The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
Blazers Host Old Dominion in Annual Bartow Classic
2/10/2017 12:00:00β―AM | Men's Basketball
Old Dominion (14-10, 7-5) vs. UAB (15-10, 8-4)
7 p.m. CST | Birmingham, Ala. | Bartow Arena
Watch | Listen | Live Stats | Game Notes
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- The UAB men's basketball team goes for its eighth straight home win on Saturday night when it hosts Old Dominion in the annual Bartow Classic on ASN. The Blazers and Monarchs are set to tip at 7 p.m.
Saturday's game features the eighth annual Bartow Classic where the Blazers will honor former athletic director and men's basketball head coach, Gene Bartow. UAB will donate $2 from each ticket sold to the Coach Gene Bartow Fund for Cancer Research.
Widely known as the `Father of UAB Athletics,' Bartow began the men's basketball program at UAB in 1978 and would go on to coach 18 seasons in Birmingham. He finished his Blazer career with 365 wins and took UAB to nine NCAA tournaments, including the 1981 Sweet 16 and 1982 Elite Eight.
In addition to honoring Coach Bartow, UAB will also recognize the 1982 Elite Eight team along with all Blazer basketball alumni in a ceremony at halftime. Led by 23 points from UAB All-American Oliver Robinson, the 1982 Blazers knocked off defending NCAA Champion Indiana in the second round of the Midwest Regional to reach the Sweet 16 and setup a matchup with Ralph Sampson and the Virginia Cavaliers. Robinson would outduel Sampson and finish with 23 points and five rebounds to lead UAB into the Elite Eight against Louisville.
Tickets are $22 for lower-level reserved seats and $17 for upper-level reserved seats. Tickets can be purchased online at UABSports.com or by calling the ticket office at 205-975-UAB1 (8221).
UAB (15-10, 8-4 C-USA) sits in third place in Conference USA and has won 23 consecutive C-USA games inside the friendly confines of Bartow Arena dating back to the 2014 season. The streak continued Thursday with an 82-69 victory over Charlotte behind 19 points and seven rebounds from Chris Cokley.
Junior William Lee leads the offense with 12.6 points and 6.9 rebounds per game. The junior forward has swatted 61 shots this season and is averaging, a league-high 2.4 per contest.
Cokley ranks second on the team in scoring with 12.2 points per game. Cokley is converting on a league-best 59.8 percent of his attempts from the field and ranks 26th in the NCAA in field goal percentage.
Senior Dirk Williams is the third Blazers averaging double figures with 10.4 per contest to go along with a team-best 44 3-pointers.
Old Dominion (14-10, 7-5 C-USA) comes to Birmingham riding a two-game losing skid after a 64-51 loss at Middle Tennessee on Thursday night. The Monarchs have the sixth-best scoring defense in the NCAA by holding teams to 61.3 points per game. Their 14.0 offensive rebounds per game ranks ninth in the country and first in C-USA.
Ahmad Caver's 13.0 points per game leads a quartet of Monarchs in double figures. Zoran Talley ranks second on the team in scoring averaging 11.7 points per game, and B.J. Stith averages 10.3 points per contest.
Brandan Stith ranks fourth on the team in scoring with 10.0 points per game and first on the team in rebounding with 7.2 per contest.
UAB and Old Dominion are meeting on the hardwood for the 30th time Saturday. The Blazers hold a 20-9 advantage in the all-time series and have won five straight, including a 72-71 overtime victory last season in Norfolk that snapped the Monarchs 32-game home winning streak.
For more information on UAB men's basketball, follow the Blazers on Twitter (@UAB_MBB), Instagram (@blazerhoops) and Snapchat (@UAB_MBB).
