The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB Hosts FIU In Hoops For Troops Game Saturday
1/9/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
UAB (6-9, 2-0 C-USA) vs. FIU (8-7, 1-1 C-USA)
2 p.m. CT | Bartow Arena | Birmingham, Ala.
TV: None | Radio: WUHT-FM 107.7 | Live Stats | Live Stream
UAB Game Notes
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Off to a 2-0 start in Conference USA play, the UAB men's basketball team returns to Bartow Arena to host FIU on Saturday at 2 p.m. CT.
Saturday's game is the Blazers' Hoops For Troops game. UAB will honor members of the U.S. Military during the matchup between the Blazers and Panthers, while members of the U.S. Armed Forces will be present in the concourse before the game. Tickets for the contest can be found by calling the UAB Athletics Ticket Office at 205-975-8221 or by visiting UABSports.com.
UAB vs. FIU will not be televised, but a live stream will be provided on UABSports.com. Fans can also listen to the game on the Blazer IMG Sports Network with David Crane (play-by-play) and Steve Mitchell (analyst) on the call. The broadcast will air locally on WUHT-FM 107.7.
For more information, as well as in-game updates, follow @UAB_MBB.
UAB vs. FIU Quick Hits
Series History: UAB and FIU meet for only the second time in school history on Saturday. The Panthers won the lone game between the two schools, 78-73, last season in Miami, Fla.
2-0 Start: The Blazers are off to a 2-0 start in Conference USA play for the first time since the 2009-10 season, when the Blazers began league action with six consecutive wins. UAB downed Middle Tennessee, 54-49, this past Sunday before taking down Florida Atlantic, 66-57, on Thursday.
Defense And Free Throws: Defense and free-throw shooting have been two important factors in the Blazers' early success in conference play. UAB has held its first two league opponents to an average of 53 points per game, which ranks second in C-USA in conference games only, and has hit 32-of-41 (78 percent) from the free-throw line in the last two games. In the final two minutes of regulation, the Blazers are a combined 14-of-16 (87.5 percent) from the free-throw line against Middle Tennessee and Florida Atlantic.
Brown Leading The Charge: The Blazers continue to be led by redshirt junior guard Robert Brown, who averages 13.3 points per game. Brown has scored in double figures in seven-straight games and 11 times overall this season. He also leads UAB in field goals made (72), 3-point field goals made (24) and minutes played (30.3 per game).
Scouting The Opponent: FIU caps off an eight-game road trip when it plays the Blazers at Bartow Arena on Saturday. The Panthers are led in scoring by senior guard Dennis Mavin, who averages 17.1 points per game. FIU has won two of its last three games, taking down Florida A&M, 76-55, before downing Florida Atlantic, 62-60. The Panthers lost to Middle Tennessee on Thursday, 65-52, in Murfreesboro, Tenn.
UAB vs. FIU Notes
10-0 Game-Ending Run Shuts Down FAU
» UAB used a game-ending 10-0 run to defeat Florida Atlantic on Thursday at Bartow Arena. The Blazers held FAU scoreless over the final 3:23 as the Owls missed their final seven shots in the game. FAU junior Solomon Poole, who entered Thursday's game averaging a team-best 14.5 points per game, was held to just nine points, while Owl guard Marquan Botley was held to just two points. He entered the contest averaging 11.2 points per game.
William Lee Making Impact In Last Six Games
» Blazer freshman forward William Lee has drawn six-straight starts. During those games, Lee is the team's top rebounder with 6.2 boards per game and is fourth on the team in scoring with 7.0 points per game during that stretch. Lee's monstrous dunk with 55 seconds remaining against FAU helped seal the Blazers' win against the Owls on Thursday.
Blazers Get Defensive Against Middle Tennessee
» In its 54-49 win at Middle Tennessee this past Sunday, the Blazers held the Blue Raiders to a 26.9 percent (14-of-52) shooting performance for the game, including a 19.2 percent (5-of-26) clip in the second half. Both the 14 made field goals and the 26.2 percent shooting performance by the Blue Raiders marked the lowest totals against the Blazers this season. The previous lows both came against then-No. 16 Florida, who hit 18 field goals and shot just 34 percent against UAB.
UAB Winning At The Free-Throw Line
» UAB currently ranks third in Conference USA in free-throw percentage. The Blazers have hit 215-of-308 (69.8 percent) free-throw shots this season. In conference games, UAB is 32-of-41 (78 percent) from the free-throw line, including a 14-of-16 (87.5 percent) clip from the line in the final two minutes of the first two conference games.
20th Season In Conference USA For UAB
» The Blazers are in their 20th season in Conference USA. UAB is tied with Southern Miss for the longest tenured team in C-USA -- both the Blazers and Golden Eagles joined the conference at the beginning of the 1995-96 season.
» UAB holds a 158-110 all-time record in Conference USA games and has won two C-USA regular season titles (2004 and 2011) and appeared in two C-USA tournament title games (2003 and 2006).
UAB Faced Strong Non-Conference Schedule
» UAB enters conference play after playing a tough non-conference schedule that featured matchups against four ranked teams. The Blazers faced three-straight ranked teams in three consecutive days at the 2014 Battle 4 Atlantis (No. 2 Wisconsin, No. 16 Florida and No. 22 UCLA). It marked the first time in school history UAB has faced three-straight ranked opponents and the first time a team in NCAA Division I men's basketball has played a trio of ranked teams in consecutive days during the regular season since VCU accomplished that feat at the 2012 Battle 4 Atlantis (played No. 19 Memphis, No. 5 Duke and No. 13 Missouri).
» UAB has faced two Southeastern Conference teams this year, holding leads in each contest (11 point lead vs. LSU and a seven point lead vs. Florida). In fact, the Blazers led LSU for 22:41and led Florida for 17:43 during those two contests -- both totals were more than the opponent's time in the lead.
Blazers Depending On Youth
» Blazer underclassmen (freshmen and sophomores) have accounted for 65 percent of UAB's scoring total this season. The 10 underclassmen have scored 641 of the Blazers' 980 points this season.
» There is a combined seven years of NCAA Division I basketball experience on UAB's roster and only four years of experience at UAB combined. Senior forward C.J. Washington and redshirt junior guard Robert Brown are the veterans on the team with Brown's two years of experience at Virginia Tech and Washington's one year at UAB last season.
