The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB Takes On UTEP In El Paso This Saturday
2/3/2012 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Feb. 3, 2012
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The UAB men's basketball team will play its third road game in four contests when it travels to El Paso, Texas to take on UTEP on Saturday night at 8 p.m. CT (7 p.m. MT).
The contest can be heard live on the Blazers Sports Network, 107.7 FM.
UAB and UTEP will meet for the 13th time in series history on Saturday night. The two teams have split the previous 12 contests, with each team winning six times. Last season, UAB captured a 100-97 triple overtime win at Bartow Arena.
The UAB-UTEP series has been one of the most exciting series in Conference USA. The Miners and Blazers have split 12 previous games, with UTEP claiming three of the last four games over UAB.
Of the previous 12 contests played between the two teams, eight have been decided by single digits, with five decided by seven or fewer points. The two teams have also played one double overtime contest (1/30/10) in addition to last year's triple overtime thriller.
GAME INFORMATION
Feb. 4, 2012 • 7 pm MT (8 pm CT) • El Paso, Texas • Don Haskins Arena (12,000)
UAB game notes vs UTEP
| 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 (8-13, 3-5) captured its first home C-USA victory of the year when it defeated Houston, 80-69, on Wednesday night at Bartow Arena. Senior forward Cameron Moore (25 pts. and 13 reb.) and junior forward Ovie Soko (15 pts. and 11 reb.) each recorded a double-double in the Blazers' victory.
• Moore, the C-USA Preseason Player of the Year, enters the UTEP contest leading UAB in scoring (16.1), rebounding (10.7) and blocked shots (2.7) a game. Nationally, he ranks 11th in rebounds a contest and is 16th in blocks a game (as of 2/2).
• 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 questionable to play vs. the Miners, 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).
• Soko is third in scoring (9.0 ppg) and is second in rebounding (7.5 rpg). Soko ranks second on the team with six double-double contests on the year. In fact, Moore (8) and Soko (6) have combined for 14 double-doubles on the year.
• UAB head coach Mike Davis, the 2011 C-USA Coach of the Year, owns a record of 115-70 (.622) during his five-plus seasons at UAB. He has a career mark of 230-149 (.607), now in his 12th season as a head coach. He now owns a record of 56-32 (.636) in conference play.
About UTEP
• UTEP (10-12, 3-5) comes into Saturday's contest having dropped three consecutive games - all of which were on the road. Most recently, the Miners fell at Rice, 77-75, on a buzzer-beater by the Owls' Julian DeBose.
• As a team, the Miners rank second in Conference USA in field goal percentage, shooting 47.6 percent from the floor. UTEP is knocking down 35.9 percent of its shots from beyond the arc, while averaging 65.4 points per game. Defensively, the Miners allow opponents to shoot 43.7 percent from the floor and 35.2 percent from three-point range, while giving up 64.1 points a contest.
• Forward Gabriel McCulley, the lone senior on this year's UTEP team, scored a game-high 23 points to go along with 10 boards in the loss to the Owls. He leads the Miners in scoring (12.3), field goal percentage (58.9) and steals (1.2).
• Sophomore guard Michael Perez is second on the team in scoring (12.2) and leads the team in three-pointers made (33).
• Freshman Julian Washburn (11.0 ppg) and sophomore John Bohannon (10.8 ppg) each average double-digit scoring. Bohannon is leading the league in field goal percentage in C-USA games only (67.6) and is second in the conference overall (58.9 percent).
• Head coach Tim Floyd is in his second season at the helm of the UTEP program and is in his 18th season as a head coach. Floyd has a record of 35-22 (.614) while with the Miners and has an overall mark of 362-202 (.642).
A Few Notes From Last Game
• UAB lit up the scoreboard for 50 points in the first half and held on to defeat the Houston Cougars, 80-69, at Bartow Arena on Wednesday night.
• UAB was locked in on offense throughout the opening stanza, making 19 of 36 shots (52.8 percent) to hold a commanding 50-34 edge heading into the locker room.
