The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB Set To Open C-USA Championship Wednesday Night
3/6/2012 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
March 6, 2012
MEMPHIS, Tenn. - UAB is set to open play in the 2012 Conference USA Men's Basketball Championship on Wednesday night, when it takes on 12th-seeded Tulane.
The game is set to tip at 9 p.m. CT and will be televised on CSS. The contest can also be heard live on the Blazers Sports Network, 107.7 FM.
GAME INFORMATION
March 7, 2012 • 9 pm CT • Memphis, Tenn. • FedExForum (18,000)
UAB C-USA Tourney Game Notes 
| 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
Greg Gaston (play-by-play) and Brian Oliver (analyst)
UAB will be the No. 5 seed at this year's conference tournament with an overall record of 14-15 (9-7 in C-USA) and have won seven of their last nine games entering tournament play.
Wednesday night's contest marks the 35th meeting between the two teams. UAB owns a 22-12 all-time advantage in games vs. the Green Wave, including wins in eight straight and 11 of the last 12 meetings.
In the lone meeting between the two teams earlier this season, the Blazers snuck away with an 81-73 victory in Bartow Arena on Feb. 18.
The two teams have played only once in postseason action. That came during the 1997 Conference USA Championship in Saint Louis, Mo. The Blazers snuck away with a 74-70 win over the Green Wave in the second round of that year's event.
About UAB
• UAB (14-15, 9-7) enters the C-USA Championship as one of the hotter teams in the league, having won four of its last five games and seven of the last 10. The Blazers ended the regular season with a 71-63 loss at UCF (3/3), which snapped a four-game win streak.
• Senior forward Cameron Moore, the C-USA Preseason Player of the Year, enters the C-US Championship leading UAB in scoring (16.2), rebounding (10.4) and blocked shots (2.4) a game. He leads the league in rebounding and blocked shots and ranks third in scoring. No C-USA player since Kenyon Martin (1999-2000) has finished among the top two in the league in each of those categories.
• Moore, who is just the second Blazer to earn the preseason player of the year honor (Robert Vaden in 2008-09), also leads C-USA in rebounding (9.9 rpg) in league games only and is second in blocked shots (1.9) and third scoring (17.8 ppg). Nationally, Moore ranks 12th in rebounds and 18th in blocks a game (as of 3/1).
• Sophomore guard Jordan Swing is second on the team with 11.4 points per game. Swing is also second on the team and ranks fifth in C-USA in three-point shooting at 38.7 percent and leads the league in free throw shooting percentage (87.3). Additionally, he is shooting 42.6 percent from deep in league contests, which ranks third.
• Sophomore forward Preston Purifoy is third on the team with 8.2 ppg and ranks second UAB in three-point shooting percentage at 37.4 percent (49-of-131). Junior forward Ovie Soko is fourth in scoring (7.5 ppg) and is second in rebounding (6.5 rpg). Soko ranks second on the team with six double-double contests on the year. In fact, Moore (13) and Soko (6) have combined for 19 double-doubles on the year.
• UAB head coach Mike Davis, the 2011 C-USA Coach of the Year, owns a record of 121-72 (.627) during his five-plus seasons at UAB. He has a career mark of 236-151 (.610), now in his 12th season as a head coach. He now owns a record of 62-34 (.646) in conference play.
About Tulane
• Tulane (15-15, 3-13) enters the Conference USA Championships having lost seven straight games. The last time the Green Wave recorded a win came on Feb. 4 with a 75-54 home victory over Houston. Most recently, the Green Wave fell at home to East Carolina, 66-49, on March 3.
• Freshman guard Ricky Tarrant, a first-team all-conference honoreee, has been sensational during his first season in New Orleans. Tarrant leads the team in scoring (15.2), assists (3.3) and three-point shooting (35.6 percent). He has nabbed seven C-USA Freshman of the Week honors this season.
• Junior guard Jordan Callahan is the team's second-leading scorer at 11.8 points per game, while sophomore forward Josh Davis also averages double figures at 10.9 points per contest.
• Davis ranks fourth in the league with an average of 9.4 rebounds a game, while his 1.4 blocks per game leads the team and ranks eighth in C-USA.
