Following three straight losses, Memphis returns to FedExForum to host UAB. It’s the second meeting between the Tigers and the Blazers, and Penny Hardaway’s team will look to complete the season sweep.
On February 5, Memphis beat Andy Kennedy’s team by 10 points behind an incredible 40-point performance from Sincere Parker. The Tigers shot 52 percent from the field and 40 percent from three-point range, but they struggled at times outside of Parker’s shooting.
The Blazers shot 38 percent from the field, 24 percent from deep and 60 percent from the free-throw line, and five players finished the game with 10 or more points. Since that result, UAB is 3-1, with wins over Rice, Tulsa and Temple, and its only loss came at home against Tulane.
Conference play has been strange for the Blazers. Kennedy’s team is 1-6 at home in conference play, but they’re a perfect 7-0 on the road, including wins at South Florida, North Texas and Tulsa.
As a team, UAB averages 79.7 points per game, and it shoots 43.9 percent from the field, 28.5 percent from deep and 69.9 percent from the charity stripe. The Blazers rank No. 362 in three-point percentage out of 365 teams in college basketball, and they rank No. 316 in effective field goal percentage.
Four players average more than 10 points per game, and Chance Westry leads the team with 15 points, 4.9 assists, 3.8 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game. Westry led the team with 15 points and six assists in the first meeting against the Tigers.
While UAB doesn’t shoot the ball well, it does a great job avoiding turnovers, averaging only 8.9 turnovers per game. The Blazers lead the country in turnover percentage, but the Tigers forced 13 turnovers in the game in Birmingham.
Kennedy’s team doesn’t have a lot of size in the frontcourt, and they started a pair of 6-foot-8 forwards against the Tigers. Despite their lack of size, the Blazers average 40.9 rebounds, and they have a plus-4.3 rebounding margin.
Defensively, UAB allows 73.8 points per game, and opposing teams shoot 42.7 percent from the field and 31.9 percent from deep. The Blazers force 12.1 turnovers per game, and they average 15.7 points off turnovers.