The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
Saturday, December 18
LEGACY ARENA
4 p.m.
UAB
vs
WEST VIRGINIA
UAB Battles West Virginia to Open Saturday's Alabama Sports Hall of Fame Basketball Classic at Legacy Arena
12/17/2021 3:00:00 PM | Men's Basketball
BIRMINGHAM – The UAB men's basketball team will go for its fifth straight win Saturday when the Blazers host Bob Huggins' West Virginia Mountaineers at Legacy Arena. Tipoff at Legacy Arena is set for 4 p.m. and will be carried live on CBS Sports Network.
Saturday's game against West Virginia (9-1) will not only mark the first game of the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame Basketball Classic, but it will also mark the first college basketball game played in the newly renovated Legacy Arena. The Blazers are 7-0 in contests played in Birmingham this season, winning each matchup by at least 14 points.
UAB's (9-2) last matchup in Legacy Arena came before the facility was renovated, which is when the Blazers dropped a tight 75-71 decision to No. 7 Auburn in overtime. The Tigers went on to make the Final Four later that season.
A win over the Mountaineers would not only mark UAB's 10th win of the season, but it'd also mark its first win over a Big 12 opponent since the Blazers upset third-seeded Iowa State in the opening round of the 2015 NCAA Tournament.
Miles College and Savannah State will conclude Saturday's doubleheader following UAB's game against West Virginia. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
UAB LATELY
The Blazers moved to 7-0 in Bartow Arena on Tuesday with a wire-to-wire 79-61 victory over Grambling State. Jordan Walker paced the Blazers with 22 points in the win, scoring 15 of those points in a dominant first half for the Green and Gold. UAB outscored GSU 49-25 in the game's opening 20 minutes, logging its second-highest first half tally of the season behind 52.6% shooting from the field. The win moved head coach Andy Kennedy to 31-9 in his first 40 games at his alma mater, good for a .775 win percentage.
WEST VIRGINIA LATELY
West Virginia has won six straight games following an early season defeat to Marquette at the Shriners Children's Charleston Classic in November, including wins over Clemson and No. 15 UConn. The Mountaineers rank 41st nationally in scoring defense, allowing just 60.7 points per game. Taz Sherman, who leads West Virginia in scoring with 21.8 points per game, paced the Mountaineers in their win over UConn, pouring in a game-high 23 points. Sherman and teammate Sean McNeil (13.2 ppg) are the only two Mountaineers averaging double figures this season.
COMMON OPPONENTS -- WEST VIRGINIA
The Blazers and Mountaineers share no common opponents during the 2021-22 regular season.
SERIES HISTORY
2/3/87__ at West Virginia________________ L, 64-79
12/8/87_ West Virginia_________________ W, 66-62
12/28/90 vs. West Virginia______________ W, 88-84
THE MENTOR AND THE MENTEE
UAB head coach Andy Kennedy and West Virginia head coach Bob Huggins share a longtime friendship. Kennedy was an assistant coach under Huggins from 2001-05 at Cincinnati, which is where Kennedy got his first head coaching position for the 2005-06 season before coaching the next 12 seasons at Ole Miss. A UAB win on Saturday would mark AK's first win over Huggins. Huggins is 2-0 against Kennedy in the two coaches' respective head coaching careers.
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 has reached as high as No. 28 in the ranking system this season and currently sits at No. 33 in the most recent ratings.
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 nine of its 11 games so far this season, posting 12 or more eight times. The Blazers rank first nationally with 13.3 steals per game and first nationally with 146 total steals.
EFFICIENCY IS KEY
In 2020-21, the UAB defense led the Blazers to a 22-7 record and a league-best 13 C-USA victories. So far this season, both the offense and defense have fueled UAB's success, ranking first in the nation in turnover margin (10.0) while ranking 19th nationally with 82.7 points per game on offense. The Blazers also rank first nationally with 233 total turnovers forced this season.
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. Due to the UAB football team's appearance in the Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl on Saturday, Kyle Schassburger will fill in on play-by-play for Crane. Schassburger called both of UAB's games at the Las Vegas Invitational in November.
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
Saturday's game will be broadcasted live on CBS Sports Network. Chick Hernandez and Pete Gillen will be on the call.
TICKETS
Tickets to Saturday's Alabama Sports Hall of Fame Basketball Classic are still available and can be purchased by clicking here. A ticket to Saturday's event will allow entry to both UAB's game against West Virginia and Miles College's matchup against Savannah State at 7:30 p.m.
