Feb. 28, 2003

Men's Basketball Contact: Aaron Jordan

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. ----- The UAB men's basketball team (16-8, 8-5 C-USA) will face its second top-10 team of the season when it travels to Milwaukee, Wisc. to face No. 10 (Associated Press) Marquette on Saturday, March 1, at 8 p.m. CST. The Blazers played another top-10 team when they dropped a 68-52 decision to then-No. 8 Mississippi State on January 2 in Bartow Arena.

The Golden Eagles enter Saturday's contest with an overall record of 21-4 and sit at the top of Conference USA with a 12-2 record. Maquette also owns the best overall record in the conference. The Golden Eagles have won three consecutive games and are winners in 13 of their last 14 overall. Most recently, Marquette clinched at least a tie for the American Division title when it defeated Louisville, 78-73, on Thursday night. For the season, junior All-America candidate Dwayne Wade leads the team with 21.5 ppg, while Robert Jackson (15.4) and Travis Diener (11.1) each average double figures in scoring as well. Diener also leads the team with 5.6 assists and Jackson leads the team on the boards, averaging 7.2 per contest.

UAB enters the contest winners of three consecutive and four of its last five contests. The Blazers are coming off a 77-71 defeat over DePaul on Wednesday night. Juniors Mo Finley and Gabe Kennedy each scored 16 points to lead the Blazers, while freshman Demario Eddins scored 10 points and had team-highs of eight rebounds and seven assists. Finley leads the team with 17.6 ppg, while senior Eric Bush leads the team with 3.5 assists and 3.1 steals per game - second best in the nation.

The Blazers and Golden Eagles will meet for the first time since Jan. 15, 2002. The Blazers lost 67-59 in the Bradley Center; however, UAB has won three of the last five games. Marquette holds an all-time 11-5 advantage in the series' history. The Blazers have only scored 70 points on three different occasions in the series, two of which were UAB victories.

The game can be heard live on 1070 WAPI-AM, with the pregame show beginning at 7:30 p.m. Gary Sanders will handle play-by-play, Matt Coulter will be the color analyst and Jon Gentile will produce the broadcast. The postgame show will follow immediately after the game. The game can also be accessed through the UAB athletic website at www.uabsports.com