Tigers Basketball Preview: UAB

Thursday, November 30

Birmingham, Ala.

7 PM

University of Memphis

UAB

Photo by: Joe Murphy

Nov 29, 2017 | Men's Basketball

Memphis Game Notes (vs. UAB)UAB Game Notes (vs. Memphis)

Longtime rivals to face off in the 2017 Bartow Classic.

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Life on the road in college athletics is tough. That's why every road victory is so valuable.

The road is where the University of Memphis men's basketball team finds itself Thursday, Nov. 30 when it travels to Birmingham, Ala., to face UAB. Thursday's game is the first true road game of the season for 11 players on the Memphis roster, and adding to that, the young Tigers are heading into an arena that will be filled with fans looking for the Blazers' first victory against their rival in over a decade.

Game Quick Facts

Opponent	UAB
Day/Date	Thursday, Nov. 30
Time	7 p.m. (CT)
Site	Birmingham, Ala./Bartow Arena
Television	None (Web: WatchStadium.com)
Radio (Flagship)	600 WREC AM/Rock 103 (102.7 FM)

Head coach Tubby Smith
"Looking back at Northern Kentucky, we did a good job of keeping our composure. Coming back from 16 points down was impressive, especially with our young players. David Nickelberry and Jamal Johnson had big plays. I was pleased with our execution down the stretch. I wasn't happy with our free throw shooting, and we're still not shooting the ball well from outside.

"Now, we have to get ready for a very good UAB team. They are coming off a tough stretch, but they are 4-0 at home. Coach Ehsan has done a good job, and I've been impressed with how hard his teams play. They played us tough here last year, and they have quite a few talented players returning."

Tigers Tidbits/Five Notes To Know

Thursday's game is the 48^th overall meeting on the hardwood between the two programs. Memphis leads the series 37-10 and has won the last 16 encounters, including last season's 62-55 victory at FedExForum Dec. 10, 2016. UAB's last win in the series was an 80-74 victory in the 2005-06 season. The Blazers posted that win Mar. 2, 2006, in Birmingham.
Thursday's match-up also is the 2017 Bartow Classic. Gene Bartow, who passed away Jan. 3, 2012, coached at both Memphis and UAB. From 1970-74, Bartow guided the Tigers to an 83-32 record, including a 25-6 mark in 1972-73. That 1972-73 team advanced to the NCAA title game, where it fell to John Wooden's UCLA Bruins. Later, Bartow moved to UAB and coached the Blazers from 1978-96. In his 18 seasons in Birmingham, Bartow compiled a 366-203 record and led UAB to 10 NCAA Tournaments.
Although a road game, one Tiger is making a homecoming Thursday. Freshman Jamal Johnson is from Birmingham and played his prep career at Spain Park High School. The 6-foot-3 guard averaged 24.8 points and 7.1 rebounds his senior campaign in 2016-17. Johnson earned Alabama Sports Writers Association (ASWA) Class 7A All-State first team honors last season.
Thursday's game is not going to look like last season's meeting – in terms of who's playing in the game. Memphis and UAB return only five players total (UofM, 2; UAB, 3) that saw action in last year's 62-55 Tigers victory. Those five players combined for 35 points (UofM, 9; UAB, 26), 22 rebounds (UofM, 6; UAB, 16) and seven assists (UofM, 5; UAB, 2) in last year's encounter.
Although not 10 years to the date, Thursday's Memphis-UAB match-up conjures up memories from the thrilling come-from-behind win the Tigers had at Bartow Arena in the 2007-08 campaign. With an overflowing crowd past capacity, Memphis overcame a seven-point deficit in the final 1:23 to take a 79-78 victory over the Blazers. Chris Douglas-Roberts converted a three-point play with :06 on the clock to give Memphis the lead. A Lawrence Kinnard put-back attempt went in, but it came after the buzzer. With the victory, the Tigers remained undefeated at 25-0 and held on to their No. 1 national ranking.