Jan. 9, 2009

GAME 13
UAB BLAZERS (9-5 • 0-0 C-USA) at HOUSTON COUGARS (9-3 • 0-0 C-USA)
Jan. 10, 2009 • Hofheinz Pavilion (8,479) • Houston, Texas • 7 p.m.

RADIO: Houston-ISP Sports Radio Network • 790 AM The Sports Animal-Houston • Tom Franklin, PxP; Willis Wilson, analyst
TELEVISION: None
INTERNET VIDEO : Live Video Broadcast at UHCougars.com
LIVE STATS: GameTracker at UHCougars.com
GAME NOTES:
Houston Notes vs. UAB (Jan. 10, 2009) in PDF Format
UAB Notes vs. Houston (Jan. 10, 2009) in PDF Format
Conference USA Notebook (Jan. 9, 2009) in PDF Format

HOUSTON - The University of Houston men's basketball team opens Conference USA play this weekend when it plays host to UAB at 7 p.m., Saturday, inside Hofheinz Pavilion. The game features two of the most successful teams in Conference USA during the last five years.

The Cougars come into Saturday's game after an 85-65 thumping of Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Tuesday inside Hofheinz Pavilion. In that game, junior guard Aubrey Coleman posted a game-high 22 points and 10 rebounds for his fourth double-double in the last five games.

This season, Coleman ranks second on the team with 17.5 points and 7.9 rebounds per game. He is the only player in Conference USA to rank among the league's top-seven individual leaders in both categories.

Senior center Marcus Cousin came off the bench against the Islanders to score 14 point and grab 10 rebounds for his fourth double-double of the season. The Baltimore native leads the Cougars and the league with 9.7 rebounds per contest.

Junior guard Kelvin Lewis tops the Cougars with 18.5 points per game after posting 20 against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. The Fort Worth native also leads the team with six 20-point games this season.

Junior forward Qa'rraan Calhoun may be the hottest player among the Cougars right now. The Hazlet, N.J., native is averaging 16.2 points and 6.2 rebounds while hitting 54.4 percent of his shots from the field, including 44.8 percent of his 3-point attempts.

RADIO/TV INFORMATION
Cougar Men's Basketball games can be heard live on 790 AM The Sports Animal or on the Internet at UHCougars.com with Tom Franklin calling the play-by-play action and Willis Wilson providing analysis. The pregame show is slated to begin 15 minutes before tip-off.

LIVE STATS
Fans can follow the play-by-play action by clicking the GameTracker link at UHCougars.com.

SERIES HISTORY
For the 13th consecutive year, the Cougars will meet UAB on the hardwood. The Blazers own a 15-4 (.789) lead in the all-time series, which began during the 1996-97 season when both teams began competing in Conference USA. UAB is one of only three current C-USA teams (Memphis and UTEP) that can boast of a winning-all-time record against the Cougars.

UAB has enjoyed tremendous success against the Cougars, winning the first eight games of the all-time series. The Blazers also added a five-game winning streak against the Cougars later in the series. That streak was snapped by a 70-64 UH win on Feb. 17, 2007.

The Blazers own a 7-3 (.700) lead against the Cougars in Houston. UAB won each of the first four games in Houston before the Cougars broke through with a 67-65 win on Jan. 10, 2001.

However, the Cougars can boast of the most recent success after taking a 70-64 win on Feb. 17, 2007. That win was the first home victory for the Cougars against UAB since the 2001-02 season.

ABOUT UAB
Picked to finish second in the 2008 Conference USA Coaches Preseason Poll, the Blazers come into Saturday's game after a 63-37 win against Savannah State on Saturday. That win snapped a season-high, two-game losing streak.

Senior guard/forward Robert Vaden, who was a member of the Preseason All-Conference USA Team, leads the Blazers with 19.6 points per game, while senior forward Lawrence Kinnard is tops with 8.9 rebounds per contest. Both players rank among the C-USA top-five individual leaders in their respective categories.

UAB head coach Mike Davis is in his 10th season as a head coach, posting a 162-111 (.593) record in that time. Now in his third season at UAB, Davis has enjoyed a 47-42 (.595) record with the Blazers.

8-GAME CONFERENCE USA PACK
Fans are invited to call the Athletics Ticket Office and order their 8-game Conference USA Packs today.

With this package, fans can purchase the same great seats for all Conference USA home games, including Memphis and Rice, inside Hofheinz Pavilion. By buying this package, fans can save 15 percent off the per game cost, which is equal to getting one of the premium games for free.

Reserved seating tickets for the package are available in sections 107, 121, 103, 125 and 111.

Fans can purchase tickets by calling the Athletics Ticket Office at 713-GO-COOGS during regular business hours Monday through Friday or by visiting UHCougars.com and clicking the Tickets link, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.