UAB finally ready for home opener

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – For the first time this season, the UAB men’s basketball team will play in Bartow Arena when the Blazers take on long-time rival USF on Wednesday night at 8 p.m. CT. The contest will follow the UAB-Florida women’s basketball game, which is set to take place at 5:30 p.m. CT.
  UAB enters Wednesday’s contest against USF on a two-game losing skid after opening the season with four straight wins. The Blazers’ losses came in the semifinal and consolation of the 2008 NIT Season Tipoff, as they fell to then-No. 11 Oklahoma, 77-67 last Wednesday, and Boston College, 83-77 on Friday.
  The Blazers are led by three seniors who average double figures. Senior guard/forward Robert Vaden, a Wooden Award candidate and Preseason C-USA Player of the Year recipient, leads the team in scoring (19.2 ppg) and is second in rebounding (6.7 rpg). He also picked up where he left off last year on three-point shooting, leading the team with 22 treys on the season (22-of-59).
  Senior guard Paul Delaney III is second on the team, averaging 18.4 ppg, to go along with 4.4 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.0 steals per game.  Delaney sat out the last UAB game against Boston College with an injured ankle, but is expected to return to the lineup against the Bulls.
  Senior forward Lawrence Kinnard is coming off a monster game against Boston College, where he scored a career-high 29 points to go along with eight boards and four assists. He is third on the team in scoring, averaging 17.0 points and leads the squad with 8.0 rebounds per contest. 
(courtesy: UAB Media Relations)