The UAB Blazers (20-4), the Conference USA’s top shooting team, will challenge the Southern Miss Golden Eagles (7-14) at Reed Green Coliseum. Action begins at 8:00 pm ET on Thursday, Feb. 11.
The Golden Eagles are hoping to rebound after their 72-65 loss to Rice in their last matchup. Khari Price had a solid performance, putting up 10 points, eight assists, and six rebounds for Southern Miss. The Blazers, meanwhile, are coming off a 104-67 win against Florida Atlantic in their last game. William Lee claimed his fourth double-double of the season with 10 points and 10 rebounds.
The top-notch UAB defense appears to have an advantage when it comes to eFG%. It ranks 28th in the nation in making teams miss (opponents’ eFG% of 45.2%), whereas the cold-shooting offense of Southern Miss is 283rd with a mark of 47.3%.
While the Golden Eagles haven’t been very good Straight Up (SU) (7-14), they’ve been better Against The Spread (ATS) with an 11-7 record. The Golden Eagles have seen an uptick in scoring as of late, averaging 81.8 points during the last 10 games compared to their season average of 61.3 points per game.
Over on the other bench, the Blazers have records of 12-8 ATS and 20-4 SU. Offensively, the Blazers have really sputtered in the last 10 games. Their season average has fallen to 79.2 points per game after averaging only 65.8 during that stretch. The Blazers convert their three-pointers at a high percentage, ranking 50th in the nation at .377. The Blazers are an unselfish team with an average of 18.9 assists per game, ranking fourth in Division I. The UAB defense has been a problem for competitors, allowing only .399 shooting from the field to its opponents. Blocking shots is an area where UAB has excelled. The Blazers average 6.5 blocks per game, making them one of the best in the nation.
These conference foes meet for what will be their first head-to-head battle of the season. UAB won the last game in the matchup, bringing the head-to-head record to an even 5-5 SU over their most recent meetings. On the other hand, UAB holds the advantage ATS with a record of 6-4. Southern Miss held the edge in field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers one time, while UAB was never able to do so in their most recent five games.
Predictions: SU Winner – UAB, ATS Winner – UAB
Notes
“Southern Miss is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games “.
“Southern Miss is 7-15 SU in its last 22 games “.
“The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Southern Miss’s last 7 games “.
“Southern Miss is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games at home”.
“Southern Miss is 3-6 ATS in its last 9 games when playing UAB”.
“The total has gone OVER in 4 of Southern Miss’s last 5 games when playing UAB”.
“Southern Miss is 2-5 ATS in its last 7 games when playing at home against UAB”.
“The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Southern Miss’s last 7 games when playing at home against UAB”.
“The total has gone UNDER in 5 of UAB’s last 7 games when playing on the road against Southern Miss”.
Southern Miss scores an average of just 61.3 points per game (ranked 252nd). UAB ranks 70th in points allowed, giving up 67.5 points per game.
Southern Miss scores just 67.6 points per home game (ranked 232nd). UAB ranks 53rd in points allowed on the road, giving up 69.9 points.
In its last game, UAB won by a margin of 37 points. Southern Miss is 0-5 in games decided by a margin of 18 points or more. UAB has a 5-0 record in blowouts.
Ranked 36th, the UAB Blazers have an offensive rating of 113.7. The Southern Miss Golden Eagles rank 191st with a defensive rating of just 103.9.
UAB has the 20th-ranked average field goal percentage at 48.4%. Southern Miss has not won a game this season when opponents have a similar or higher field goal percentage (0-2).
The Southern Miss Golden Eagles rank lower for their field goal percentage (334th) than they do for their effective field goal percentage (283rd), but the UAB Blazers have a better FG% ranking (20th) than eFG% ranking (27th).
The UAB Blazers rank fourth in assists per game, making an average of 18.9. The Southern Miss Golden Eagles are among the worst in the country with 11.5 assists per game (ranked 306th).
UAB, the second-ranked team in blocked shots, registers an average of 6.5 per game. Southern Miss ranks lower at 321st with 2.0.
Southern Miss ranks 331st in offensive rebounds, while UAB ranks 33rd in defensive rebounds.
On average, Southern Miss forces a turnover rate of 17.7%. When UAB turns over the ball at a similar or higher rate, the team has a superb 7-2 record.
