Men’s Basketball
Coming off their first road sweep of the season, the Blazers (22-7, 12-4) have nearly locked up the two seed in the West. The only thing standing in their way is a Southern Miss team that has not won a game since mid-January.
If UAB can beat Southern Miss on Wednesday or if Louisiana Tech loses to Old Dominion, the Blazers will have a double-bye in the Conference USA tournament next week. If the Blazers lose and LA Tech wins on Wednesday, it sets up a winner-takes-all matchup in Bartow Arena on Saturday.
Wednesday, Mar. 2 vs. Southern Miss
The Golden Eagles (6-23, 1-15) have lost twelve games in a row coming into their matchup against UAB.
Southern Miss continues to boast the worst offense and virtually the worst defense in C-USA, but the Blazers cannot take this matchup lightly.
Tyler Stevenson, the Golden Eagles’ leading scorer who averages more than 14 points per game, gave the Blazers fits in their first matchup back in early February.
Stevenson dropped 24 points in Bartow, leading his team in what was a close game for the first half. At the break, UAB and Southern Miss were tied at 37 before the Blazers outscored the Golden Eagles 47-26 in the second half.
UAB has a lot at stake in this matchup, as they certainly want to wrap up the two-seed In the West in advance of their matchup against a good LA Tech team.
While the Golden Eagles have little to play for, they would no doubt love the opportunity to spoil UAB’s hopes in the conference tournament.
If the Blazers can keep Stevenson in check, they should have no trouble getting the win out in Hattiesburg.
UAB and Southern Miss are set to tip off at 7 p.m. The game will be available to stream on ESPN+.
Saturday, Mar. 5 vs. Louisiana Tech
The LA Tech Bulldogs (20-8, 11-5) are coming off a loss against North Texas on Saturday in what was one of the best games of the C-USA season. Despite the loss, the Bulldogs are playing good basketball down the final stretch of the season.
Led by prolific scorer and double-double machine Kenneth Lofton Jr., who averages 16.6 points and 10.6 rebounds per game, LA Tech has proven to be one of the most difficult opponents in the conference.
Their offense, which ranks behind only UAB in terms of points per game, averages more than 77 per contest and has propelled them in some of their biggest wins of the season.
The Blazers will have to play well on offense if they hope to outlast the Bulldogs on Saturday. Luckily for the Blazers, LA Tech’s biggest weakness appears to be their defense.
Even if the Blazers do take care of their business in Hattiesburg, expect them to play hard in this matchup. This game will mark the last time seniors Quan Jackson, Michael Ertel and Justin Brown play in Bartow Arena.
A win in this contest would be huge for momentum as they head into the C-USA tournament next week in Frisco, Texas.
The Senior Day matchup between the Blazers and Bulldogs tips off from Bartow Arena at 2 p.m. Tailgating outside Bartow Arena begins at noon. The game will be streamed on Stadium.
Women’s Basketball
Coming off two straight wins in Bartow, the Blazers (15-12, 8-8) will have an opportunity to continue climbing the ranks in the West. After breaking their four-game losing streak, Coach Norton seems to have the team headed in the right direction.
With big matchups against Southern Miss and LA Tech, UAB could potentially go from fourth place in the West to first with some help from North Texas.
Thursday, Mar. 3 vs. Southern Miss
While the Blazers are coming out of a slump, the Golden Eagles (16-10, 8-7) have lost two games in a row to Rice and UTEP.
The Blazers have already defeated Southern Miss this season in Hattiesburg, which should boost their confidence heading into the matchup on Thursday in Bartow. UAB has played some of their best basketball this season at home.
In their first match against Southern Miss on Feb. 10, UAB led them for most of the game, forcing the Golden Eagles to get off to a sluggish start that would be the difference in the game.
If UAB wants to have similar success on Thursday, they will have to play great defense against Domonique Davis, who averages nearly 15 points a game but score just 5 in her last game against the Blazers.
Expect UAB’s Margaret Whitley to have a huge impact on the outcome of this one, as she scored 21 and went 13-15 from the free throw line. In recent victories for the Blazers, Whitley’s presence at the free throw line has been a deciding factor.
With a win, UAB would jump Southern Miss and move into third in the West, giving them a chance to earn a double bye in the tournament if things go their way on Saturday.
The Blazers and Golden Eagles tip off at 6 p.m. from Bartow. The game will be available to stream at CUSA.tv.
Saturday, Mar. 5 vs. LA Tech
In potentially their biggest game of the season, the Blazers will travel to Ruston, Louisiana to take on a red-hot Lady Techsters (17-10, 9-7) team. LA Tech has won their last two games, which included a win over North Texas on Saturday that put them in first place in the West.
Keiunna Walker, who is the third-leading scorer in C-USA at just under 19 points per game, is the reigning conference player of the week after scoring 27 and 22 against Rice and North Texas, respectively.
UAB has already dropped a game to the Lady Techsters this season, but this game should be a source of confidence for the Blazers as it remained close throughout.
A win against UAB would ensure LA Tech a double bye in the tournament, so expect the Lady Techsters to give the Blazers their best effort.
If UAB can keep Walker in check, they should have a chance to build momentum and potentially earn a double bye in the C-USA tournament next week.
The Blazers and Lady Techsters and Blazers are set to tip off at 2 p.m. from Ruston, Louisiana. The game can be streamed at CUSA.tv.
