The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
Saturday, February 26
El Paso, Texas
8 p.m.
UAB
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UTEP
Photo by: Ken Shepherd
UAB Eyes Road Sweep in Saturday's Matchup at UTEP
2/25/2022 1:30:00 PM | Men's Basketball
EL PASO, Texas – After bouncing back with a 68-56 win at UTSA on Thursday, the UAB men's basketball team will look to earn its first weekend road sweep in league play Saturday at UTEP. Saturday night's tipoff in the Don Haskins Center is set for 8 p.m. CT and will stream live on ESPN+.
Graduate guard Michael Ertel posted a season-high 25 points in UAB's conference opener against the Miners on Dec. 30, coasting to a 75-62 victory after holding a 14-point edge at halftime. No Blazer played more than 28 minutes in the victory with nine UAB players scoring at least two points.
The Blazers hold a 15-9 advantage in the all-time series history against the Miners, but UTEP is 7-3 against UAB in the Don Haskins Center. UAB won the most recent matchup in El Paso, notching a 69-55 triumph over the Miners on Feb. 1, 2020.
UAB LATELY
UAB (21-7, 11-4 C-USA) cruised to a 68-56 win at UTSA on Thursday, making the Blazers 7-0 following a loss this season and 12-1 overall since Andy Kennedy took over at his alma mater in March 2020. UAB's dominance in the paint was the story in Thursday's win, outrebounding the Roadrunners 37-31 and posting a 42-24 advantage in points in the paint. Center Trey Jemison finished with his fourth double-double of the season in the win, pulling down a game-high 12 rebounds to go along with 10 points. KJ Buffen (16), Jordan Walker (14), Tavin Lovan (10) and Jemison (10) all finished in double figures in the victory while graduate guard Michael Ertel tallied nine points to surpass 2,000 points for his college basketball career. The Blazers also forced 18 turnovers in the win and collected 11 steals.
UTEP LATELY
UTEP (16-11, 9-6 C-USA) sits just two games behind UAB and Louisiana Tech for the No. 2 spot in Conference USA's West Division and a double bye in the Conference USA Tournament with just three C-USA regular season games left to play. After reeling off a season-best six-game winning streak between a win at Old Dominion on Jan. 15 and another road win at Rice on Feb. 5, the Miners are 2-3 in their past five games. UTEP, however, notched possibly its biggest win of the season on Feb. 17 with a 63-60 win at Louisiana Tech. Standout guard Souley Boum recorded a dominant performance in Ruston, scoring 28 points and finishing with a team-high 12 rebounds and three steals in the three-point road victory. The Miners rank 27th nationally and only one spot behind the Blazers in Conference USA with a 3.3 turnover margin. UTEP, however, struggles on the glass, ranking last in the C-USA with a -4.0 rebounding margin. Boum (19.9) and Jamal Bieniemy (15.4) have both each averaged over 15 points per game this season for the Miners.
COMMON OPPONENTS -- UTEP
The Blazers and Miners shared just one common opponent in nonconference play this season -- New Mexico. Both UAB and UTEP pulled away from the Lobos late in their respective matchups. The Miners knocked off UNM 77-69 in Albuquerque, while the Blazers earned an 86-73 victory over New Mexico in the opening round of the Las Vegas Invitational.
PREVIOUS 10 MATCHUPS IN THE SERIES
1/18/14_ UTEP________________________ L, 61-63
1/29/15_ at UTEP______________________ L, 69-71
1/9/16__ UTEP_______________________ W, 87-80
2/2/17__ at UTEP______________________ L, 59-63
1/25/18_ UTEP_______________________ W, 85-78
1/17/19_ UTEP_______________________ W, 76-63
2/1/20__ at UTEP_____________________ W, 69-55
2/5/21__ UTEP_______________________ W, 63-51
2/6/21__ UTEP_______________________ W, 75-60
12/30/21 UTEP_______________________ W, 75-62
WELCOME TO THE 1K CLUB
With a dunk in the first half of a 24-point win over Rice on Feb. 17, KJ Buffen became the sixth current Blazer to join the 1,000-point club. Buffen, Jordan Walker and Justin Brown have all three surpassed 1,000 points in their college careers with the Blazers this season. Buffen (1,038), Walker (1,083) and Brown (1,028) are joined by fellow Blazers Mike Ertel (2,007), Quan Jackson (1,741) and Tavin Lovan (1,225) to have scored more than 1,000 points in their college basketball careers. UAB is the only known program in Division I with six 1,000-point scorers. Notre Dame and Florida each both have five 1,000-point scorers on their rosters.
STACKING UP NICELY IN THE LEAGUE
UAB ranked first among Conference USA programs in a number of different team statistical categories entering C-USA play on Dec. 30, including scoring offense (82.2 points per game), scoring margin (21.2), steals per game (12.4) and turnover margin (8.6). Entering Saturday's slate of league games, UAB ranks first in the league in field-goal percentage defense (40.7%), scoring margin (15.5), scoring offense (80.1), steals per game (10.2), total steals (286), turnover margin (6.1), turnovers forced per game (16.93) and fewest turnovers committed per game (10.8).
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
Saturday's game will be streamed live on ESPN+. This is a subscription-based service.
