Feb. 27, 2007
Southern Miss Game Notes
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BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The UAB men's basketball team will embark on its final regular season road trip, when it travels to Hattiesburg, Miss. to take on the Golden Eagles of Southern Miss Wednesday night at 8 p.m. CT. The game will be televised on CSS, with Matt Stewart (play-by-play) and Tom Herrion (color) on the call.
The Blazers and Golden Eagles will be meeting for the second time this season and 26th time overall. Earlier in the season, Southern Miss snared a 57-55 overtime win from UAB in Bartow Arena (Jan. 20), snapping the Blazers' 19-game home win streak. The victory also snapped the Golden Eagles' four-game losing streak to UAB in Bartow.
The radio broadcast can be heard on the Blazers ISP Sports Network, beginning with the pre-game show at 6:30 p.m. CT. Birmingham and Huntsville listeners can follow all the action on WYDE 101.1 FM. The broadcast can also be heard on WIQR 1410 AM in Montgomery/Prattville.
Scouting Southern Miss
Southern Miss enters Wednesday's contest sporting a 17-10 overall record, and is tied with UAB for fifth in the C-USA standings at 7-7 in league play. The Golden Eagles enter the game having dropped two straight road contests at UCF (59-56 on Jan. 21) and at Tulane (77-72 on Jan. 24) last week. Overall, USM brings a 4-2 league record into Wednesday night's contest at Reed Green Coliseum.
The Golden Eagles are led on the year by freshman guard Jeremy Wise's 17.5 points per game average. That number not only leads all C-USA freshman, but also ranks fourth overall in the league. Wise proved himself when the Blazers fell in overtime to Southern Miss on Jan. 20, scoring 22 points, including the go-ahead basket with one second left to lift his team to the victory.
Freshman guard Sai'Quon Stone is the only other USM player to average double figures, contributing 10.4 ppg, while also leading the team with 5.4 rebounds per contest. Sophomore Courtney Beasley and sophomore Craig Craft also contribute offensively, chipping in with 9.4 and 8.4 points a contest, respectively.
Head coach Larry Eustachy is in his third year at the helm of the Southern Miss basketball program and 16th season as a head coach. Eustachy enters the game against UAB sporting a 38-48 (.442) record with the Golden Eagles, and a 298-193 (.607) overall record.
Scouting UAB
UAB will enter its contest against Southern Miss with an overall record of 15-13, and a 7-7 mark in league play. The Blazers have won four of their last five games entering the game against the Golden Eagles, including a 70-57 victory over Marshall last Saturday.
Junior guard Paul Delaney III, a two-time recipient of the Conference USA Player of the Week this season, leads the Blazers in points (16.0) and assists (5.2) per game, while also ranking fourth on the team with 4.8 boards a contest.
Along with Delaney, senior guard Wen Mukubu and sophomore forward Lawrence Kinnard are also threats on offense. Mukubu averages 14.3 points and 5.8 rebounds per contest, while also shooting 40.1 percent from beyond the arc. Kinnard ranks third on the team with 12.9 points per game, and also leads the team with 6.1 rebounds a game and a team-leading average of 41.9 percent from beyond the arc.
UAB head coach Mike Davis enters the game against Southern Miss with an overall record of 130-92 (.586) in his seventh season as a head coach, and is 15-13 (.536) at UAB.
Last Time Out
Paul Delaney III scored a game-high 20 points to lead UAB to a 70-57 victory over Marshall. Delaney scored six early points to stake UAB to a 12-3 lead and the Blazers never relinquished control. Marshall was held to 29.3 percent shooting and the Blazers forced 18 turnovers, which helped them overcome the Thundering Herd's 46-27 rebounding advantage. UAB led 38-29 at the half and was ahead by as much as 14 points early in the second. Wen Mukubu and Frank Holmes scored 14 points each and Maurice Gibbs added 10 in the Blazers' fourth win in five games. Mark Humphrey had 16 points and 10 rebounds to lead Marshall and Mark Dorris followed with 15 points. Marshall cut the lead to 8 several times, the last coming with 59 seconds left. UAB struggled at the foul line, going 20-of-35, but Mukubu hit four straight in the final minutes to help seal the win.
