Wow! At UAB’s 71-61 victory last night over Southern Miss and it was a spectacle. The Blazers came to play, and if they can continue this type of play against Memphis Saturday Night, they have a serious shot at knocking off the Tigers. It’s at Memphis, which will make it tougher, but this Blazers’ team is hot and beat a very good Southern Miss team last night that had won 16 of their last 17 games including a 75-72 victory over Memphis, Feb. 1. They are legitimate. So the game last night was a good benchmark of what this team is becoming: a stellar group.
Cam Moore was dominant in the paint with 27 and 12. Phenomenal player when he’s on his game. Just dominant inside. Jordan Swing is back from a broken hand and is making a statement. Swing Man had 15 points and one huge trifecta late that helped seal the victory. Blazers were 10-of-11 from the line in the second half and Quincy Taylor, Cam, and Swing all sank both of their free throws in the last 27 seconds. Swing just has such a high basketball IQ. Really makes his team better with his intelligent, talented play. Can handle the basketball well under pressure and can shoot it very well from deep when he’s going.
Preston Purifoy played a very nice game for the Blazers last night as well. Had 10 points including two-of-four from trifecta. If Purifoy can shoot well from three along with Taylor, that really opens things up for Cam down low and Swing on the wing. Swing had some nice drives and scores to the basket as well. Jakore Tyler is an exciting player, who brings a ton of energy off the bench for the team. He had a beautiful coast to coast slam last night that brought the building down. He is an excellent athlete and a game changer for the Blazers.
Crowd of 4,721. Would like to see the place fill up, but the crowd was electric and really into the game. How could they not be? That was an outstanding basketball game. Blazers visit Memphis Saturday at 9 PM ET/8 CT on CSS. Huge. Blazers now 10-13 overall and 5-5 in C-USA. Won four of last five and on a roll. A victory over Memphis would really get this team rolling as they head towards the home stretch and the conference tourney. Probably going to have to win the C-USA tourney to get in, but the way they’re playing, it’s possible.
Tide with a statement victory over AU Tuesday Night, 68-50, at the Auburn Arena. Tide moved to 16-7 and 5-4 and kept their NCAA tourney hopes very much alive. AU still trying to get it together. Playing hard. Just need to keep fighting.
Anthony Grant’s suspension of Tony Mitchell may be the best thing that has happened to this team. I think he lit a fire under them and let them know that unacceptable behavior won’t be tolerated. It seemed like Mitchell’s attitude was bringing the team down in AG’s opinion. He felt he had to do something. I applaud him for it. I wish more coaches would take a stand like that. Might straighten some of these kids up and be the best thing for the team. Highly respect AG for his move. Mitchell has been a cancer to AG and he got tired of it. Maybe Mitchell can come back to the team before the SEC tourney, but it sounds like he’s going to have to do some things right before he can. Like that move by AG a lot.
Charles Hankerson has been showing his four-star talent lately, and he really came alive Tuesday Night with three triples against AU in the first half. Hankerson finished with 14. JaMychal Green with 19 and seven boards. Played very well. He’s another guy who’s been a head case. Maybe Mitchell’s suspension woke him up and made him realize if he wants to be a great player and make it to the next level, he’s going to have to toe the line. Trevor Releford has been good all season and had 15 points, three assists five rebounds, five steals and was nine-of-10 from the line. Excellent player. Only flaw was six turnovers, but the Tide seemed to overcome the 17 turnovers as a team. That can happen against a scrappy, fast, athletic team playing defense on you. Tide, on the other hand, forced 20 AU turnovers, so they kept it even and had a little advantage. Tide plays at LSU Saturday at 6 PM on ESPN2. LSU playing better so will be critical game for the Tide.
AU has a ways to go. Tony Barbee needs to keep recruiting and developing. The arena is fantastic and was electric Tuesday Night. There are some good players on the squad in Kenny Gabriel, Frankie Sullivan, Chris Denson, Josh Wallace and Rob Chubb. Allen Payne and Adrian Forbes are good players. I’ve been impressed with how hard the Tigers have been playing this year. Just need to keep scrappin’ and working hard and good things are going to happen in the future.
Kentucky looked terrific in its last two outings over South Carolina and Florida. I’m not giving them the regular season title yet or the Final Four for that matter. There’s still a ways to go. But Anthony Davis looks like Shaq and even better and more athletic. He is going to break the SEC single season record for blocks set by Shaq in the early 90’s. He’s a force. Can’t shoot it much beyond five feet, but he’s almost unstoppable under the rim. Michael Kdd-Gilchrist is a warrior at small forward. Just a stud. Terrence Jones, Doron Lamb and Darius Miller are all solid players and outstanding at times. If they can be consistent, the ‘Cats are going to be hard to stop the rest of this month and in March.
‘Cats visit Vandy this Saturday, 9 PM ET/8 CT on ESPN. Going up with my younger daughter. Really looking forward to it. ESPN Gameday will be there with Rece, Hubie, Jay and Digger. Dickie V will be analyzing the game with Erin on the sidelines reporting. It doesn’t get any better than that. Memorial Gym will be rockin’.
(Cam Moore, left, and Trevor Releford leading their respective teams towards stretch runs.)