The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
Men's Hoops Set To Take On SMU Wednesday Night
2/14/2012 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Feb. 14, 2012
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The UAB men's basketball team will play its third road contest in four games when the Blazers travel to Dallas, Texas to take on the SMU Mustangs. The contest will tip at 7 p.m. CT in Moody Coliseum and will air live on 107.7 FM, with the pregame shot beginning at 6:30 p.m. CT
Wednesday's contest marks the ninth meeting in series history between UAB and SMU. The Blazers hold an all-time advantage of 6-2 over the previous eight contests, including four consecutive wins over the Mustangs.
GAME INFORMATION
Feb. 15, 2012 • 7 pm CT • Dallas, Texas • Moody Coliseum (8,998)
UAB Game Notes vs SMU
| Gametracker | Watch
RADIO (Flagship: WUHT 107.7 FM): Blazer Sports Network
David Crane (play-by-play), Aaron Jordan (analyst) and Jon Gentile (Engineer)
TV:None
About UAB
• UAB (10-14, 5-6) had its three-game winning streak snapped with a 79-45 loss at Memphis last Saturday night in Memphis, Tenn. The Blazers were led by sophomore Preston Purifoy's 14 points in the losing effort.
• Moore, the C-USA Preseason Player of the Year, enters the SMU contest leading UAB in scoring (15.9), rebounding (10.4) and blocked shots (2.8) a game. He ranks in a tie for fifth in the league in scoring, is second in rebounding and leads the league in blocked shots. Moore also leads C-USA in league games only in rebounding (9.5 rpg) and is second in scoring (17.4 ppg). Nationally, Moore ranks 16th in both rebounds and blocks a game (as of 2/12).
• 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 guard Jordan Swing is second on the team with 11.1 points per game. Swing leads the team and ranks third in C-USA in three-point shooting at 40.0 percent and is second in free throw shooting percentage (87.8). Additionally, he is averaging 2.6 treys and shooting 47.7 percent from deep in league contests only.
• Junior forward Ovie Soko is third in scoring (8.3 ppg) and is second in rebounding (7.1 rpg). Soko ranks second on the team with six double-double contests on the year. In fact, Moore (10) and Soko (6) have combined for 16 double-doubles on the year.
• UAB head coach Mike Davis, the 2011 C-USA Coach of the Year, owns a record of 117-71 (.622) during his five-plus seasons at UAB. He has a career mark of 232-150 (.607), now in his 12th season as a head coach. He now owns a record of 58-33 (.637) 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 SMU
• SMU (11-14, 2-8) comes into Wednesday night's contest having dropped six of the last seven contests, including six straight league games following a 43-39 loss at Rice on Saturday night.
• Senior forward Robert Nyakundi leads SMU in scoring (15.3 ppg), rebounding (5.1 rpg) and three-point shooting (43.3 percent on 61-of-141 shooting). Nyakundi comes into the UAB game leading the league in three-point shooting percentage, is third in three-pointers made per game (2.5) and is seventh in scoring.
• Junior London Giles is the only other player to average double-digit scoring, checking in at 10.4 points per game on the year. Giles is another solid shooter from beyond the arc, knocking down three-pointers at a 36.5-percent clip (42-of-115).
• Sophomore point guard Jeremiah Samarrippas leads the Mustangs and ranks fifth in C-USA in assists (4.3), along with 6.9 points and 1.1 steals per contest.
• As a team, the Mustangs are outscoring the opposition by +0.7 points (60.7-60.0) on the season, while shooting 42.8 percent from the floor and 34.4 percent from beyond the arc. However, SMU's numbers have fallen against league competition. In C-USA games only, the Mustangs are being outscored by 6.4 points a game (62.0-55.6) while shooting 42.9 percent from the floor and 31.3 percent from deep.
• Head coach Matt Doherty is in his sixth season at the helm of the SMU program and owns a record of 78-104 (.429). Doherty, who has coached at North Carolina and Notre Dame prior to coming to SMU, has a career record of 168-175 (.490).
