The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB Hosts Memphis For Third Annual Bartow Classic
1/6/2012 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jan. 6, 2012
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The UAB men's basketball team will return to Bartow Arena for for the Conference USA opener when it hosts arch rival Memphis on Saturday night at 8 p.m. CT.
The contest between UAB and Memphis marks the third annual Bartow Classic. It is the second-straight year the two teams have been featured at the event.
The atmosphere for Saturday's game will certainly be one of the most emotional in memory. Bartow died Tuesday evening at his home in Birmingham at the age of 81 after battling cancer for two and a half years.
Bartow started the UAB athletics program when he arrived in Birmingham in 1977 and by the time he was finished, he had left an indelible mark on UAB and the city of Birmingham, among many other places.
Saturday's contest marks the 43rd meeting between the two teams. The Tigers own a 32-10 advantage in the all-time series and have now won 11 consecutive games played between the two teams.
GAME INFORMATION
Jan. 7, 2012 • 8 pm CT • Birmingham, Ala. • Bartow Arena (8,500)
RADIO (Flagship: WUHT 107.7 FM): Blazer Sports Network
David Crane (play-by-play), Steve Mitchell (analyst) and Jon Gentile (Engineer)
TV: CBS Sports Network: Todd Harris (play-by-play) and Pete Gillen (analyst)
UAB game notes vs Memphis 
| Gametracker
About UAB
• UAB (5-8) had its three-game winning streak snapped with a 79-61 defeat at No. 13/14 Florida on Tuesday night. The Blazers trailed the Gators by just nine points (64-55) with less than five minutes remaining, but could not complete the comeback.
• Senior forward Cameron Moore, the C-USA Preseason Player of the Year, enters league play leading UAB in scoring (14.6), rebounding (11.2) and blocked shots (3.3) a game. Nationally, he ranks eighth in both rebounds and blocked shots a contest (as of 1/5).
• 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 has scored double figures in five of his last six contests coming into the Memphis contest, is second on the team with 10.4 points per game, while junior forward Ovie Soko is third in scoring (9.5 ppg) and is second in rebounding (7.6 rpg). Soko and Moore lead UAB with four double-doubles each on the year.
• UAB head coach Mike Davis, the 2011 C-USA Coach of the Year, owns a record of 112-65 (.633) during his five-plus seasons at UAB. He has a career mark of 227-144 (.613), now in his 12th season as a head coach.
• 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 Memphis
• Memphis (9-5) comes into Saturday night's contest having won four of its last five contests following a 69-51 win over Tennessee on Wednesday. Sophomores Antonio Barton (19) and Tarik Black (18) combined to score 37 of the Tigers' 69 points on the night in the winning effort.
• Sophomore guard Will Barton comes into the contest against the Blazers leading the team in points (19.1) and rebounds (8.9) this year. Barton leads Conference USA in scoring and is sixth in rebounding.
• Sophomore Joe Jackson is the only other Memphis player to average double-digit scoring, contributing 11.4 points a contest. Freshman Adonis Thomas (9.6 ppg) and Black (9.1 ppg) each score over nine points a game to the cause.
• Sophomore Chris Crawford leads the team with 4.2 assists and 1.8 steals a game, while also contributing 7.5 points.
• As a team, the Tigers are outscoring the competition by an average of 7.6 points a game (77.1-69.5). Memphis ranks second in C-USA in both field goal percentage (48.2 percent) and three-point field goal percentage (38.6 percent) on the season. The Tigers also lead the league in blocked shots a game (6.9) and are third in steals (7.5).
• Head coach Josh Pastner is in his third season at the helm of the Memphis program. Pastner has an overall record of 58-25 (.699).
A Few Notes From Last Game
• The UAB men's basketball team placed three players in double figures, but No. 13 Florida sank 15 3-pointers to defeat the Blazers 79-61 on Tuesday night at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center.
• UAB point guard Quincy Taylor topped the squad in scoring by posting a career-high 16 points on 5-of-9 shooting from the field, including a pair of treys.
• For the fourth time this season, Ovie Soko posted a double-double, totaling 13 points and grabbing 12 rebounds, while fellow post player Cameron Moore scored 15 points and added seven boards to his stat line.
• Florida, which leads the nation in 3-point shooting, showcased its sharp perimeter attack, making 15-of-27 3-point attempts.
• Leading the offense for the Gators was Erving Walker (23 points) and Kenny Boynton (20 points), who combined connected on 13 of 19 shots from downtown.
"Founding Father Of UAB Athletics" Dies
• Former UAB head coach and College Basketball Hall of Famer Gene Bartow passed away on Jan. 3, 2012 after a two-year bout with stomach cancer. Below are just a few of the many accomplishments coach Bartow reached during his 24 years as head men's basketball coach and athletic director:
- As the UAB Director of Athletics from 1977 until his retirement in 2000, Bartow developed an intercollegiate sports program from its infancy into one that featured 17 sports.
