Feb. 16, 2004

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. ----- A share of first place in Conference USA will be on the line Wednesday night when the Cincinnati Bearcats invade Bartow Arena (7:36 p.m. CT tipoff).

Both UAB and the Bearcats will enter the contest with 8-2 conference records, a half-game behind league leader Memphis (9-2). This will be the only regular season meeting this season between the two schools. The Tigers won't play again until Saturday when UAB pays a visit to the Pyramid in Memphis.

Blazer head coach Mike Anderson understands the importance of Wednesday's matchup but also realizes there is plenty of action yet to go in the 2004 season. "I think I have always approached it that every game is big," said Anderson, whose team is 15-6 overall thus far. "This one Wednesday just happens to be the next one.

"Cincinnati is a traditional powerhouse and Bob Huggins does a great job with them," said Anderson. "They're a ranked team and the first one to come to Bartow Arena this year. There is a lot at stake because we're in the hunt for a conference championship. You always want to protect your homecourt and try to steal a few games on the road."

The first 5,000 fans through the doors will be given 25th Anniversary "Rally Rags" as the Blazers will attempt to sell out Bartow Arena for the first time since Feb. 5, 2000 when Cincinnati defeated UAB, 93-80, in front of a sell-out crowd of 9,279 fans.

The game, which will be televised on CSS, can be heard locally on WYDE 101.1 FM with the pregame show beginning at 7 p.m. CST. It can also be followed live through Gametracker on the internet by accessing www.uabsports.com.

Tickets are still available and can be purchased by calling the UAB ticket office at 975-UAB1.