• As a team, the Green Wave is outscoring the opposition by an average of 3.3 points a game (65.8-58.9), while shooting 42.4 percent from the floor and 34.3 percent from deep. However, Tulane struggled during conference play. The Green Wave was outscored by 6.7 points a contest (67.5-60.8).
• Head coach Ed Conroy is in his second season at the helm of the Tulane program and owns a record of 28-32 (.467). Now in his ninth season as a head coach, Conroy owns an overall record of 118-164 (.418).
UAB vs. Tulane Earlier This Year
• UAB senior forward Cameron Moore scored 25 points and grabbed 11 rebounds as UAB defeated Tulane 81-73 on Feb. 18 at Bartow Arena.
• After leading 30-27 at halftime, the Blazers scored the first 14 points of the second half to go up 44-27 with 15:39 remaining.
• The Green Wave, however, refused to fold. With Pleasant Grove, Ala. native Ricky Tarrant scoring 29 of his 33 points in the second half, they came back to trail just 73-70 after Jay Hook's 3-pointer with 39 seconds remaining.
• Preston Purifoy dunked to give UAB a five point lead, and after Jordan Callahan missed a 3-pointer for Tulane, Tarrant fouled Moore, who made both free throws for a 77-70 lead with 17 seconds to play.
• Purifoy finished with 19 points and Jordan Swing 16 for the Blazers.
• Josh Davis added 15 points and 11 rebounds for Tulane. Tarrant's 33 points tied a season best for the freshman guard.
UAB-Tulane: The Series
• Saturday's contest marks the 35th meeting between the two teams. UAB owns a 22-12 all-time advantage in games vs. the Green Wave, including wins in eight straight and 11 of the last 12 meetings.
• The Blazers have also captured three consecutive wins in Bartow Arena over the Green Wave, including having won six of the last seven games, and own a record of 11-5 when playing Tulane in Birmingham.
• The two teams have played only once in postseason action. That came during the 1997 Conference USA Championship in Saint Louis, Mo. The Blazers snuck away with a 74-70 win over the Green Wave in the second round of that year's event.
A Few Notes From Last Game
• Keith Clanton had 22 points and Marcus Jordan 16 to lead UCF to a 71-63 win over UAB on March 3 in the regular-season finale for both.
• Isaiah Sykes added 15 points and A.J. Rompza had 11 points and 10 assists for UCF.
• Jordan Swing led UAB with 17 points. Cameron Moore and Quincy Taylor each had 13.
• UCF, which came into the game ranking last in three-point field goal percentage, sank 10 of 17 from behind the arc in the first half. Jordan hit 4 of 5 treys, the last one just beating the halftime buzzer and putting the Knights up 46-26.
• UAB closed within seven points, 68-61, with 1:14 and had the ball with a chance to cut into the lead, but couldn't get any closer.
First Team Honoree
• UAB senior forward Cameron Moore has been selected to the 2012 All-Conference USA First Team in a vote by media and coaches from around the league, C-USA officials announced on Monday. It is the second straight season Moore has been named all-conference, having earned second-team honors last year.
• Moore, a C-USA Player of the Year candidate, leads Conference USA in rebounds (10.4) and blocked shots (2.5) per game, while also ranking third in the league in scoring average (16.2).
• The San Antonio, Texas native ranks second in the league with 13 double-doubles and now has 27 for his career, which ranks second in school history. Moore, who currently has 1,032 points and 725 rebounds, became just the third player in UAB program history to record 1,000 points and 700 rebounds in his career (Lawrence Kinnard and Jerome Mincy).
• A two-time C-USA Player of the Week (Jan. 2 and Feb. 6), Moore has 26 double-digit scoring contests, while also leading the team with nine 20-point contests 14 double-figure rebounding games.
Quincy Taylor Sidelined
• UAB sophomore point guard Quincy Taylor injured his knee Saturday at UCF and will be sidelined for the remainder of the season.
• Taylor leads UAB in assists per game (3.0) and is second in minutes per game (35.4) at the time of his injury.
• He has arguably been one of the most improved players on the UAB team from the start of the season to the time of his injury. During league play, the Wichita, Kan. native 7.1 points and 3.2 assists per game.
