Memphis-UAB Preview

2/15/2008 1:40 PM

By MIKE LIPKA
STATS Writer

Some consider it a foregone conclusion that Memphis will run the table in Conference USA play, but a few of UAB's players know firsthand that it's possible to defeat the mighty Tigers in a league game.

Riding a season-opening 24-game winning streak, top-ranked Memphis will play its first road game of the month on Saturday when it travels to UAB, the site of the Tigers' last loss in C-USA play.

Memphis (24-0, 10-0) has won 33 straight in league play - including the conference tournament - but its last loss came March 2, 2006 in Birmingham, when the Blazers (17-7, 7-2) knocked off then-No. 3 Memphis 80-74.

Each team had two current players start that game, as Frank Holmes had 14 points while Lawrence Kinnard added three for UAB. Joey Dorsey had 11 points and 16 rebounds while Chris Douglas-Roberts scored six points for Memphis.

At the time, it was Memphis' first league loss of the season, and the Tigers had entered that game having won 12 straight C-USA games. Memphis has since won three in a row against UAB during its current run in conference play, allowing an average of just 52.0 points.

The most recent meeting in the series also took place in Birmingham, where Memphis won 70-56 last February, holding the Blazers to 30.8 percent shooting and forcing 20 turnovers.

The Tigers' defense was similarly impressive in the second half of a 68-59 win over Houston on Wednesday. Memphis trailed at the half for the first time since Dec. 4, but held the Cougars to just 22 points and 22.9 percent shooting in the final 20 minutes.

"This was exactly the type of game that we needed to play," Memphis coach John Calipari said. "Everybody said to me, 'Did you go crazy at halftime?' I really didn't raise my voice. If I have to raise my voice at this time of the year at halftime, then we're petering out.

"I went in and I just said, 'This is what we needed,'" Calipari added. "You're talking about a team that is playing for their lives. They outscrapped us, outrebounded us and made a few shots. Some of them were like, 'Oh my gosh.'"

Douglas-Roberts had 22 points while Dorsey added six points and 12 rebounds in his third consecutive game coming off the bench after having started 91 of the previous 93.

The Tigers' last four wins have come at home, but they haven't exactly struggled on the road this season, winning six games by an average of 18.5 points - all by at least 10. They haven't played in an opponent's gym since an 89-77 win over Houston on Jan. 30.

UAB - a much-improved team in its second season under former Indiana coach Mike Davis - hasn't lost at home, going 11-0 and outscoring opponents by more than 20 points per game.

The Blazers, who are tied with Houston for second place in C-USA, have won five of their last six and nine of 11 overall, including a 69-60 victory at Rice on Wednesday.

They won that game despite missing leading scorer Robert Vaden, who was out with a sore groin. Vaden, a transfer who followed Davis from Indiana, is fourth in C-USA this season with 20.8 points per game.

Guard Ed Berrios stepped up in his place, scoring 15 points on 5-of-8 shooting from 3-point range.

Memphis and UAB are the top defensive teams in the league, as the Tigers allow just 60.0 points per game and the Blazers give up 63.8.

These teams close the regular season against each other on March 8 in Memphis.