UP NEXT
The Blazers will close out their nonconference schedule on Wednesday when Mississippi Valley State makes the trip to Bartow Arena. Tipoff is set for 6:30 p.m. and will stream live on CUSA.tv.
MEN'S BASKETBALL TICKET INFORMATION
UAB men's basketball single-game tickets at Bartow Arena 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.
Saturday's game against West Virginia (9-1) will not only mark the first game of the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame Basketball Classic, but it will also mark the first college basketball game played in the newly renovated Legacy Arena. The Blazers are 7-0 in contests played in Birmingham this season, winning each matchup by at least 14 points.
UAB's (9-2) last matchup in Legacy Arena came before the facility was renovated, which is when the Blazers dropped a tight 75-71 decision to No. 7 Auburn in overtime. The Tigers went on to make the Final Four later that season.
A win over the Mountaineers would not only mark UAB's 10th win of the season, but it'd also mark its first win over a Big 12 opponent since the Blazers upset third-seeded Iowa State in the opening round of the 2015 NCAA Tournament.
Miles College and Savannah State will conclude Saturday's doubleheader following UAB's game against West Virginia. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
UAB LATELY
The Blazers moved to 7-0 in Bartow Arena on Tuesday with a wire-to-wire 79-61 victory over Grambling State. Jordan Walker paced the Blazers with 22 points in the win, scoring 15 of those points in a dominant first half for the Green and Gold. UAB outscored GSU 49-25 in the game's opening 20 minutes, logging its second-highest first half tally of the season behind 52.6% shooting from the field. The win moved head coach Andy Kennedy to 31-9 in his first 40 games at his alma mater, good for a .775 win percentage.
WEST VIRGINIA LATELY
West Virginia has won six straight games following an early season defeat to Marquette at the Shriners Children's Charleston Classic in November, including wins over Clemson and No. 15 UConn. The Mountaineers rank 41st nationally in scoring defense, allowing just 60.7 points per game. Taz Sherman, who leads West Virginia in scoring with 21.8 points per game, paced the Mountaineers in their win over UConn, pouring in a game-high 23 points. Sherman and teammate Sean McNeil (13.2 ppg) are the only two Mountaineers averaging double figures this season.
COMMON OPPONENTS -- WEST VIRGINIA
The Blazers and Mountaineers share no common opponents during the 2021-22 regular season.
SERIES HISTORY
2/3/87__ at West Virginia________________ L, 64-79
12/8/87_ West Virginia_________________ W, 66-62
12/28/90 vs. West Virginia______________ W, 88-84
THE MENTOR AND THE MENTEE
UAB head coach Andy Kennedy and West Virginia head coach Bob Huggins share a longtime friendship. Kennedy was an assistant coach under Huggins from 2001-05 at Cincinnati, which is where Kennedy got his first head coaching position for the 2005-06 season before coaching the next 12 seasons at Ole Miss. A UAB win on Saturday would mark AK's first win over Huggins. Huggins is 2-0 against Kennedy in the two coaches' respective head coaching careers.
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 has reached as high as No. 28 in the ranking system this season and currently sits at No. 33 in the most recent ratings.
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 nine of its 11 games so far this season, posting 12 or more eight times. The Blazers rank first nationally with 13.3 steals per game and first nationally with 146 total steals.
EFFICIENCY IS KEY
In 2020-21, the UAB defense led the Blazers to a 22-7 record and a league-best 13 C-USA victories. So far this season, both the offense and defense have fueled UAB's success, ranking first in the nation in turnover margin (10.0) while ranking 19th nationally with 82.7 points per game on offense. The Blazers also rank first nationally with 233 total turnovers forced this season.
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. Due to the UAB football team's appearance in the Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl on Saturday, Kyle Schassburger will fill in on play-by-play for Crane. Schassburger called both of UAB's games at the Las Vegas Invitational in November.
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
Saturday's game will be broadcasted live on CBS Sports Network. Chick Hernandez and Pete Gillen will be on the call.
TICKETS
Tickets to Saturday's Alabama Sports Hall of Fame Basketball Classic are still available and can be purchased by clicking here. A ticket to Saturday's event will allow entry to both UAB's game against West Virginia and Miles College's matchup against Savannah State at 7:30 p.m.
UP NEXT
The Blazers will close out their nonconference schedule on Wednesday when Mississippi Valley State makes the trip to Bartow Arena. Tipoff is set for 6:30 p.m. and will stream live on CUSA.tv.
MEN'S BASKETBALL TICKET INFORMATION
UAB men's basketball single-game tickets at Bartow Arena 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
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