Unbeaten Against C-USA West
• The Blazers are just fine squaring off against Tulane in the opening round of this year's event, based on their record this season when squaring off against opposition from the West side of the conference.
• UAB defeated each of the six opponents on their conference slate that they met only once in league play.
• Against those teams, UAB owned a record of 6-0, with three of those victories coming on the road (at SMU, at Rice and at UTEP) and three at home (Houston, Tulane and Tulsa).
Sad To See The End Of February
• UAB turned its season around during the month of February, finishing with a record of 7-1. The lone loss over the eight-game span came against league-leading Memphis at the FedExForum (Feb. 11).
• It was the second-best February stretch in program history, only bettered by the 9-0 record for the month of February during the 1981-82 campaign.
• UAB matched regular season league champions Memphis as the only teams in C-USA that won seven of eight games during the month.
• Below is a breakdown of the numbers by UAB and the opposition during the seven-game stretch.
FG% 3-pt FG% Reb. Pts.
UAB .437 .375 34.8 64.2
Opponents .406 .340 31.1 61.4
Quite The Milestones
• UAB senior Cameron Moore achieved a rare feat during the Blazers' victory at East Carolina on Feb. 25. With his 21 points and 14 rebounds, Moore surpassed the 1,000 point and 700 rebound milestones for his career.
• Moore, who currently has 1,032 points and 725 rebounds, became the 20th Blazer in UAB lore to reach the 1,000-point mark for his career. More importantly, he became just the third player in UAB program history to record 1,000 points and 700 rebounds in his career (Lawrence Kinnard and Jerome Mincy).
Tale Of Two Seasons
• Through 28 games, the Blazers have had two different seasons.
• After beginning the year 2-7 through the opening nine games, UAB has an 12-8 mark over its last 20 contests.
• Below is a look at a breakdown of the UAB numbers during the first nine games compared to the last 20 contests:
FG% 3-pt FG% Reb. Pts.
UAB First 9 .386 .266 34.2 55.1
UAB Last 20 .438 .378 35.2 62.7
20-Game Numbers
• When breaking down the Blazers' last 20 games even further, it is easy to why they have improved.
• Below is a look at a breakdown of the numbers as a team vs. the opposition during the nine-game stretch:
FG% 3-pt FG% Reb. Pts.
UAB .438 .378 35.2 62.7
Opp .414 .359 31.1 61.2
Back In The Swing Of Things
• Jordan Swing registered a career-best 22-point game in the Blazers' outing against Tulsa (2/29). Swing connected on 6-of-11 shots from the floor, including 4-of-7 from deep, and hit all six of his foul shots, en route to the win.
• Despite suffering a hand injury which forced him to miss three games (Jan. 25 - Feb. 1), Swing has since reset his career-high scoring output twice, going for 19 at UTEP (2/4), followed by his scoring output last week against the Golden Hurricane. He also went for 17 points in the loss to UCF (3/3)
• Swing, who had missed the previous three games prior to his return at UTEP, comes into the C-USA Championship ranked second on the team in scoring at 11.4 ppg, while he leads C-USA in free throw shooting (87.3 percent). The Birmingham, Ala. native also leads the team and is fifth in C-USA in three-point shooting (38.7 percent).
Sharp-Shooters
• As a team, UAB has certainly improved on its accuracy from beyond the arc.
• The Blazers rank C-USA in three-point field goal percentage in league games only. Coming into the C-USA Championship, UAB is shooting 37.5 percent (106-of-283) 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.
• Two Blazers rank among the top three-point shooters in the conference. Jordan Swing leads the team and ranks fifth in the league at 38.7 percent, while Preston Purifoy is sixth at 37.4 percent from beyond the arc.
Mr. Double-Double
• Senior Cameron Moore has recorded a double-double in seven of his last 10 contests and nine of his last 13 games coming into the 2012 Conference USA Championship.
• Over the 14-game stretch, Moore is averaging an impressive 17.5 points and 10.7 rebounds a game.
• Moore has 13 double-doubles this season which is good for second in Conference USA. He now has 27 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.
