by Garrett Helmers
Men’s Basketball
On a weekend highlighted by the celebration of legendary coach Gene Bartow, the men’s team and Jordan Walker showed out, crushing Middle Tennessee at home. With the win, the Blazers (18-5, 8-2) have an opportunity to continue to build their resumé for the NCAA tournament.
As of today, ESPN’s Joe Lunardi has the Blazers in the group of the first four teams out of the tournament, but if UAB can play well down the stretch, they still have an opportunity to earn an at-large bid come March.
The Blazers cannot look too far ahead, as they have two tough battles against Southern Miss and Old Dominion on the schedule this week.
Thursday, Feb. 10 vs. Southern Miss
Southern Miss (6-16, 1-8), like the Marshall team the Blazers fell to a few Saturdays ago, has failed to gain any traction in conference play. Still, UAB has been known to play down to their competition, making this matchup a dangerous game for Coach Kennedy’s team.
The Golden Eagles come into this one scoring a conference-worst 62.9 points per game and allowing 71.9 per contest, good for 12th in the league. Even worse, the Golden Eagles have managed one road win this season, making a trip to Bartow even more difficult.
Looking at the Golden Eagles’ stats, it is easy to see why the wins have not come this season. Southern Miss has one of the worst shooting percentages, rebounding margins and defenses in the league.
The one bright spot for the Golden Eagles is Tyler Stevenson, who is 13th in the league in scoring with 14.4 points per game. He also boasts the second-best shooting percentage in the league and averages over eight rebounds per contest.
If Southern Miss hopes to pull off the upset, Stevenson will have to play some of the best basketball of his career.
The Blazers and Golden Eagles will tipoff at 6 p.m. The game can be televised on CBS Sports Network.
Sunday, Feb. 13 at Old Dominion
Another potentially dangerous matchup for the Blazers, Old Dominion (9-13, 4-5) comes into the matchup having only won four games in conference play, but they have proven they are capable of scoring against some good defenses.
The Monarchs boast one of the league’s worst offenses despite strong performance by C.J. Keyser, who averages right at 15 points per game, good for 11th in the conference. That said, the Monarchs have eclipsed 75 points three times in conference play already.
The strength of this team is its defense, which is fourth in C-USA in points per game.
Like the Blazers, the Monarchs rely on rebounding and second chance points to set the tone. UAB will have to control the glass if they hope to put ODU’s upset bid to rest.
The Blazers and Monarchs will tipoff at 1 p.m. in Norfolk. The game will be televised on ESPNU.
Women’s Basketball
While the men’s team made history this weekend, the women’s team and Coach Randy Norton dropped a tough game to Middle Tennessee in Murfreesboro.
The Blazers (12-7, 5-3) still sit atop the West with a one game lead over Southern Miss. With a road trip to Hattiesburg on Thursday, the women have an opportunity to stretch that lead. It will not be easy, though, as Southern Miss comes into the matchup having won three in a row.
Monday, Feb. 7 vs. North Texas
The Blazers will have to handle the return of Mean Green guard Aly Gamez if they hope to beat the North Texas. Gamez, who set a career high with 22 in her first game back from injury in their win over UTSA on Saturday, has proven to be a tough matchup when healthy.
North Texas has the third best scoring offense in the league, but injuries and poor play on the defensive end have held them back this season.
The Mean Green (9-10, 3-6) come into this one having only won three games in conference play but found their groove against the Roadrunners this past weekend with five players scoring in double figures.
North Texas has only managed one road win this season. If UAB can play solid defense, they should have no trouble defending their home court in this matchup.
UAB and North Texas are set to tip off at 2 p.m. from Bartow. This game was rescheduled due to COVID-19 issues within the Blazers’ locker room back in January. The game will be available to stream on ESPN+.
Thursday, Feb. 10 at Southern Miss
The Lady Eagles (14-7, 6-4) present a variety of challenges for the Blazers and Coach Randy Norton. Southern Miss plays solid defense, but their strength comes in the form of a highly efficient offense that boasts the best shooting percentage in the league.
Powering their offensive success is LSU transfer Domonique Davis, who is fifth in the conference in points per game (16.2) and fourth in assists.
The Lady Eagles mostly do their damage from inside the arc, but when they do step outside, good shot-selection has given them the fourth-best three-point shooting percentage in the league.
Zakyia Weathersby and Southern Miss center Melyia Grayson will be an important matchup in this one. Grayson is a top-20 scorer and rebounder in Conference USA and has proven to be an efficient scorer. She is coming off a season-high 32 points in her last outing.
If the Blazers want a win, they will need to keep Davis and Grayson in check.
UAB vs. Southern Miss is set to tipoff at 6 p.m. The game will not be available to stream, but Blazer fans can view live stats on the UAB Athletics website.
Sunday, Feb. 13 vs. Old Dominion
Coming in at fourth in the East, the Monarchs (16-5, 6-3) rely heavily on their conference-best defense to get the job done.
Scoring might be a scarcity in this one, as ODU allows 52 points per game while ranking towards the bottom of the league in points per game scored (63).
When the Monarchs do score, they usually lean on Iggy Allen, who averages a little over 14 points per game. Allen, a transfer from Florida Atlantic, also produces problems on the glass, as she grabs over eight rebounds a game.
UAB’s guards will have to slow down Allen to pull off another big win in conference play. If the Blazers can get good minutes from Maria Roters and Margaret Whitley, they should be able to walk out of Bartow with a win.
UAB and Old Dominion will tipoff at 2 p.m. from Bartow. The game will be available to stream on CUSA.tv.
