Blazers Travel to Middle Tennessee for Wednesday Contest

Wednesday, January 30

Murfreesboro, Tenn.

6:30 p.m.

UAB

Middle Tennessee

Blazers Travel to Middle Tennessee for Wednesday Contest

1/29/2019 10:13:00 AM | Men's Basketball

UAB Gamenotes at Middle Tennessee

BIRMINGHAM – Concluding a three-game road swing, the UAB men's basketball team travels to Murfreesboro for a contest at Middle Tennessee on Wednesday night. Tip at the Murphy Center is set for 6:30 p.m. on ESPN+.

This is the first game of a home-and-home with the Blue Raiders, and Middle Tennessee will pay a return trip to Birmingham this coming Saturday night, Feb. 2, for the Bartow Classic.

The Blazers moved into first place in Conference USA with a pair of road wins at North Texas and at Rice last week. UAB looks to conclude its three-game road swing at 3-0 before returning to Bartow Arena for three straight games.

Who: UAB (14-7, 6-2 C-USA) at Middle Tennessee (5-16, 2-6 C-USA)
Where: Murphy Center – Murfreesboro, Tenn.
When: January 30 – 6:30 p.m.
Watch: ESPN+
On the Call: Jake Rose, Alex Myers, Kaitlyn Runion
Listen: 100.5 FM
On the Call: David Crane (play-by-play)
Series: UAB leads, 10-7
Last Meeting: Feb 24, 2018: Middle Tennessee 79, UAB 54

STORYLINES:

Sophomore guard Zack Bryant is coming off a career-high 30 points in his last game at Rice. On last week's road trip, Bryant averaged 23.5 points, 4.0 assists and 3.0 rebounds per game. He has been the catalyst during UAB's four-game winning streak, averaging 19.5 points per game during that stretch.
UAB took a 1-point lead into the locker room at Rice and is now 11-0 when leading at halftime.
The Blazers continue to rely on their defense and lead Conference USA in field goal percentage defense at .378 during league play. Two games ago at North Texas, the Blazers held the Mean Green to a season-low 49 points on 31 percent shooting. UAB has held five of its eight C-USA opponents under 40 percent from the floor and is 5-0 when doing so.
Graduate transfer Jeremiah Bell scored a UAB career-high last game out with 17 points on 4-of-5 from behind the arc. Bell's overall career-high is 31 points when he played at the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee.
Bell has been one of the five consistent starters for the Blazers dating back to late December. For the last 10 games, Coach Ehsan has gone with Bryant, Bell, Jalen Perry, Lewis Sullivan and Makhtar Gueye. The Blazers are 7-3 since turning to that starting lineup.
Freshman forward Tavin Lovan and senior forward Lewis Sullivan continue to rank top 10 in field goal percentage during Conference USA play. Lovan is fifth at .587, while Sullivan is seventh at .562.

After Wednesday's game in Murfreesboro, the two teams meet again on Saturday Birmingham. Not only is Saturday's game the Bartow Classic, but it is also Alumni Weekend in which approximately 55 former Blazers will be back in attendance.

Fans can click here to purchase tickets to the Bartow Classic, or by calling 205-975-UAB1. Also be sure to follow @UAB_MBB on Twitter and Instagram for updates.