[4] UAB (20-11, 12-6) vs. [12] WICHITA STATE (15-18, 5-13)
American Athletic Conference Championship | Quarterfinals
Friday, March 15 | 2:00 p.m. CT
Fort Worth, Texas | Dickies Arena
 
TV: ESPN2 with Mike Corey & Perry Clark
Radio: KEYN 103.7 FM with Mike Kennedy, Dave Dahl & Bob Hull
 

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OPENING TIPS
• The 12th-seeded Shockers tipoff quarterfinal action against No. 4 UAB on Friday (2:00 p.m. CT, ESPN2). The winner advances to face the winner of ECU/USF in Saturday's semifinals at 2:00 p.m. CT on ESPN2.
• Wichita State won the lone regular season meeting with the Blazers just a couple weeks ago in Birmingham, 74-66. The Shockers are 5-0 all-time vs. UAB.
• Wichita State is the lowest seed to win two games in The American Championship and became the second double-digit seed to win two games (No. 10 Tulane in 2016).
• The Shockers are in the quarterfinals for the fifth time in seven years. Wichita State's win over Memphis in the second round snapped a 9-game losing streak to the Tigers.
• Five teams finished the American Athletic Conference regular season at 5-13. The Shockers were a combined 2-3 vs. the other 4 teams (Tulane, UTSA, Rice, Temple).
• This is Wichita State's sixth AAC Championship, having never made it past the semifinals. Wichita State has won at least one game in the conference tournament 14 of the last 15 years.
• Harlond Beverly nearly recorded a 5-by-5 statline in the upset of No. 5 Memphis. He finished with 17 points, 6 rebounds, 5 steals (career high) and 5 blocks (career high).
• Colby Rogers has scored 20+ in four of the last five games with 29 at UAB,  25 vs. Rice, 29 at Tulane and 22 vs. Rice. He's averaging 23.6 points per game during that stretch. Rogers is the first Shocker since Markis McDuffie in 2019 with four straight 20-point games.
• Over his last five games, he's 26-for-45 (57.8%) from beyond the arc. He was a career-best 7-for-9 in the win vs. Rice on March 2.
• With his five 3-pointers in the first round vs. Rice he became the single season school record holder with 94 made 3-pointers this season, passing Sean Ogirri's 91 in 2005-06.
• Rogers (16.5 ppg; leading scorer) has made a three-pointer in all but one game this season and multiple in 26 of the 33. He leads the AAC in total 3PT FG made (97), 3PT Percentage (41.6%) and 3PT FGM per game (2.94).
• Quincy Ballard ranks 23rd nationally in blocks (70). He had tied a career-high with 7 vs. East Carolina on Jan. 24. Ballard has 20 games with multiple blocks.
• Over the last 22 games Ballard is shooting 76-for-99 (76.8%) from the field.

THE SERIES VS. UAB
• This is just the sixth meeting all-time between Wichita State and UAB.
• UAB's men's basketball program has only been around since 1978. Gene Bartow sat on the bench for 18 seasons as the head coach, and now the Blazers play in Bartow Arena.
• Three of the first four meetings came in Wichita: Levitt Arena, Charles Koch Arena and INTRUST Bank Arena.
• The lone contest in Birmingham came in 1982 when the Shockers squeaked out an 89-88 win in overtime behind 24 points from Aubrey Sherrod.
• The series started in 1981 when the Blazers made the trip to Wichita for a December matchup in Levitt Arena.
• Greg Dreiling, Tony Martin and Antoine Carr led the Shockers to a 75-60 win in that 1981 matchup.
• A thriller in Birmingham broke out in 1982. Wichita State shot nearly 65% from the field and the five starters scored all but five of Wichita State's points in an 89-88 overtime win.
• Sherrod (27) and Zarko Durisic (24) combined for 51 points and Xavier McDaniel recorded a double-double of 18 points and 13 rebounds.
• A low-scoring affair took place in the 2007 matchup in Charles Koch Arena. Robert Vaden dropped a game-high 23 for the Blazers, but it wouldn't be enough. The rest of the team went just 9-for-29 from the field.
• Phillip Thomasson (15) and Matt Braeuer (12) combined for 27 to lead the Shockers to victory.
• Only the second NCAA game to be played in the new downtown arena, INTRUST Bank Arena, Wichita State used a strong second half to pull away from UAB on Nov. 25, 2011, 68-46.
• Wichita State led by just seven at halftime, but outscored the Blazers, 39-24, in the second half to win going away.
• Garrett Stutz was the lone Shocker in double figures with 17. UAB's Cameron Moore finished with a game-high 18.
• The Blazers shot just 32.1 percent overall and missed 15-of-16 attempts from beyond the arc.

SCOUTING UAB
• Led by fourth year head coach Andy Kennedy, UAB enters the matchup at 20-11 and 12-6 in league play - its inaugural year in the American Athletic Conference.
• Kennedy, who enters his fourth year with the program in 2023-24, returned to his alma mater where he is the second leading scorer in program history. A two-time SEC Coach of the Year and winningest coach in the University of Mississippi history, Kennedy coached at Ole Miss from 2006-2018, before spending two years as a commentator for ESPN and the SEC Network.
• In his third season at the helm in Birmingham, he led UAB to a program-record 29 wins marking the Blazers' third-straight season of 20+ wins. He is one of just five active head coaches with 20+ wins in 13 of their first 16 seasons.
• UAB made it to the 2023 NIT Championship game, falling to North Texas, for the first time in program history.
• The season prior, Kennedy's UAB team won 27 games and the Conference USA Tournament to secure a bid to the NCAA Tournament - the 16th in school history.
• UAB's 16th NCAA Tournament appearance also marked Kennedy's third NCAA Tournament appearance as a head coach, taking Ole Miss to the Big Dance in both 2013 and 2015.
• The Blazers were picked to finish fourth in the American Athletic Conference Preseason Coaches Poll, and that's where they ended the regular season.
• UAB has beaten two ranked opponents in the same season for the first time since the 2009-10 season. UAB downed No. 19 Memphis by a score of 97-88 before beating No. 20 Florida Atlantic, 76-73, in overtime.
• The Blazers are one of the best teams in the country at getting to the charity stripe. UAB is tied for 12th in the nation in free throws made per game at 17.8 while ranking 20th nationally in free throw attempts per game with 23.7. UAB shoots free throws at a 75.1 percent clip which ranks 48th in the country and second in the American Conference.
• UAB relies on a balanced scoring attack with five players averaging 9.6 or more points per game. Yaxel Lendeborg averages a double-double with 13.7 points and 10.4 rebounds per game. • He also has 65 blocked shots, good for second in the conference behind Quincy Ballard.
• LSU transfer Eric Gaines has dished out a team-leading 167 assists and swiped 70 steals to go with 12.0 points. Gaines leads the American in assists per game and steals per game.
• Efrem "Butta" Johnson shoot 35.1 percent from beyond the arc and scores 10.7 points per game. He's one of four Blazers shooting better than 80 percent at the free throw line.
• Alejandro Vasquez is shooting a team-high 37.5 percent from beyond the arc and scoring 10.9 points per game.
• Javian Davis is second on the team in rebounding at 5.8 per game and fifth in scoring (9.6 ppg), but leads the Blazers with a 56.8 percent field goal percentage.
• UAB averages 77.3 points per game on 44.9 percent shooting. From beyond the arc, they are converting on only 32.1 percent of their attempts.
• Defensively, UAB allows 75.7 points on 44.9 percent shooting. Opponents have had success shooting from long range at 34.9 percent.

RECORD BOOK WATCH
• Quincy Ballard is on pace to shatter the single season school record for field goal percentage.
• Through 33 games Ballard is shooting 72.3% (107-for-148) from the field. The current school record is 61.6% by Steve Grayer set in 1987-88.
• That number would rank 1st nationally but to qualify players must average 5 FGM per game. Currently Ballard is at 3.2 FGM per game.
• On the defensive end, Ballard is trending towards a top five season blocking shots. He's currently fifth on the single season blocks per game list.
• Ballard is second on the single season total blocks list.

