BIRMINGHAM – UAB (9-1, 2-0 C-USA) makes their first Conference USA road trip of 2021 when they head to Charlotte (5-5, 1-1 C-USA) for two games on Jan. 15 (4 p.m.) and Jan. 16 (3 p.m.).
NINE OF 10
UAB’s win over Southern Miss on Jan. 9 improved the team to 9-1 on the season. This marked the seventh time in the program’s 43-year history the Blazers begun the season with nine wins in the first 10 games. Coach Gene Bartow accomplished this five times and Mike Davis once. Each of those six teams made the postseason.
1983-84: 23-11 (NCAA)
1985-86: 25-11 (NCAA)
1991-92: 20-9 (NIT)
1992-93: 21-14 (NIT)
1993-94: 22-8 (NCAA)
2009-10: 25-9 (NIT)
UAB LATELY
Playing for the first time in 20 days, UAB opened their Conference USA schedule with a pair of victories over Southern Miss – 72-60 on Jan. 8 and 62-58 on Jan. 9. Tyreek Scott-Grayson scored 16 points in both games. The Blazers are in first place in the C-USA West Division.
CHARLOTTE LATELY
Last weekend’s Charlotte/Marshall series was postponed due to the Thundering Herd not having enough players available. On Jan. 9, the 49ers played Belmont Abbey, a Division II school 25 miles outside of Charlotte. The Crusaders scored 14 of the final 16 points to send the game into overtime and outlasted the 49ers 75-72 in OT. The 49ers are tied for fourth in the C-USA East Division.
UAB AND CHARLOTTE HISTORY
Friday night will mark the 50th game between the Blazers and 49ers. UAB and Charlotte first played on Jan. 28, 1980 when the teams were both members of the Sun Belt Conference. UAB leads the all-time series 31-18. After splitting the first two games during the 1980 regular season, the Blazers went on win the next 15 matchups from Feb. 12, 1981 to Jan. 12, 1987. The series went on hiatus after the 1991 season when UAB joined the Great Midwestern Conference. It resumed in 1996 when both teams joined Conference USA. The teams did not meet from 2006 to 2013 while Charlotte was a member of the Atlantic 10 Conference. The series continued when the 49ers rejoined Conference USA during the 2014 season.
UAB AND CHARLOTTE ALL-TIME
OVERALL: UAB leads 31-18
IN BIRMINGHAM: UAB leads 15-5
IN CHARLOTTE: UAB leads 11-9
AT A NEUTRAL SITE: UAB leads 5-4
COMMON OPPONENTS
UAB and Charlotte have four common opponents this season: Middle Tennessee, Old Dominion, UTEP and UTSA.
AK VS. CHARLOTTE
UAB head coach Andy Kennedy played against Charlotte seven times as a member of the Blazers. His best game against the 49ers was a 27-point effort in an 87-70 win on Jan. 31, 1991 at the Charlotte Coliseum. He averaged 17.7 points per game against the 49ers.
As a coach, has faced Charlotte one time – an 86-80 win in the 2006 NIT when he was head coach at Cincinnati.
DID YOU KNOW?
Kennedy played against current Charlotte sophomore guard Bryce Williams’ father Henry. The elder Williams is the 49ers all-time leading scorer.
RADIO
Blazer men’s basketball games are set to air on 100.5 ESPN JOX 2 with David Crane and Murry Bartow on the call.
In addition, Crane will host Blazer Sportsline every Tuesday during Conference USA play. The show takes place live from Iron City Grill in downtown Birmingham and feature men’s basketball head coach Andy Kennedy and women’s basketball head coach Randy Norton.
The nine-episode show, airs from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Blazer Sportsline can be heard on 100.5 ESPN JOX 2 and fans will be encouraged to tweet questions to @BlazersLIMGC.
Fans may also follow the Blazers this season by downloading the free TuneIn Radio app, online through Blazers All-Access at UABSports.com, or on the UAB Gameday mobile app.
TV/STREAMING
Friday’s game will air on ESPNU. You can watch on:
Verizon FiOS: 573
DirecTV: 208
Dish Network: 141
AT&T U-verse: 1605
You can also stream ESPNU on the ESPN app. You must have a TV provider in order to stream the game.
Saturday’s game will be streamed through ESPN+. This is also a subscription-based service. Click here to register a new account.
UP NEXT
The Blazers return home to face Rice on Jan. 22 and Jan. 23. The Saturday contest will be the 12th annual Bartow Classic. Tipoff times will be 6:30 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. respectively.
MEN’S BASKETBALL TICKET INFORMATION
In compliance with CDC and state and local public health guidance, UAB adjusted the seating manifest to adhere to social distancing at Bartow Arena for the 2020-21 season. UAB reallocated season ticket holders who had completed their purchase of season tickets through October 19 and placed season ticket holders based on Blazer Boosters Priority Points and the price type of tickets purchased. As a reminder, original season ticket locations prior to the social distancing reallocation will be utilized for 2021-22 renewals or if capacity restrictions change during the 2020-21 season.
Due to social distancing guidelines, men’s basketball single game tickets and walk up sales are not be available to the public for the 2020-21 season.
Fans interested in season tickets are encouraged to fill out the season ticket request form or contact the UAB Ticket Office at (205) 975-UAB1. A member of the UAB Athletics Sales and Service team will be in touch if capacity restrictions are lifted or when 2021-22 season tickets become available.
TICKET TRANSFER
Season ticket holders that cannot make it to the game are encouraged to transfer their game tickets. Click here (PDF) to learn more on how to transfer your tickets to a friend.