A Few Notes From Last Game
• Will Barton and Chris Crawford scored 16 points each as Memphis used a first-half 3-point barrage to build an early lead and coast to a 79-45 victory over UAB on Saturday night.
• Antonio Barton added 10 for Memphis which remained tied with Southern Miss atop the conference standings.
• Preston Purifoy led the Blazers (10-14, 5-6) with 14 points, while Quincy Taylor added 12, connecting on 5 of 7 from the field.
• The Blazers top two scorers - Cameron Moore and Jordan Swing - endured tough nights. They were a combined 1 of 11 from the field, contributing to UAB shooting 34.1 percent (15 of 44).
• UAB, which entered the game on a three-game winning streak, never was in the game as the Tigers hit their first seven from outside the arc, ending the night 14 of 24 from long range (58.3 percent).
UAB-SMU: A Year Ago
• Jamarr Sanders scored 22 points to lead UAB over SMU 67-53 in the teams' last meeting on Jan. 19, 2011 at Bartow Arena.
• Cameron Moore added a double-double for UAB with 12 points and 13 rebounds. Aaron Johnson chipped in 14 points and Ovie Soko added 12 points for the Blazers.
• UAB made 7 of 16 from behind the arc in the first half (43.8 percent) to lead 34-25 at halftime. The Blazers then shot 54.5 percent from the field in the second half (12 of 22), while holding the Mustangs to 10-of-27 shooting (37 percent), including 1 of 7 from 3-point range (14.3 percent) in the final 20 minutes.
• Papa Dia had a double-double for SMU with 16 points and 10 rebounds. Rodney Clinkscales also had 16 points for the Mustangs.
• The Blazers' defense held Robert Nyakundi, who entered the contest as the conference's top three-point shooter, to six points on 3 of 8 shooting from the floor and 0 of 3 from beyond the arc.
UAB-SMU: The Series
• Wednesday's contest marks the ninth meeting in series history between UAB and SMU. The Blazers hold an all-time advantage of 6-2 over the previous eight contests, including four consecutive wins over the Mustangs.
• The Blazers are a perfect 3-0 in games played between the two teams in Moody Coliseum. The last time UAB played SMU in Dallas (1/16/10), the Blazers recorded their largest comeback in school history, erasing a 24-point deficit with 14 minutes remaining in the second half to sneak out a 63-62 victory.
• UAB's dramatic win at SMU last year was the 13th-largest in college basketball history according to the NCAA record books, which tracks all comebacks of 21 or more points. It was also the ninth-largest second-half comeback, and overcoming a 12-point deficit with five minutes left tied for the fifth-best comeback.
Blowing Up After Letting Down
• After recording a season-low four points in the Blazers' loss at Memphis last Saturday, senior forward Cameron Moore recorded just his third single-digit game of the season. However, if history repeats itself, Moore is in for a good next couple of games.
• In the two games following each of his previous single-digit performances, Moore has erupted for big numbers. In those four contests, the San Antonio, Texas native is averaging 18.5 points and 17.0 rebounds a game.
• More importantly, UAB is 3-1 in those contests.
That's What You Call Stepping Up
• With the hand injury to Jordan Swing, UAB's second-leading scorer, someone had to step up and fill in on the offensive end. That person ended up being a trio of UAB guards in Preston Purifoy, Quincy Taylor and Jekore Tyler.
• Over the last six contests (the three games Swing has missed and three games since his return), the trio of Purifoy (12.8), Taylor (9.7) and Tyler (6.7) have combined to average 29.2 of the 63.2 points a game - approximately 46 percent of the team's total output.
• During that six-game span, the trio is shooting a combined 48.0 percent from the floor (60-of-125) and 47.8 percent from beyond the arc (32-of-67).
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 during C-USA play.
• Against league competition, Moore is the tops C-USA in rebounding (9.5 rpg), is second in scoring (17.4 ppg), third in blocked shots (2.1 bpg) and fifth in field goal percentage (.520).
