The unofficial online home for fans of the UAB Blazers. Part of Collegiate Sports Nation (CSN).

UTEP (175) at UAB (48) - Thursday 30 December 2021

UTEP is 7-5 on the season. Best wins were at New Mexico (224), 77-69, and at Pacific (242), 73-64. Worst loss was their last game, at home, to Bradley (145), 73-66.

UTEP has only played one top 100 team so far. They lost to Kansas (5), 78-52.

The Miners are expected to go 9-9 in C-USA, and 16-14 for the season.

KenPom has it UAB 74 - UTEP 61.

As a team, UTEP is top 50 in free throw percentage (76.1%), and they go to the line a lot. Their free throw attempts/field goal attempts is 35.3%, which is 56th best in the country. UAB is at 28.7%, which is 200th.

They also have a low turnover rate (17.1%), just like UAB.

For some reason opponents shoot poorly at the free throw line against UTEP. Teams are shooting only 62.4% at the line when playing UTEP. That ranks 7th.

Expect us to improve their defensive free throw shooting % lol. We are an awful free throw shooting team.

https://twitter.com/SeanPaulCBB/status/1...0771530752

Hard for me to look at rankings like that with a straight face after the way we’ve played against USC, USF, and WVU. We STRUGGLE to score 60 against teams with a pulse. Until we can do something on offense, I don’t think we’ll reach our potential.

(12-28-2021 02:52 PM)The Answer UAB Wrote:  Hard for me to look at rankings like that with a straight face after the way we’ve played against USC, USF, and WVU. We STRUGGLE to score 60 against teams with a pulse. Until we can do something on offense, I don’t think we’ll reach our potential.

in all fairness, its not like the list says we're really good...it just says that if you take out most of the really good teams and make a list of what's left, we're 5th best

in somewhat related news, bracketmatrix finally updated their listings for the first time in several weeks, and we've moved up to the 3rd 12 seed (behind Davidson and Belmont, ahead of Iona)

(12-28-2021 04:16 PM)LairDweller Wrote:  

(12-28-2021 02:52 PM)The Answer UAB Wrote:  Hard for me to look at rankings like that with a straight face after the way we’ve played against USC, USF, and WVU. We STRUGGLE to score 60 against teams with a pulse. Until we can do something on offense, I don’t think we’ll reach our potential.

in all fairness, its not like the list says we're really good...it just says that if you take out most of the really good teams and make a list of what's left, we're 5th best

in somewhat related news, bracketmatrix finally updated their listings for the first time in several weeks, and we've moved up to the 3rd 12 seed (behind Davidson and Belmont, ahead of Iona)

Yeah I understand, but I still have a hard time ranking this team that highly, even with all those caveats. That WVU game really left a sour taste in my mouth. We completely imploded at the end against a not-so-great team.

West Virginia played great defense especially at the end of that game.

(12-28-2021 04:53 PM)The Answer UAB Wrote:  

(12-28-2021 04:16 PM)LairDweller Wrote:  

(12-28-2021 02:52 PM)The Answer UAB Wrote:  Hard for me to look at rankings like that with a straight face after the way we’ve played against USC, USF, and WVU. We STRUGGLE to score 60 against teams with a pulse. Until we can do something on offense, I don’t think we’ll reach our potential.

in all fairness, its not like the list says we're really good...it just says that if you take out most of the really good teams and make a list of what's left, we're 5th best

in somewhat related news, bracketmatrix finally updated their listings for the first time in several weeks, and we've moved up to the 3rd 12 seed (behind Davidson and Belmont, ahead of Iona)

Yeah I understand, but I still have a hard time ranking this team that highly, even with all those caveats. That WVU game really left a sour taste in my mouth. We completely imploded at the end against a not-so-great team.

Sugar leaves a sour taste in your mouth.

(12-28-2021 09:35 PM)notnow Wrote:  West Virginia played great defense especially at the end of that game.

UAB should have been able to overcome that.

(12-29-2021 09:43 AM)BlazerFromMD Wrote:  

(12-28-2021 04:53 PM)The Answer UAB Wrote:  

(12-28-2021 04:16 PM)LairDweller Wrote:  

(12-28-2021 02:52 PM)The Answer UAB Wrote:  Hard for me to look at rankings like that with a straight face after the way we’ve played against USC, USF, and WVU. We STRUGGLE to score 60 against teams with a pulse. Until we can do something on offense, I don’t think we’ll reach our potential.

in all fairness, its not like the list says we're really good...it just says that if you take out most of the really good teams and make a list of what's left, we're 5th best

in somewhat related news, bracketmatrix finally updated their listings for the first time in several weeks, and we've moved up to the 3rd 12 seed (behind Davidson and Belmont, ahead of Iona)

Yeah I understand, but I still have a hard time ranking this team that highly, even with all those caveats. That WVU game really left a sour taste in my mouth. We completely imploded at the end against a not-so-great team.

Sugar leaves a sour taste in your mouth.

