Blazers Take on First Place North Texas Thursday in Denton

BIRMINGHAM – Coming off a pair of home wins last weekend, the UAB men's basketball team ventures to Denton on Thursday night to face first place North Texas at The Super Pit.

At 12-7 overall and 4-2 in Conference USA, the Blazers begin a critical three-game road trip, starting with the Mean Green, who currently sit atop of the C-USA standings at 17-2 overall and 5-1 in league play.

This game marks the midway point of C-USA action before pool play begins. The Blazers are currently in fourth place and aim to be in the top five after 14 games to earn a spot in the top bracket to round out the regular season.

Who: UAB (12-7, 4-2 C-USA) at North Texas (17-2, 5-1 C-USA)
Where: The Super Pit – Denton, Texas
When: January 24 – 7 p.m.
Watch: beIN Sports
On the Call: Phil Schoen (play-by-play) Megan Perry (color)
Listen: WJOX2 100.5 FM
On the Call: David Crane
Series: Tied, 3-3
Last Meeting: Feb. 8, 2018 – UNT 67, UAB 60

STORYLINES:

Senior forward Lewis Sullivan is on a tear during Conference USA play. In six league games, Sullivan is averaging 14.5 points and 6.8 rebounds while shooting .632 from the floor, the fourth best percentage in the league. Sullivan is one of four players in C-USA to rank top 20 in both points and rebounds during league action.
Freshman Tavin Lovan also finds himself amongst the top of the league in field goal percentage, checking in at No. 2 this week at .647. Through six games, Lovan has made 22-of-34 shots and is coming off a weekend in which he averaged 12.0 points and 4.5 rebounds on 9-of-14 shooting.
The Blazers are getting it done on the defensive side of the ball and enter the game leading C-USA in field goal percentage defense through the first six conference games (.369). The most points UAB has given up in a C-USA game so far is 73, and UAB ranks third in scoring defense at 64.7.
UAB is 20th nationally in rebounding margin at +6.7. The Blazers have won the rebounding battle in 15 of 19 games this year and are 11-4 when doing so.
North Texas is off to its best start in school history and is the only team in the country that has six players who average double-figure scoring. The scoring is spread evenly as Ryan Woolridge leads the team at 12.6 ppg, while Roosevelt Smart is sixth on the team at 11.1 points per game.
The Blazers are 1-3 on the road this year and look to end the Mean Green's current 14-game C-USA home winning streak, which is the longest active streak in the league.

Thursday's game can be seen on beIN and fans can also receive updates by following @UAB_MBB on Twitter and Instagram.

Following Thursday's game, the Blazers head to Rice on Saturday for a 7 p.m. tip on ESPN+. They conclude the three-game road trip at Middle Tennessee on Wednesday, January 30.

Blazers Take on First Place North Texas Thursday in Denton

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Players Mentioned

Tavin Lovan

Lewis Sullivan

The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics