ROCK HILL, S.C. — UAB starts its men’s basketball season Monday with a neutral-site test against McNeese, part of an eight-game opening-day showcase run by the Field of 68. The Blazers and Cowboys tip off at 4:30 p.m. Central time inside Rock Hill’s Sports & Event Center, and the game streams on YouTube.
Both teams are coming off strong years. UAB finished 20-12 last season and scored 79.2 points a game while giving up 73.8. McNeese was even better at 28-6, holding opponents to 66.8 points a night while averaging 79.7 of its own.
The Birmingham program looks very different this time. Salim London, a sophomore guard from Hoover, is the only player back from last season. He played in all 32 games with 12 starts and averaged 4.9 points.
Coach Andy Kennedy, a UAB alumnus starting his seventh season in charge, rebuilt the rotation through transfers. Guard Justyn Fernandez scored 16.6 points a game at Delaware, and guard Deuce Jones averaged 15.8 at Saint Joseph’s, where he was once the Atlantic 10’s top freshman.
Other newcomers include T.J. Caldwell, who put up 9.4 points a game at Arkansas State after three seasons at Ole Miss, and 6-foot-7 forward Jeremy Elyzee from Southeastern Louisiana.
Kennedy enters the opener with a 145-62 record at UAB, and the Blazers have strung together six straight 20-win seasons. The opening-day event spreads its games between Rock Hill and Sioux Falls, S.D., and features 16 teams, 11 of which won at least 20 games a year ago.
Fans in Birmingham can also follow the game on the radio on WJQX 100.5 FM.
Section: More Birmingham AL sports news
Filed under: Birmingham AL Sports News
