It will be a battle between Conference USA opponents when the UAB Blazers (11-3) welcome the Texas San Antonio Roadrunners (3-12) to Bartow Arena. The game starts at 8:00 pm ET on Thursday, Jan. 7.
The Blazers beat Middle Tennessee 78-67 on Sunday. Nick Norton was the team’s leading scorer with 14 points on 3-for-4 shooting. The Roadrunners, meanwhile, are coming off an 85-80 win over Rice on Sunday. Christian Wilson was the team’s top scorer, posting 23 points on 8-for-10 shooting.
UAB is a considerable 22-point favorite at home and the Over/Under (O/U) for this matchup is set at 153 points. The Blazers come into this game 11-3 Straight Up (SU) and 5-4 Against The Spread (ATS). The Blazers are one of the best in Division I in terms of field-goal percentage, shooting an impressive .486 from the field. Spreading the ball around is a huge part of UAB’s offense. They are ninth in the nation in assists with an average of 18.9 per game. Opposing teams know they’re in for a battle when they play UAB’s stingy defense. The Blazers are one of the top teams when it comes to defense, allowing just 64.7 points per game. Opposing offenses have been stifled by the Blazers, who allow a field goal percentage of only .389. The Blazers are the sixth-best team in the country at blocking shots, averaging 6.4 blocks per game. UAB will look to take advantage of the Roadrunners and their propensity to foul. Texas San Antonio ranks 326th in the nation in fouls, averaging 22.7 per game.
On the other side, the Roadrunners head into the game with records of 3-6 ATS and 3-12 SU. Most recently, Texas San Antonio is a meager 1-4 ATS over the last 10 games.
This game marks the first time these teams will play this season. The last time the conference foes played, UAB won, bumping its SU record to 2-0 over the Roadrunners. The teams are even ATS, with a 1-1 record.
Predictions: SU Winner – UAB, ATS Winner – UAB, O/U – Over
Notes
UAB is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games.
UAB is a perfect 1-0 SU against its conference, while Texas San Antonio is even at 1-1 SU.
Texas San Antonio scores just 67.0 points per away game (ranked 226th). UAB ranks 80th in points allowed at home, giving up 63.0 points.
The UAB Blazers have a defensive rating of 95.1 (ranked 49th), while the Texas San Antonio Roadrunners have an offensive rating of 97.1 (ranked 300th).
The UAB Blazers average a field goal percentage of 48.6% this season. The Texas San Antonio Roadrunners are a winless 0-7 when opponents have a FG% of 48.6% or greater.
The UAB Blazers and the Texas San Antonio Roadrunners both rank higher in average field goal percentage when compared to their effective field goal percentages. UAB is 37th and 28th in the nation for eFG% and FG% respectively, while Texas San Antonio ranks 237th and 231st in these categories.
Ranked ninth in the nation, UAB has an average of 18.9 assists per game. Texas San Antonio ranks lower at 332nd with 10.7.
UAB, the sixth-ranked team in blocked shots, records an average of 6.4 per game. Texas San Antonio ranks lower at 209th with 3.1.
The Texas San Antonio Roadrunners make an average of 6.3 steals per game. When the UAB Blazers give up 6 or more steals, they are a superb 7-2.
