Back Memphis To Redeem Loss Against UAB

UAB vs. Memphis, 5:30 ET

It was an ugly Saturday for me on the hardwood as I took losses in both plays that I had. In the first game, I had Florida being able to survive on the road against South Carolina. I still think South Carolina is slightly overrated, but they were able to win, on their home floor, grabbing a six-point victory. To follow that up, I thought we would see plenty of offense in a game between Tennessee and Alabama. They ended with 155 combined points, which should've been more than enough in most college games. Unfortunately for me, it was still about 15 fewer than I needed. It put an end to an average week overall, and was the first 0-2 day in a while. Now I'm looking to take back a unit from the books as UAB plays Memphis in a Sunday evening showdown.

UAB comes into this contest with an 18-10 record, but they are slightly ahead of tonight's opponent in the conference standings as of right now. UAB is 10-5 in the conference and that slots them in fourth. They've but together a decent enough campaign, but have stumbled a bit lately, going just 2-2 over their past four games with both losses coming on their home floor. Their most recent loss was against Wichita State, a game that saw them fall by a final of 74-66. The other loss was against Rice, a school that has struggled most of the season. In that one, UAB was absolutely embarrassed dropping it 94-71. Again, if that came on the road, I think you might overlook it, but having it happen at home is unforgivable. The reality of that game is that Rice shot at a ridiculous clip, but some of that is a result of UAB not playing good defense. As a team, the Blazers are led by Yaxel Lendeborg, a forward averaging 13.9 points per game and 10.3 rebounds. They are bolstered by three really active guards that don't turn the ball over that much, and one (Eric Gaines) who is an active defender. I'd like to see how Gaines would play in a bigger conference at a school with more pressure. I think he has some talent even though he is already a junior. 

Memphis is the bigger name in this matchup, and has the more profiled coach. However, that really doesn't matter as we've seen very little sustained success from Penny Hardaway and the Tigers. Sure, they are 21-8 for the year, but they are also 10-6 in the conference and have already lost to this UAB team once this year. Their losses have been a bit of a mixed bag. They lost by one point to South Florida, and two points to Tulane. UAB then beat them by nine-points, and Rice beat them by three to put together a four-game losing streak. Their two most recent losses, both on the road, came by 10 points to North Texas, and 27 points to SMU. Currently, they are on a three-game winning streak and should look to close these last two games with wins as they head into the conference tournament. In order to win this game, you'll need David Jones to be the best player on the floor. A strong forward, he can put up points and score from virtually everywhere. But, keeping Lendeborg off of the glass could prove to be difficult for him and the rest of the team. Memphis was outrebounded in the first game and that was one of the bigger differences. Sure, UAB shot more free throws as well, but both teams shot effectively overall.

I think the comfort of playing on their own court be the difference maker in this game for the Tigers. Memphis lost the first game but it wasn't an egregious loss. They hit more threes, the same number of field goals overall, and had more assists and steals. They lost the battle of rebounds which clearly made a difference (especially the 10(!) offensive boards that Lendeborg grabbed. I expect a better effort from them today and think they will cover the -7.5 against UAB. 

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