After an up-and-down trip to Charlotte, UAB men’s basketball will back in Bartow for a two-game series versus the Rice Owls.
Saturday’s game will be this season’s Bartow Classic. Since 2009 the Bartow Classic has been an annual event held in honor of UAB’s iconic first basketball coach and later athletic director Gene Bartow who died of cancer. The event is meant to raise awareness and support for cancer research
This year’s Bartow Classic was originally scheduled to be played versus Georgia Tech, but COVID issues within the UAB program forced the cancellation of that game.
The connections to Gene Bartow are even stronger this year as new head coach Andy Kennedy played for UAB under Bartow. Bartow’s son Murray, himself a former UAB coach, is set to call the game alongside David Crane, as well.
Men’s Basketball
The men had a rollercoaster weekend in Charlotte dominating in the first game before collapsing in the second.
Against Rice, UAB will look to be a bit consistent. Historically, UAB has dominated this series leading 14-2 against the Owls all-time.
Rice comes into the game sitting on 10-4 record, 4-2 in conference play. Their nonconference slate was nothing too inspiring as they strung together wins over Southland Conference teams and losses to their stronger opponents such as New Mexico and Sam Houston State.
In Conference USA play, however, the Owls have shown life, sweeping UTSA and splitting series against both UTEP and Old Dominion to open the year.
They have done so behind a strong offense that has average 77.7 points per game in Conference USA play and 79.3 points per game on the season. That offense can be slowed down, as Old Dominion proved last week, holding them to below 70 in each game. The Owls are 2-3 when scoring below 70 but 8-1 when scoring above.
Stopping that offense will be key for the Blazers. UAB has struggled to put up points at times in conference play and it’s hard to imagine they can win a battle of offenses.
For Rice, keep an eye on Travis Evee. The sophomore guard is on the floor more than any other Rice player and with good reason. He averages 15.5 points per game and is a strong three-point shooting making 3.4 per game.
Look for a strong UAB performance in the first game, with a narrower victory in the second. A split is not out of reach either.
Friday’s game will tip off at 6:30 p.m. and be available to stream on CUSA.tv, and Saturday’s will tip at 4 p.m. and be available to stream on ESPN+. Both games will be available to listen to on WJQX 100.5 in Birmingham.
Women’s Basketball
The UAB women’s basketball team will not play this weekend. The series against Rice was postponed due to a positive COVID test within the Rice program.
