The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
Blazers Begin C-USA Title Defense Sunday at Middle Tennessee
12/31/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
UAB (7-6, 0-0) vs. Middle Tennessee (10-3, 0-0)
5 p.m. CST | Murfreesboro, Tenn. | Murphy Center
Live Video | Live Audio | Live Stats | Game Notes
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The UAB men’s basketball team begins its 2016 Conference USA title defense Sunday at 5 p.m. when the Blazers travel to Murfreesboro, Tenn., to face Middle Tennessee from the Murphy Center.
UAB (7-6, 0-0) captured the Conference USA regular season title last season after posting a 16-2 record during league play. The Blazers finished three games ahead of second-place Middle Tennessee in the league standings.
The game will be streamed live by Campus Insiders with Brett Dolan and Tim Scarborough calling all the action.
The Blazers wrapped up their non-conference schedule on Wednesday with a 98-66 victory over in-state foe Miles College. Chris Cokley finished 9-for-11 from the field and scored 21 points to lead a quartet of Blazers in double figures. Cokley enters league play first in C-USA and 16th in the NCAA with a .619 field goal percentage. Overall, the Savannah, Ga., native leads UAB with 12.4 points per game to go along with 5.4 rebounds per game.
William Lee tallied his first double-double of the season with 18 points and 10 rebounds against Miles College. Lee stands third on the team with 11.3 points and a team-best 6.1 rebounds per game. In addition, Lee is 11th in the NCAA with 2.9 blocked shots per game.
Senior guard Dirk Williams hit four 3-pointers and finished with 17 points and five rebounds on Wednesday. Williams ranks second on the team with 11.7 points and has made a team-high 24 treys.
As a team, UAB was a perfect 15-for-15 from the free throw line and begins league play first in the Conference and 16th in the NCAA with a .770 free throw percentage. Dirk Williams, Tosin Mehinti, Deion Lavender and Javien Williams all shoot at least 80.0 percent from the free throw line.
Middle Tennessee (10-3, 0-0) opens league play tied with Rice for the most non-conference wins. The Blue Raiders won 10 of their first 11 games before ending the non-conference portion of the schedule with back-to-back losses at VCU and at home to Georgia State.
Senior transfer JaCorey Williams leads Middle Tennessee and ranks fifth in Conference USA with 18.0 points per game. The Birmingham native also paces the Blue Raiders and stands eighth in the league with 7.1 rebounds per game.
Junior guard Giddy Potts is second on the team with 16.6 points per game and ranks fifth in the league with a .419 three-point field goal percentage. Senior Reggie Upshaw adds 13.9 points and 6.5 rebounds per game.
UAB and Middle Tennessee will meet on the hardwood for the 14th time in school history when the two teams battle on Sunday. The Blazers own a 10-3 lead in the all-time series that dates back to the 1986-87 season. In addition, UAB has defeated Middle Tennessee five straight times, which includes a pair of double-digit victories last season. The Blazers have also won their last two games at the Murphy Center.
For more information on UAB men’s basketball, follow the Blazers on Twitter (@UAB_MBB), Instagram (@blazerhoops) and Snapchat (@UAB_MBB).
