The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
Tuesday, December 14
Bartow Arena
6:30 p.m.
UAB
vs
GRAMBLING STATE
Photo by: Brantley Bargerhuff
UAB Hosts Grambling State on Tuesday
12/13/2021 6:15:00 PM | Men's Basketball
BIRMINGHAM – The UAB men's basketball will look to continue its winning ways in Bartow Arena when the Blazers host Grambling State on Tuesday night. Tipoff is set for 6:30 p.m. and will stream live on ESPN+.
UAB (8-2) has won three straight games since a narrow defeat to undefeated San Francisco in the Las Vegas Invitational championship game on Nov. 26. The Blazers posted their largest margin of victory in program history in Sunday's lopsided 103-29 win over Millsaps.
The Green and Gold are 6-0 in Bartow Arena this season, winning those contests by an average of 34.8 points per game. UAB is 1-0 all-time against Grambling State, knocking off the Tigers 76-65 on Dec. 1, 1996.
UAB LATELY
The Blazers have won three straight games to move to 8-2 on the season. UAB dominated Millsaps from start to finish Sunday, opening the game on a 39-4 run before taking a 46-9 lead into the halftime break. Five Blazers reached double figures in the victory, highlighted by KJ Buffen's 16 points and 11 rebounds. Jamal Johnson and Quan Jackson chipped in with 13 apiece to round out the top three Blazers in terms of scoring. The Blazers outscored Millsaps 52-14 in points in the paint and 46-10 in bench scoring in the triumph.
GRAMBLING STATE LATELY
The Tigers hold a 3-7 record for the season, earning wins over Morgan State, Jarvis Christian and Louisiana Christian. Grambling State has played six of its 10 games on the road in nonconference play, holding an 0-6 record after losses at Grand Canyon, Texas Tech, New Mexico, Iowa State, UConn and Incarnate Word. Danya Kingsby (12.3 ppg), Cameron Christon (12.0) and AJ Taylor (10.9) all are averaging double figures in scoring this season. Kingsby has scored 20 points or more against four Division I opponents, including Texas Tech (22), New Mexico (20), Morgan State (20) and Incarnate Word (20). The Tigers have struggled on the glass this season, holding a -6.3 rebounding margin for the season.
COMMON OPPONENTS -- GRAMBLING STATE
The Blazers and Tigers share three common opponents this season -- New Mexico, Alabama A&M and Mississippi Valley State. UAB is 2-0 against these shared opponents this season, defeating Alabama A&M 86-41 on Nov. 21 and New Mexico 86-73 on Nov. 25. The Tigers dropped their nonconference matchup to the Lobos 86-61 in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
PREVIOUS MATCHUP BETWEEN UAB & GRAMBLING STATE
12/1/96_ Grambling State_______________ W, 76-65
NOTHING BUT "NET"
UAB's victory at Saint Louis not only marked the Blazers' first true road victory of the season, but it also served as UAB's first Quadrant I NET win of the 2021-22 season. NET, or the NCAA Evaluation Tool, released its first rankings of the 2021-22 season on Monday, Dec. 6, which had the Blazers sitting at a then program-best No. 35. The Blazers' previous high in the ranking system came in Andy Kennedy's first season back in Birmingham when UAB reached No. 48 in the NET ratings. UAB's current NET ranking of No. 28 is a program high.
PICKING POCKETS
With 23 steals in Nov. 14's win over Rhodes College, the Blazers tied a school record for steals in a single game. UAB tallied 15 of its 23 steals in the first half, helping the Blazers tie their single-game steals record for the first time since 2005. UAB has recorded double-digit steal tallies in eight of its 10 games so far this season, posting 10 or more in all but two contests. The Blazers rank first nationally with 13.3 steals per game and first nationally with 133 total steals.
GETTING BUFF
KJ Buffen posted a dominant performance in UAB's win over ETSU, scoring a season-high 20 points to go along with a career-high 16 rebounds. The Ole Miss transfer's 16 rebounds not only marked a career-high, but they also marked the most boards by a Blazer since William "HaHa" Lee pulled down 17 rebounds in a win over Marshall on Jan. 14, 2017. Buffen also played a season-high 32 minutes and shot 10-of-17 (58.8%) from the field. Over his past three contests, Buffen is averaging 16.0 points per game and 11.3 rebounds per game.