Lol yeah ok be happy with how we’ve played in these big time game then. You’ll be happy with a middling NIT seed at the end of the year.

(12-29-2021 09:48 AM)HiddenDragon Wrote:  

(12-28-2021 09:35 PM)notnow Wrote:  West Virginia played great defense especially at the end of that game.

UAB should have been able to overcome that.

We were for most of the game but our balloon knots puckered up way too tight at the end and we wet the bed in crunch time. It was embarrassing.

The center piece to UTEP’s team is point guard Souley Boum (6-3 165 2nd year Junior). Boum actually played for San Francisco his freshman season.

In the twelve games UTEP has played, Boum has missed four. He has been dealing with a hand injury, and had Covid in late November. In the remaining eight games, he has scored in the double digits every time. Four times he has scored 23 or more points.
He hit for 29 points against Pacific.

Boum is an outstanding free throw shooter, going 51-60 (.850) so far this season. He is shooting 39% from three.

Looks like one of their leading scorers Keonte Kennedy will not make the trip. Its not a definite no yet but i read he got an MRI to check on something.

Middle has postponed both of their games also so we will be facing fresh teams on Saturday and Thursday.

https://www.al.com/uab/2021/12/uab-baske...orite.html

(12-29-2021 10:44 AM)The Answer UAB Wrote:  

(12-29-2021 09:43 AM)BlazerFromMD Wrote:  

(12-28-2021 04:53 PM)The Answer UAB Wrote:  

(12-28-2021 04:16 PM)LairDweller Wrote:  

(12-28-2021 02:52 PM)The Answer UAB Wrote:  Hard for me to look at rankings like that with a straight face after the way we’ve played against USC, USF, and WVU. We STRUGGLE to score 60 against teams with a pulse. Until we can do something on offense, I don’t think we’ll reach our potential.

in all fairness, its not like the list says we're really good...it just says that if you take out most of the really good teams and make a list of what's left, we're 5th best

in somewhat related news, bracketmatrix finally updated their listings for the first time in several weeks, and we've moved up to the 3rd 12 seed (behind Davidson and Belmont, ahead of Iona)

Yeah I understand, but I still have a hard time ranking this team that highly, even with all those caveats. That WVU game really left a sour taste in my mouth. We completely imploded at the end against a not-so-great team.

Sugar leaves a sour taste in your mouth.

Lol yeah ok be happy with how we’ve played in these big time game then. You’ll be happy with a middling NIT seed at the end of the year.

Nope, I won't be. But I also don't come online every day to complain about every shortcoming of the football and basketball teams. We get it. You're an expert on everything sports. The coaching staffs would be lost without your input.

Quote:Nope, I won't be. But I also don't come online every day to complain about every shortcoming of the football and basketball teams. We get it. You're an expert on everything sports. The coaching staffs would be lost without your input.

I’m happy to be playing conference games now. Was beginning to lose interest. Now it’s time to put up or shut up. Undefeated in conference play, do it.

(12-30-2021 03:58 PM)BlazerFromMD Wrote:  

(12-29-2021 10:44 AM)The Answer UAB Wrote:  

(12-29-2021 09:43 AM)BlazerFromMD Wrote:  

(12-28-2021 04:53 PM)The Answer UAB Wrote:  

(12-28-2021 04:16 PM)LairDweller Wrote:  in all fairness, its not like the list says we're really good...it just says that if you take out most of the really good teams and make a list of what's left, we're 5th best

in somewhat related news, bracketmatrix finally updated their listings for the first time in several weeks, and we've moved up to the 3rd 12 seed (behind Davidson and Belmont, ahead of Iona)

Yeah I understand, but I still have a hard time ranking this team that highly, even with all those caveats. That WVU game really left a sour taste in my mouth. We completely imploded at the end against a not-so-great team.

Sugar leaves a sour taste in your mouth.

Lol yeah ok be happy with how we’ve played in these big time game then. You’ll be happy with a middling NIT seed at the end of the year.

Nope, I won't be. But I also don't come online every day to complain about every shortcoming of the football and basketball teams. We get it. You're an expert on everything sports. The coaching staffs would be lost without your input.

lol that couldn’t be further from the truth..

Explain why I should be happy weve struggled to score what most teams would consider a mere modicum of points against anyone with a pulse.

I’m not always negative, you are just lazy and say I’m always negative. I give credit where it’s due. I always say our team is elite and top notch on the defensive end. It’s just that we are equally as bad on the other end of the court against decent teams.

AK is a very good coach. He’s rebuilding the team very quickly.

BC is a very good coach. He made several very bad decisions this year. We disappointed in football this year, despite a VERY good win to end the season. Our REAL attendance was very subpar.

Our programs are on an upward trajectory.

I give the good with the bad. It’s just that too many people on here are irrationally happy, and anything that isn’t absolute sunshine pumping is considered blazer sacrilege.

Making this the game thread I guess. Lets start out the conference season with a dub!