UAB-Southern Miss Earlier This Year
Jeremy Wise hit a driving layup in heavy traffic with one second left in overtime to give Southern Mississippi a 57-55 victory over UAB. Wise led all scorers with 22 points. Paul Delaney III scored 19 points and grabbed 9 rebounds to lead UAB. Lawrence Kinnard and Wen Mukubu added 13 points each for the Blazers. The loss broke a 19-game home winning streak for UAB. The school record home streak remains 20 games. A running floater by Wise gave Southern Miss a 50-48 lead heading into the final minute of regulation. Delaney hit two free throws to tie it 50-50, with 22.8 seconds left. A 5-second call on Wise gave UAB a chance to win it. But Delaney missed a 20-foot jumper at the buzzer, sending the game into overtime. Wise's driving basket gave Southern Miss a 55-52 lead midway through the extra period. But Frank Holmes dunked on an offensive rebound to bring UAB to within one point. Holmes hit the second of two free throws with 30.2 seconds left to tie the game.
Heating Up
One of the reasons for the Blazers capturing four wins in their last five games has been the way they are shooting the ball. UAB has hit 45 percent or more of its field goals in seven of its last 10 halves. That is part of the reason the Blazers are shooting 48.0 percent from the floor and 70.6 points a game during the five-game stretch. In fact, when UAB shoots at least 50 percent from the floor in a game this season, it is usually a good thing. The Blazers are 5-1 on the year when connecting on at least half of their field goals in a game, with the lone loss coming at Wyoming on Nov. 18. In fact, the Blazers have an outstanding record of 38-2 since the 2001-02 campaign when shooting 50 percent or better from the floor in a contest.
Winning Trends
There are a few things to look out for when trying to determine if UAB will win a game. The Blazers' winning trends this season are below. UAB is:
• 10-2 when scoring 70 or more points in a game
• 8-1 when shooting over 45 percent from the floor in a game
• 10-0 when collected 13 or more assists in a game
• 6-1 when Paul Delaney III scores 20 or more points in a game
• 7-1 when shooting 69 percent or better from the foul line
• 12-4 when leading at half
• 3-1 in overtime games
• 5-1 in games played on Wednesday
Late-Season Surge
There are several reasons why the UAB men's basketball team has turned things around by capturing wins in four of its last five games. First would be the offensive side of the court. As a team, UAB is shooting 48.0 percent from the floor during the stretch, and scoring an average of 70.6 ppg. Furthermore, the Blazers' defensive intensity has stepped up as well, allowing opponents to shoot just 36.0 percent from the floor and 30.5 percent from beyond the arc.
Individually, Paul Delaney III, Wen Mukubu and Lawrence Kinnard have each stepped their games up over the last five contests. During that time, Mukubu is nearly averaging a double-double, collecting 16.0 points and 7.6 rebounds a contest, which leads the team in both categories. Like Mukubu, Delaney and Kinnard have stepped their game up, contributing 14.6 and 14.2 points, respectively, during the streak.
Defending Well
The UAB defensive effort during C-USA games has been impressive. In their last contests against Marshall, the Blazers held the Herd to only 29.3 percent shooting from the floor, which is the lowest of any UAB opponent this season. During conference play, the Blazers are allowing league opponents to shoot just 30.8 percent from three-point range, and holding the opposition to 63.6 points a game. The statistics rank second in both categories in C-USA in league games only.
In fact, a way to foretell an outcome to a contest is the way the Blazers are defending the three-point line. In UAB's 15 victories this season, the Blazers are allowing opponents to shoot 30.2 percent from the arc. However, opponents shoot nearly 40 percent (35.2 percent on 89-of-253) from beyond the arc in the Blazers' 13 losses on the year.
1,000 Minute Men
Three Blazers enter Wednesday's contest against Southern Miss at, or nearing, the 1,000 minute mark for the season. Junior Paul Delaney III has already accomplished the feat, playing 1,041 minutes on the season (37.2 minutes per game). Senior Wen Mukubu needs to play 16 minutes to reach the mark (enters the game with 984 minutes on the season), while sophomore forward Lawrence Kinnard has 29 minutes left to play before hitting 1,000 minutes on the season (has played 971 minutes). If the trio all reach 1,000 minutes, it will mark the first time in 14 years that three UAB players on the same team will have accomplished the feat. During the 1992-93 campaign, Corey Jackson (1,047), Stanley Jackson (1,043) and Robert Shannon (1,035) all eclipsed the 1,000-minute plateau.
