his career, which ranks fifth among the school's all-time rebounding leaders.
• Moore needs 36 rebounds to move past former Blazer great Carlos Williams (669) and into fourth on the schools all-time rebounding leaders.
Making His Case
• All season, Cameron Moore has been showing why he was chosen as the C-USA Preseason Player of the Year. But he has stepped his game up even more over the last 11 contests.
• Moore is averaging 17.5 points and 11.2 rebounds a game, while shooting 55.6 percent from the field (80-of-144) over the 11-game stretch.
• The San Antonio, Texas native has played even better against league competition. In the Blazers' seven C-USA contests, Moore ranks fourth in the conference with 17.7 points and is second with 9.6 rebounds a game.