• For the year, Moore leads C-USA in blocked shots (2.8), is second in rebounds (10.4) and fourth in scoring (15.9). No C-USA player has finished among the top two in all three of those categories since Cincinnati's Kenyon Martin in 1999-2000.
Top Rebounding Game In Nation
• Cameron Moore recorded a career-best 24 rebounds in the victory at George Washington on Dec. 28.
• Not only was his mark a career-best, but it was also a school record. Furthermore, it is the most rebounds by any player in Division I in a game this season.
• Moore, who had 19 points in the victory, was one point shy of becoming the first 20-20 game in program history.
Road Warriors
• After getting off to a 0-3 start in league play, the Blazers have rebounded nicely with wins in five of their last eight games. That includes a record of 3-1 in the four road games over the eight-game span.
• During the Mike Davis era, the Blazers have played well in road C-USA contests. Including a 3-2 record this season, over the last five years, the Blazers own a record of 24-13 (.649) in conference road contests, which includes a mark of 15-6 (.714) over the past three season alone.
Moore Named C-USA POW...Again
• For the second time this season, UAB senior forward Cameron Moore has been selected as the Conference USA Player of the Week. He also earned the feat for the week of Jan. 2 and now has three such honors in his career.
• Moore earned the recognition after leading UAB to a pair of wins over Houston (2/1) and at UTEP (2/4). During the week, Moore collected a pair of double-doubles and averaged 18.0 points, 12.0 rebounds and 5.5 blocks per game in the two Blazer victories.
• Moore earned his first weekly honor of the year after an outstanding week in wins over George Washington and Alabama A&M. That week, he connected on 15-of-20 shots from the floor (.750) and averaged 17.5 points and 16.5 rebounds.
Mr. Double-Double
• Senior Cameron Moore has recorded a double-double in four of his last five contests and six of his last eight games coming into the SMU matchup on Saturday.
• Over the seven-game stretch, Moore is averaging an impressive 17.0 points and 10.5 rebounds a game.
• Moore has 10 double-doubles this season which is tied for second in Conference USA. He now has 24 double-doubles in his career, which places him in second overall on the program's all-time list.
• Carlos Williams is the school's all-time leader in double-doubles with 35 throughout his career.
Back In The Swing Of Things
• Jordan Swing returned from a hand injury in a big way. In his first two games since returning to the lineup (at UTEP on Feb. 4 and vs. Southern Miss on Feb. 8), the native of Birmingham, Ala. is averaged 17.0 ppg while shooting 50.0 percent (6-of-12) from beyond the arc.
• Swing, who had missed the previous three games prior to his return at UTEP, comes into the SMU contest second on the team in scoring at 11.1 ppg, while he leads the team and ranks third in C-USA in three-point shooting (40.0 percent).
• Swing has stepped up even more so in conference play.
• Against league competition, the sophomore guard is averaging 12.3 points a game. Had he played in 75-percent of UAB's C-USA contests, he would be leading the conference in three-point field goal percentage (47.7 on 21-of-44 shooting) and threes made per game (2.6).
• Swing had reached double figures in 10 of his last 13 games he has suited up.
Sharp-Shooters
• As a team, UAB has certainly improved on its accuracy from beyond the arc.
• The Blazers currently lead C-USA in three-point field goal percentage in league games only. Coming into the SMU game, UAB is shooting 40.9 percent (72-of-176) of its three-point shots.
• During non-conference play, the Blazers ranked near the bottom among league opponents, shooting 30.7 percent in their 13 games against non-conference opposition.
Countdown To 1,000-Point Club
• With six 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 943 points and is 57 points shy of joining the elite group. He needs to average 11.4 points a game to reach the achievement by the end of the regular season.
UAB Trends
• There are a few game trends to watch out for when UAB takes the court. The Blazers are:
- 7-2 when shooting 45% or better
- 5-3 when scoring more than 60 points
- 5-0 when scoring 70 or more points
- 3-12 when shooting less than 45%
- 2-10 when trailing at the half
- 1-8 when outrebounded
- 2-11 when scoring less than 60 points
