BIRMINGHAM – The 2020-21 UAB men’s basketball season features 18 Conference USA contests. This week UABSports.com will preview each of UAB’s C-USA opponents for the upcoming season, with today featuring North Texas (away Jan. 1-2) and Southern Miss (home Jan. 8-9).
NORTH TEXAS QUICK FACTS:
Location: Denton, Texas
2019-20 Record: 20-11
2019-20 C-USA Record: 14-4, 1st
Head Coach: Grant McCasland
Record at Southern: 61-41 / 4th season
Career record: 81-53
THE SERIES:
The series is tied 4-4, with each team winning at home twice and on the road twice. The initial game was a 79-73 win for UAB on December 4, 1997. Last season, the Mean Green won at Bartow Arena 71-64.
NORTH TEXAS AT A GLANCE:
North Texas finished first in Conference USA last year and won the 2020 Conference USA regular season championship under head coach 2020 C-USA Gene Bartow Coach of the Year Grant McCasland. The Mean Green have had three straight 20-win seasons including last year’s 14 conference wins which is most in program history. UNT was picked to finish second in the C-USA Preseason Poll and returns Conference USA Player of the Year Javion Hamlet (14.6 ppg)
DID YOU KNOW?
North Texas finished the season first in field goal percentage and three-point percentage in Conference USA.
SOUTHERN MISS QUICK FACTS:
Location: Hattiesburg, Miss.
2019-20 Record: 9-22
2019-20 C-USA Record: 5-13, 13th
Head Coach: Jay Ladner
Record at Southern: 9-22 / 2nd season
Career record: 85-110
THE SERIES:
UAB leads the series 32-19 against Southern Miss. The initial game was on January 10, 1979 that resulted in a 93-87 win for the Blazers. UAB’s first Conference USA game was against USM. The teams have met four time in non-conference play, 44 times in C-USA games and three times in the C-USA Championship. The Golden Eagles won last season 77-84 at Bartow Arena.
SOUTHERN MISS AT A GLANCE:
Southern Miss, who finished last season 13th in Conference USA last season, has nine newcomers on the roster this year. The Golden Eagles return their second leading scorer from last season Tyler Stevenson (6.5 ppg).
DID YOU KNOW?
UAB junior Simeon Kirkland and Southern Miss redshirt junior Tyler Morman were teammates at Florida SouthWestern State
All UAB men’s basketball season ticket holders who completed their purchase by October 19 were able to be accommodated within the social distancing reallocation for the 2020-21 season. A limited number of season tickets remain in the upper level and can be purchased on a first come, first served basis. For those interested in season tickets, please fill out the season ticket request form or contact the UAB Ticket Office at 205-975-8221. A member of the UAB Athletics Ticket Sales and Service team will follow up with you regarding available seating options.
As a reminder, original season ticket locations from the men’s basketball priority seat allocation will be utilized for 2021-22 renewals or if capacity restrictions change during the 2020-21 season.
For more information on the UAB men’s basketball program, follow @UAB_MBB on Twitter and Instagram. Also be sure to follow @CoachAK13 on Twitter.