UP NEXT
The Blazers will conclude their final three-game road stretch of the season Wednesday with a midweek matchup at Southern Miss. Tipoff for Wednesday night's matchup in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, is set for 7 p.m. and will stream on ESPN+.
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.
Graduate guard Michael Ertel posted a season-high 25 points in UAB's conference opener against the Miners on Dec. 30, coasting to a 75-62 victory after holding a 14-point edge at halftime. No Blazer played more than 28 minutes in the victory with nine UAB players scoring at least two points.
The Blazers hold a 15-9 advantage in the all-time series history against the Miners, but UTEP is 7-3 against UAB in the Don Haskins Center. UAB won the most recent matchup in El Paso, notching a 69-55 triumph over the Miners on Feb. 1, 2020.
UAB LATELY
UAB (21-7, 11-4 C-USA) cruised to a 68-56 win at UTSA on Thursday, making the Blazers 7-0 following a loss this season and 12-1 overall since Andy Kennedy took over at his alma mater in March 2020. UAB's dominance in the paint was the story in Thursday's win, outrebounding the Roadrunners 37-31 and posting a 42-24 advantage in points in the paint. Center Trey Jemison finished with his fourth double-double of the season in the win, pulling down a game-high 12 rebounds to go along with 10 points. KJ Buffen (16), Jordan Walker (14), Tavin Lovan (10) and Jemison (10) all finished in double figures in the victory while graduate guard Michael Ertel tallied nine points to surpass 2,000 points for his college basketball career. The Blazers also forced 18 turnovers in the win and collected 11 steals.
UTEP LATELY
UTEP (16-11, 9-6 C-USA) sits just two games behind UAB and Louisiana Tech for the No. 2 spot in Conference USA's West Division and a double bye in the Conference USA Tournament with just three C-USA regular season games left to play. After reeling off a season-best six-game winning streak between a win at Old Dominion on Jan. 15 and another road win at Rice on Feb. 5, the Miners are 2-3 in their past five games. UTEP, however, notched possibly its biggest win of the season on Feb. 17 with a 63-60 win at Louisiana Tech. Standout guard Souley Boum recorded a dominant performance in Ruston, scoring 28 points and finishing with a team-high 12 rebounds and three steals in the three-point road victory. The Miners rank 27th nationally and only one spot behind the Blazers in Conference USA with a 3.3 turnover margin. UTEP, however, struggles on the glass, ranking last in the C-USA with a -4.0 rebounding margin. Boum (19.9) and Jamal Bieniemy (15.4) have both each averaged over 15 points per game this season for the Miners.
COMMON OPPONENTS -- UTEP
The Blazers and Miners shared just one common opponent in nonconference play this season -- New Mexico. Both UAB and UTEP pulled away from the Lobos late in their respective matchups. The Miners knocked off UNM 77-69 in Albuquerque, while the Blazers earned an 86-73 victory over New Mexico in the opening round of the Las Vegas Invitational.
PREVIOUS 10 MATCHUPS IN THE SERIES
1/18/14_ UTEP________________________ L, 61-63
1/29/15_ at UTEP______________________ L, 69-71
1/9/16__ UTEP_______________________ W, 87-80
2/2/17__ at UTEP______________________ L, 59-63
1/25/18_ UTEP_______________________ W, 85-78
1/17/19_ UTEP_______________________ W, 76-63
2/1/20__ at UTEP_____________________ W, 69-55
2/5/21__ UTEP_______________________ W, 63-51
2/6/21__ UTEP_______________________ W, 75-60
12/30/21 UTEP_______________________ W, 75-62
WELCOME TO THE 1K CLUB
With a dunk in the first half of a 24-point win over Rice on Feb. 17, KJ Buffen became the sixth current Blazer to join the 1,000-point club. Buffen, Jordan Walker and Justin Brown have all three surpassed 1,000 points in their college careers with the Blazers this season. Buffen (1,038), Walker (1,083) and Brown (1,028) are joined by fellow Blazers Mike Ertel (2,007), Quan Jackson (1,741) and Tavin Lovan (1,225) to have scored more than 1,000 points in their college basketball careers. UAB is the only known program in Division I with six 1,000-point scorers. Notre Dame and Florida each both have five 1,000-point scorers on their rosters.
STACKING UP NICELY IN THE LEAGUE
UAB ranked first among Conference USA programs in a number of different team statistical categories entering C-USA play on Dec. 30, including scoring offense (82.2 points per game), scoring margin (21.2), steals per game (12.4) and turnover margin (8.6). Entering Saturday's slate of league games, UAB ranks first in the league in field-goal percentage defense (40.7%), scoring margin (15.5), scoring offense (80.1), steals per game (10.2), total steals (286), turnover margin (6.1), turnovers forced per game (16.93) and fewest turnovers committed per game (10.8).
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
Saturday's game will be streamed live on ESPN+. This is a subscription-based service.
UP NEXT
The Blazers will conclude their final three-game road stretch of the season Wednesday with a midweek matchup at Southern Miss. Tipoff for Wednesday night's matchup in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, is set for 7 p.m. and will stream on ESPN+.
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.
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Players Mentioned
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/ Men's Basketball
Guard
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Center
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