RISING IN KENPOM
UAB's current rank of 42nd in the KenPom ratings is the Blazers' best since the 2010-11 season. The next closest team to UAB in Conference USA is Louisiana Tech at 86.
RADIO
Blazer men's basketball games are set to air on 100.5 ESPN JOX 2 with David Crane and Murry Bartow on the call.
In addition, Crane will host Blazer Sportsline every Tuesday beginning Dec. 28. The show takes place live from Iron City Grill in downtown Birmingham and features men's basketball head coach Andy Kennedy and women's basketball head coach Randy Norton.
The nine-episode show, airs from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Blazer Sportsline can be heard on 100.5 ESPN JOX 2 and fans will be encouraged to tweet questions to @UABLearfield.
Fans may also follow the Blazers this season by downloading the free TuneIn Radio app, online through Blazers All-Access at UABSports.com, or on the UAB Gameday mobile app.
WATCH
Tuesday's game will stream live on ESPN+. This is a subscription-based service. Curt Bloom and Mo Finley will be on the call.
UP NEXT
The Blazers will host West Virginia (9-1) in a highly anticipated matchup at Legacy Arena. Saturday's first game of the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame Classic will mark the first college basketball game played at the newly renovated Legacy Arena. Tipoff is set for 4 p.m. and will be carried live on CBS Sports Network.
TICKET PROMOTION: BACKBOARDS & BLACKBOARDS
To show our appreciation for educators, tickets for teachers can be pre-purchased for only $10 apiece to Tuesday's men's basketball game against Grambling State and Wednesday, Dec. 22's men's basketball game against Mississippi Valley State. To take advantage of this ticket offer, click here.
UAB BASKETBALL AT BARTOW ARENA
UAB requires wearing a mask indoors – regardless of vaccine status – unless actively eating or drinking and encourages masks during outdoor events, alongside regular handwashing.
MEN'S BASKETBALL TICKET INFORMATION
UAB men's basketball single-game tickets start as low as $12 and can be purchased by clicking here or calling the UAB Athletics Ticket Office at (205) 975-UAB1.
Discounted group tickets and fan experiences are available for a minimum purchase of 15 tickets to any home basketball game during the 2021-22 season. Groups are encouraged to complete the UAB Basketball Group Ticket Request Form or call the UAB Athletics Ticket Office for more information.
UAB (8-2) has won three straight games since a narrow defeat to undefeated San Francisco in the Las Vegas Invitational championship game on Nov. 26. The Blazers posted their largest margin of victory in program history in Sunday's lopsided 103-29 win over Millsaps.
The Green and Gold are 6-0 in Bartow Arena this season, winning those contests by an average of 34.8 points per game. UAB is 1-0 all-time against Grambling State, knocking off the Tigers 76-65 on Dec. 1, 1996.
UAB LATELY
The Blazers have won three straight games to move to 8-2 on the season. UAB dominated Millsaps from start to finish Sunday, opening the game on a 39-4 run before taking a 46-9 lead into the halftime break. Five Blazers reached double figures in the victory, highlighted by KJ Buffen's 16 points and 11 rebounds. Jamal Johnson and Quan Jackson chipped in with 13 apiece to round out the top three Blazers in terms of scoring. The Blazers outscored Millsaps 52-14 in points in the paint and 46-10 in bench scoring in the triumph.
GRAMBLING STATE LATELY
The Tigers hold a 3-7 record for the season, earning wins over Morgan State, Jarvis Christian and Louisiana Christian. Grambling State has played six of its 10 games on the road in nonconference play, holding an 0-6 record after losses at Grand Canyon, Texas Tech, New Mexico, Iowa State, UConn and Incarnate Word. Danya Kingsby (12.3 ppg), Cameron Christon (12.0) and AJ Taylor (10.9) all are averaging double figures in scoring this season. Kingsby has scored 20 points or more against four Division I opponents, including Texas Tech (22), New Mexico (20), Morgan State (20) and Incarnate Word (20). The Tigers have struggled on the glass this season, holding a -6.3 rebounding margin for the season.