LEAD GUARDS
• Colby Rogers and Xavier Bell have formed a 1-2 scoring attack for Wichita State through 33 games. Rogers leads Wichita State in scoring at 16.5 per game and Bell is right behind at 11.2.
• The duo of Rogers and Bell make up 37.8 percent of Wichita State's scoring as they've accounted for 915 points.
• Rogers has scored in double figures in 27 of the first 33 games, and Bell in 19 of the 33. They each have multiple 20-point outings to their name (Rogers - 10, Bell - 4).

COLBY ROG3333333333333333333333333RS
• Colby Rogers has made a 3-pointer in all but one game this season. His streak was snapped at 25 vs. Charlotte.
• He has multiple three-pointers in 26 of the 33 games.
• He broke the single season school record vs. Rice. His 97 made three-pointers are the most by a Shocker in school history.
• Rogers is attempting 7.03 three-pointers per game, which currently stands as the third most in school history behind Tyson Etienne (8.30 in 2021-22; 7.55 in 2020-21).
• His 2.94 three-pointers made per game are currently the second most in school history.

ACCESS DENIED
• Wichita State has an elite rim protector in Quincy Ballard. His season was cut short in 2022-23 due to injuries, so he's only played 43 total games in his Shocker career. In those 43 games he has 84 blocked shots. Seventy of those have come in the first 33 games.
• Through 33 games his 70 blocks rank 23rd nationally and his 2.12 blocks per game rank 27th.
• He has multiple blocks in all but 13 games this season, including two games with seven.

ROGER(S) THAT
• Colby Rogers is getting hot at the right time for Wichita State. In his last five games, Rogers is averaging 23.6 points per game on 46.3% shooting, and an incredible 26-of-45 (57.8%) from three-point range.
• He started the streak with a career-high 29 points at UAB, going 5-for-6 from long range. He made his first 8 shots before finally missing. Rogers followed that performance with an efficient 25-point outing against Rice, where he was a career-best 7-for-9 from three. He then tied his career high in the regular season finale at Tulane with 29 points, going 6-for-13 from deep. In Wichita State's first round win over Rice, he hit 5 three-pointers for a team-high 22 points.
• As a team, Wichita State is 49-for-105 (46.7%) from three-point range over its last five games. The previous 11 games Wichita State was 52-for-188 (27.7%).

A SHOCKER WIN WOULD...                                                                     
... Make them 16-18 this season.
... Move them to the semifinals of the AAC Tourney.
... Improve their record to 8-5 all-time at the AAC Tourney.
... Give them at least one win in the conference tournament in 14 of the last 15 years.
... Make them 5-3 all time on March 14.
... Give Paul Mills 122 career coaching victories.
... Run their record to 1,673-1,263 all time.
... Make them 6-0 vs. UAB all time.

A SHOCKER LOSS WOULD...                                                                     
... End their season at 15-19.
... Drop them to 7-6 all-time at the AAC Tourney.
... Make Paul Mills 15-19 as Wichita State head coach.
... Lower Mills' career coaching record to 121-103.
... Drop them to 4-4 all time on March 14.
... Drop their record to 1,672-1,264 all time.
... Make them 5-1 all-time vs. UAB.

UP NEXT
GAME 35: SEMIFINALS                            
• Wichita State is 7-5 all-time at the American Athletic Conference Championship.
• Wichita State would play the winner of No. 8 East Carolina and No. 1 South Florida in the semifinals.
• The Shockers were a combined 0-3 vs. the Pirates and Bulls during the regular season.
• The Shockers have never been lower than a No. 7 seed in the AAC Championship.
• Wichita State has advanced to the semifinals three times but never appeared in the championship game.
• Wichita State has won at least one game at the AAC Championship every year, except in 2022 with a first round loss to Tulsa.