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

Samford is getting an Auto-bid to the NIT. Could definitely see us being matched up against them if we don’t win the CUSA tournament.

That would be fun.

https://twitter.com/UAB_MBB/status/16336...97729?s=20

Rice led the entire game against UTSA. Rice led 42-33 at halftime and held on for a 72-71 victory.

Fiedler played 25 minutes, scoring 10 points and dishing out 6 assists. He also had 5 turnovers.

KenPom has it UAB 86 - Rice 75.

Fiedler worries me. He only lasted about 5 minutes ( got some sort of injury) in our last game against them but had 2 great assists right away.

UTSA played their tails off to come back. Rice deserved to win but I have to say I have been very impressed with the Runners’ fight to the finish being a last place team.

(03-09-2023 12:09 PM)DuelingDragon Wrote:  UTSA played their tails off to come back. Rice deserved to win but I have to say I have been very impressed with the Runners’ fight to the finish being a last place team.

Impressed enough for them to keep their coach as they move to AAC? They were dead last in CUSA, but ended the season playing tough basketball. I just think they will continue being last in the AAC.

Their basketball program needs a complete overhaul. Their arena is embarrassing too, just like Rice and FAU.

If they couldn’t win with the two ridiculous guards they had who seemed to play there for 10 years, not sure what else to expect. I don’t think the American is going to be a huge step up tbh other than Memphis at the top and fewer weak teams at the bottom where UTSA will start. C-USA this season (not other recent years) was very comparable to what to expect in the new AAC.

(03-09-2023 12:23 PM)DuelingDragon Wrote:  If they couldn’t win with the two ridiculous guards they had who seemed to play there for 10 years, not sure what else to expect. I don’t think the American is going to be a huge step up tbh other than Memphis at the top and fewer weak teams at the bottom where UTSA will start. C-USA this season (not other recent years) was very comparable to what to expect in the new AAC.

Eh idk about that. The AAC at least has programs that have had success not all that long ago, i.e. Wichita State, Temple, even Tulsa even though they're having a terrible year. Add that with the fact that we're bring programs on the rise with us in FAU and UNT, and I view it as an upgrade. The league will obviously lose some of it power with Cincy, UCF, and Houston leaving, but it's still an upgrade in my mind.

(03-09-2023 09:31 PM)Blazer4Life14 Wrote:  

(03-09-2023 12:23 PM)DuelingDragon Wrote:  If they couldn’t win with the two ridiculous guards they had who seemed to play there for 10 years, not sure what else to expect. I don’t think the American is going to be a huge step up tbh other than Memphis at the top and fewer weak teams at the bottom where UTSA will start. C-USA this season (not other recent years) was very comparable to what to expect in the new AAC.

Eh idk about that. The AAC at least has programs that have had success not all that long ago, i.e. Wichita State, Temple, even Tulsa even though they're having a terrible year. Add that with the fact that we're bring programs on the rise with us in FAU and UNT, and I view it as an upgrade. The league will obviously lose some of it power with Cincy, UCF, and Houston leaving, but it's still an upgrade in my mind.

An upgrade unquestionably over time, but probably not from *this season’s* cusa and not really any better than cusa was before the last realignment. We have been there, done that. It will just be nice to be in a league with legitimate chance to have 2 and sometimes 3 teams with a good chance to dance.

From Twitter -

Echoing/confirming report: Stanford coach Jerod Haase will return next season, per AD Bernard Muir. Cardinal lost tonight against Arizona 95-84 to fall to 14-19.

https://twitter.com/MattNorlander/status...44582?s=20

Incredible. They really DGAF about their basketball program apparently. He’s been BAD there. P

We shouldn’t even be debating if the AAC is an upgrade from CUSA. It is clearly and unequivocally better. Insanely better tv deal, programs, respect, and leadership.

(03-10-2023 08:43 AM)The Answer UAB Wrote:  Incredible. They really DGAF about their basketball program apparently. He’s been BAD there. P

It really is wild. There was a long period that ran through the mid 2000’s where Stanford was essentially a premiere college basketball program. From 95-08 they missed the tournament once. It’s crazy to think a program that had that much success is content with where it is at today.

(03-10-2023 09:45 AM)blazers9911 Wrote:  

(03-10-2023 08:43 AM)The Answer UAB Wrote:  Incredible. They really DGAF about their basketball program apparently. He’s been BAD there. P

It really is wild. There was a long period that ran through the mid 2000’s where Stanford was essentially a premiere college basketball program. From 95-08 they missed the tournament once. It’s crazy to think a program that had that much success is content with where it is at today.

Sounds like they need Ray Watts to right the ship.

(03-10-2023 09:06 AM)Golden-Ticket Wrote:  We shouldn’t even be debating if the AAC is an upgrade from CUSA. It is clearly and unequivocally better. Insanely better tv deal, programs, respect, and leadership.

Who is debating? Of course it is
The only thing that is being mentioned is that this year’s quality of competition in cusa will be comparable to next year’s aac other than memphis. It isn’t a huge leap because cusa was really good this year. Most of the time post realignment it was nowhere near this quality.

The aac will be better on every level overall, historically or otherwise. Duh

Watching FAU-Middle… FAU is such a supremely confident team. They move with purpose on both ends of the floor. They rarely make a bad decision with the ball, either. Their spacing is terrific. They do all the little things that don’t necessary show up on the box but show up on the scoreboard. They ain’t perfect by any stretch but man they are for real. They deserve an 8 seed in the dance no matter what happens in Frisco

(03-10-2023 12:44 PM)DuelingDragon Wrote:  Watching FAU-Middle… FAU is such a supremely confident team. They move with purpose on both ends of the floor. They rarely make a bad decision with the ball, either. Their spacing is terrific. They do all the little things that don’t necessary show up on the box but show up on the scoreboard. They ain’t perfect by any stretch but man they are for real. They deserve an 8 seed in the dance no matter what happens in Frisco

In so many ways, they are the exact opposite of UAB. (As is UNT.)

We have better athletes, I think, and better individual basketball players. But sometimes it seems we have no idea what our purpose is, and we make a ton of questionable decisions every game, even in wins.

We can beat FAU--we have done so already. But they are the better TEAM, even if we have better players. IF we get a chance to play them again (and we are 1 point underdogs to the Mean Green today), it will be a battle, and those contrasts will likely stand out.

Poor Middle is so dang athletic but just cannot shoot a lick when it counts. FAU is just methodically taking them apart on both ends right now because the Raiders can’t hit anything outside 3 feet.