COMMON OPPONENTS -- GRAMBLING STATE
The Blazers and Tigers share three common opponents this season -- New Mexico, Alabama A&M and Mississippi Valley State. UAB is 2-0 against these shared opponents this season, defeating Alabama A&M 86-41 on Nov. 21 and New Mexico 86-73 on Nov. 25. The Tigers dropped their nonconference matchup to the Lobos 86-61 in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
PREVIOUS MATCHUP BETWEEN UAB & GRAMBLING STATE
12/1/96_ Grambling State_______________ W, 76-65
NOTHING BUT "NET"
UAB's victory at Saint Louis not only marked the Blazers' first true road victory of the season, but it also served as UAB's first Quadrant I NET win of the 2021-22 season. NET, or the NCAA Evaluation Tool, released its first rankings of the 2021-22 season on Monday, Dec. 6, which had the Blazers sitting at a then program-best No. 35. The Blazers' previous high in the ranking system came in Andy Kennedy's first season back in Birmingham when UAB reached No. 48 in the NET ratings. UAB's current NET ranking of No. 28 is a program high.
PICKING POCKETS
With 23 steals in Nov. 14's win over Rhodes College, the Blazers tied a school record for steals in a single game. UAB tallied 15 of its 23 steals in the first half, helping the Blazers tie their single-game steals record for the first time since 2005. UAB has recorded double-digit steal tallies in eight of its 10 games so far this season, posting 10 or more in all but two contests. The Blazers rank first nationally with 13.3 steals per game and first nationally with 133 total steals.
GETTING BUFF
KJ Buffen posted a dominant performance in UAB's win over ETSU, scoring a season-high 20 points to go along with a career-high 16 rebounds. The Ole Miss transfer's 16 rebounds not only marked a career-high, but they also marked the most boards by a Blazer since William "HaHa" Lee pulled down 17 rebounds in a win over Marshall on Jan. 14, 2017. Buffen also played a season-high 32 minutes and shot 10-of-17 (58.8%) from the field. Over his past three contests, Buffen is averaging 16.0 points per game and 11.3 rebounds per game.
RISING IN KENPOM
UAB's current rank of 42nd in the KenPom ratings is the Blazers' best since the 2010-11 season. The next closest team to UAB in Conference USA is Louisiana Tech at 86.
RADIO
Blazer men's basketball games are set to air on 100.5 ESPN JOX 2 with David Crane and Murry Bartow on the call.
In addition, Crane will host Blazer Sportsline every Tuesday beginning Dec. 28. The show takes place live from Iron City Grill in downtown Birmingham and features men's basketball head coach Andy Kennedy and women's basketball head coach Randy Norton.
The nine-episode show, airs from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Blazer Sportsline can be heard on 100.5 ESPN JOX 2 and fans will be encouraged to tweet questions to @UABLearfield.
Fans may also follow the Blazers this season by downloading the free TuneIn Radio app, online through Blazers All-Access at UABSports.com, or on the UAB Gameday mobile app.
WATCH
Tuesday's game will stream live on ESPN+. This is a subscription-based service. Curt Bloom and Mo Finley will be on the call.
UP NEXT
The Blazers will host West Virginia (9-1) in a highly anticipated matchup at Legacy Arena. Saturday's first game of the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame Classic will mark the first college basketball game played at the newly renovated Legacy Arena. Tipoff is set for 4 p.m. and will be carried live on CBS Sports Network.
TICKET PROMOTION: BACKBOARDS & BLACKBOARDS
To show our appreciation for educators, tickets for teachers can be pre-purchased for only $10 apiece to Tuesday's men's basketball game against Grambling State and Wednesday, Dec. 22's men's basketball game against Mississippi Valley State. To take advantage of this ticket offer, click here.
UAB BASKETBALL AT BARTOW ARENA
UAB requires wearing a mask indoors – regardless of vaccine status – unless actively eating or drinking and encourages masks during outdoor events, alongside regular handwashing.
MEN'S BASKETBALL TICKET INFORMATION
UAB men's basketball single-game tickets start as low as $12 and can be purchased by clicking here or calling the UAB Athletics Ticket Office at (205) 975-UAB1.
Discounted group tickets and fan experiences are available for a minimum purchase of 15 tickets to any home basketball game during the 2021-22 season. Groups are encouraged to complete the UAB Basketball Group Ticket Request Form or call the UAB Athletics Ticket Office for more information.
Players Mentioned
Guard
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