- He was at the helm of the UAB Men's Basketball program for 18 seasons, 1978 to 1996, compiling a record of 366-203 (.643).
- He led the Blazers to the NIT in the program's second year of existence and followed that up with seven straight NCAA Tournament appearances, including trips to the Sweet 16 in 1981 and the Elite Eight in 1982.
- In all, he led UAB to 14 postseason appearances, 10 of which were NCAA Tournaments.
- In 1997, UAB renamed its basketball venue, Bartow Arena, in his honor.
More About The Gene Bartow Classic
• Tonight's UAB/Memphis men's basketball game at Bartow Arena has been designated as this season's Bartow Classic.
• UAB Athletics will donate $2 for every ticket sold (excluding season tickets) to the Coach Gene Bartow Fund For Cancer Research at the UAB Comprehensive Cancer Center.
• This marks the third year of the event and the second time it has pitted C-USA rivals UAB and Memphis against one another. The first Bartow Classic featured UAB vs. East Tennessee State, who is coached by Gene's son, Murry Bartow.
Honoring Coach Bartow
• Below are a few ways Coach Gene Bartow will be honored on Saturday night:
• Fans can log on to UABsports.com/ot/gene-bartow.html to leave condolences for the Bartow family.
• Fans attending Saturday's game will receive a "GB" sticker at the gate replicating the patch that all UAB athletic teams will wear for the remainder of the academic year.
• There will be a video area on the main concourse for fans to leave video messages, which will be edited and presented to the family.
• Fans are encouraged to add to the memorial with flowers and memorabilia around Coach Bartow's statue on the concourse of Bartow Arena and fans are encouraged to add to it.
Other tributes during the game include:
• Long-time Blazers' radio play-by-play announcer, Gary Sanders, will serve as public address announcer.
• The first UAB athletic logo (the Blazer Chevron) and a replica of the GB patch will be placed on the court.
• A moment of silence will be conducted prior to team introductions.
• A chair with the Blazer Chevron (from Coach Bartow's era) will be placed in the first position on the bench and will be unoccupied, except for a green sport coat and green and gold tie.
• A video tribute will celebrate the many accomplishments of Coach Bartow.
• The Comprehensive Cancer Center will be staffing the main entrance to accept donations to the Gene Bartow Fund for Cancer Research.
Playing "O-So" Good
• Over UAB's last two games, junior forward Ovie Soko has stepped his game up, recording a pair of double-doubles.
• Over the last two contests, Soko is averaging 15.0 points and 13.5 rebounds a game.
• Against Alabama A&M on Dec. 31, Soko collected a season-best 17 points to go along with a career-high 15 rebounds in the victory.
Q-School
• Point guard Quincy Taylor has certainly stepped up his game over UAB's last three contests.
• Over that span, Taylor is averaging 11.0 points and 4.0 assists a contest, while shooting 63.2 percent (12-of-19) from the floor and 55.6 percent (5-of-9) from beyond the arc.
• Taylor has set a new career high in each of his last two contests. He had 15 points on 6-of-6 shooting against Alabama A&M (12/31) and followed that with a career-best 16 points vs. No. 13 Florida (1/3).
By The Numbers: First Seven Compared To Last Six
• After beginning the year 1-6, UAB has now reeled off wins in four of its last six contests. Below is a look at a breakdown of the UAB numbers during the first seven games compared to the last six contests:
FG% 3-pt FG% Reb. Pts.
UAB First 7 .380 .246 35.0 54.4
UAB Last 6 .462 .385 38.4 65.7
Cameron Moore Named C-USA POW
• UAB senior forward Cameron Moore was selected as the Conference USA Player of the Week, the league office announced on Jan. 2. It was Moore's first C-USA Player of the Week honor this season and second of his career (Dec. 6, 2010).
• Moore had an outstanding week in leading UAB to a pair of victories. In the Blazers' two contests, he connected on 15-of-20 shots from the floor (.750) and averaged 17.5 points and 16.5 rebounds.
• Against George Washington, Moore pulled down a career-high and school record 24 rebounds and was one point shy of becoming the first UAB player in program history to record 20 points and 20 rebounds in a game. He closed the contest with 19 points on 8-of-12 shooting from the floor in a 56-49 road win over the Colonials. The 24 rebounds is also the third-best performance in C-USA history.
• Moore was equally as good in the win over Alabama A&M, hitting 7-of-8 shots from the floor en route to 16 points and nine rebounds.
Board Work
• The work on the boards has been a key component over the last six games, as UAB is outrebounding the competition by nearly 10 rebounds a contest (38.0-28.3).
• For the season, the Blazers own a +4.4 advantage on the glass (36.4-32.0).