• The Blazers utilized a substantial scoring spurt to take hold of the game prior to half time. With the score knotted at 12, UAB used a 36-15 rally against Houston to own its largest advantage of the contest (21 points) with 3:24 left, following a Cameron Moore basket.
• Up 16 points at the half, UH fought back into the game, cutting the deficit to as small as five - 63-58 - with 8:47 remaining, but the Blazers would hold on thanks to a balanced scoring attack the rest of the way.
• Moore led all scorers with a season-high 25 points, while adding 13 rebounds for his eighth double-double of the season and fourth in his last five contests. Ovie Soko also posted a double-double (15 points, 11 rebounds), while Preston Purifoy notched 15 of his own, featuring three 3-point baskets.
• UH also featured four players in double figures, led by Jonathon Simmons and Alandise Harris' 17-point outings. TaShawn Thomas posted a double-double, netting 16 and adding 14 rebounds.
UAB+UTEP=Excitement
• The UAB-UTEP series has been one of the most exciting series in Conference USA. The Miners and Blazers have split 12 previous games, with UTEP claiming three of the last four games over UAB.
• Last season's triple overtime contest which UAB won 100-97 was one of the more exciting college basketball games in the nation. The back and forth contest featured 11 lead changes and 13 ties. The Blazers looked as if they had the game in hand in both regulation and in the first overtime. However, the Miners got long range bombs for Christian Polk and Randy Culpepper to extend the contest. UAB's Cameron Moore won the game on a three-pointer with two seconds remaining in the third overtime period.
• Of the previous 12 contests played between the two teams, eight have been decided by single digits, with five decided by seven or fewer points. The two teams have also played one double overtime contest (1/30/10) in addition to last year's triple overtime thriller.
Mr. Double-Double
• Senior Cameron Moore has recorded a double-double in four of his last five contests coming into the UTEP game.
• Over the five-game stretch, Moore is averaging an impressive 18.8 points and 12.0 rebounds a game.
• Moore has eight double-doubles this season which is tied for fourth in Conference USA. He now has 22 double-doubles in his career, which places him in a tie for second overall with Lawrence Kinnard on the program's all-time list.
• Carlos Williams is the school's all-time leader in double-doubles with 35 throughout his career.
Countdown To 1,000-Point Club
• With eight 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 901 points and is 99 points shy of joining the elite group. He needs to average 12.4 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:
- 6-2 when shooting 45% or better
- 6-3 when scoring more than 60 points
- 4-0 when scoring 70 or more points
- 2-11 when shooting less than 45%
- 2-9 when trailing at the half
- 1-7 when outrebounded
- 2-10 when scoring less than 60 points
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' 21 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 13 teams who have beaten UAB is a combined 176-68 (.721) (as of Jan. 27).
Lock Down Defense
• UAB has held two of its last four opponents to under 50 points entering the UTEP game, while only seven of 21 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 61.2 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 41.0 percent UAB allows opponents to shoot from the floor ranks fifth-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 questionable for Saturday's game against UTEP after an injury he suffered to his right (non-shooting) hand.
• Swing suffered the injury late in the UCF game (1/21).
Slim Margins In League Play
• UAB has now played eight games in conference play, with all eight contests being decided by a total of 42 points (an average of 5.3 points per game).
• The Blazers' five league losses have come by a combined total of 23 points (4.6 points a game).
• UAB is being outscored by 0.5 points a game against league competition (59.6-60.1) and have only hit the 60-point mark twice.
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 UTEP game with 647 rebounds in his career, which ranks fifth among the school's all-time rebounding leaders.
• Moore needs 22 rebounds to move past former Blazer great Carlos Williams (669) and into fourth on the school's 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 12 contests.
• Moore is averaging 18.1 points and 11.3 rebounds a game, while shooting 55.2 percent from the field (90-of-163) over the 12-game stretch.
• The San Antonio, Texas native has played even better against league competition. In the Blazers' eight C-USA contests, Moore leads the conference with 18.6 points and is second with 10.0 rebounds a game.
