Once Upon A Time In Las Vegas – Wildcard Edition
It’s a battle of teams from Conference USA on the hardwood as they collide in the Volunteer State in search of a victory. The UAB Blazers are on the road as they make the trip to face the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders Monday night. UAB comes in off an 81-74 road win over Louisiana Tech in their previous game Saturday afternoon, covering the line as a one-point favorite. Middle Tennessee beat Rice 71-68 on the road in their previous game Saturday, winning outright as a 3.5-point underdog. In the all-time series between the teams, the Blue Raiders own a 17-9 advantage and have won the last seven meetings, including a 102-98 triple overtime win in the semifinals of the conference tournament on March 11, 2022.
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UAB got back in the win column as they took down Louisiana Tech in their previous contest on the road. The Blazers improved to 13-5 overall and stand third in the conference with a 4-3 record this season. Against Louisiana Tech, UAB led by as many as six in the opening half only to trail by one at intermission. In the second half, the Blazers led by eight early only to trail by two with 9:10 to play in the game and saw the deficit climb to eight with 4:46 to play. UAB closed strong, outscoring Louisiana Tech 19-4 down the stretch to earn the victory. The Blazers shot 37.1% from the field, including nine of 22 from three-point range, and connected on 26 of 35 free throw attempts while controlling the glass by a 44-35 margin in the game. Eric Gaines led UAB with 22 points and six assists in the win.
The Blazers enter this contest putting up an average of 85.8 points per contest on the year, putting th em 3rd in the nation in scoring offense. UAB grabs 41.3 rebounds per contest (4th) and passes out 16.3 assists per contest on the year. The Blazers are below average on the defensive end, ranking 258th in scoring defense by allowing 72.3 points per game. Jordan Walker leads the team with 23.8 points plus 4.3 assists per game. Eric Gaines (12.3 points, 4.8 assists) and KJ Buffen (10.6 points, 7.1 rebounds) each average in double figures. Ledarrius Brewer, Trey Jemison, Javian Davis, Ty Brewer, Efrem Johnson, Tavin Lovan, Tony Toney and Tyler Bertram are important role players for Andy Kennedy’s team this season. The Blazers shoot 46.8% from the field as a team on the year. UAB knocks down 7.4 triples per game while sinking 36% from beyond the arc as a team. The Blazers are converting 74.3% of their attempts at the charity stripe this season.