2021–22 UAB Blazers men's basketball team

2021–22 UAB Blazers men's basketball
C-USA tournament champions
NCAA tournament, First Round
ConferenceConference USA
DivisionWest Division
Record27–8 (14–4 C-USA)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
Home arenaBartow Arena
Seasons
2021–22 Conference USA men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
East
Middle Tennessee 13 – 5   .722 26 – 11   .703
Western Kentucky 11 – 7   .611 19 – 13   .594
Florida Atlantic 11 – 7   .611 19 – 15   .559
Charlotte 10 – 8   .556 17 – 14   .548
Old Dominion 8 – 10   .444 13 – 19   .406
FIU 5 – 13   .278 15 – 17   .469
Marshall 4 – 14   .222 12 – 21   .364
West
North Texas 16 – 2   .889 25 – 7   .781
UAB † 14 – 4   .778 27 – 8   .771
Louisiana Tech 12 – 6   .667 24 – 10   .706
UTEP 11 – 7   .611 20 – 14   .588
Rice 7 – 11   .389 16 – 17   .485
UTSA 3 – 15   .167 10 – 22   .313
Southern Miss 1 – 17   .056 7 – 26   .212
† 2022 C-USA Tournament winner


The 2021–22 UAB Blazers men's basketball team represented the University of Alabama at Birmingham during the 2021–22 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The team was led by second-year head coach Andy Kennedy, and played their home games at the Bartow Arena in Birmingham, Alabama as a member of Conference USA.[1][2] They finished the season 27–8, 14–4 in C-USA play to finish second in the West Division. As the No. 2 seed out of the West Division, they defeated Florida Atlantic, Middle Tennessee, and Louisiana Tech to win the C-USA tournament. They received the conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA tournament as the No. 12 seed in the South Region, where they lost in the first round to Houston.

Previous season

The Blazers finished the 2020–21 season 22–7, 13–5 in C-USA play to finish in second place in West Division. They defeated Rice in the quarterfinals of the C-USA tournament before losing to Western Kentucky in the semifinals. Despite winning 22 games, they did not participate in a postseason tournament.

Offseason

Departures

Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Reason for departure
Tyreek Scott-Grayson 0 G 6'5" 177 Senior Brick, NJ Graduate transferred to Northeastern
Koby Jeffies 4 G 6'3" 190 RS Freshman Olive Branch, MS Transferred to UT Martin
Jalen Benjamin 5 G 5'10" 140 RS Sophomore Raleigh, NC Transferred to Mount St. Mary's
Simeon Kirkland 10 F 6'10" 225 Junior Ocala, FL Transferred to New Orleans
Kassim Nicholson 11 G 6'7" 200 Senior Jackson, MS Transferred to Tennessee State
Terrell Ard, Jr. 15 F 6'7" 210 Freshman Acworth, GA Transferred to Presbyterian
Tobias Rotegaard 33 G 6'7" 210 Freshman Kongsberg, Norway Transferred to Long Beach State

Incoming transfers

Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Previous School
Tyreke Locure 0 G 6'0" 165 Junior New Orleans, LA South Alabama
Justin Brown 4 G 6'6" 208 Graduate Student Atlanta, GA South Florida
KJ Buffen 5 F 6'7" 230 Senior Gainesville, GA Ole Miss
Jordan Walker 10 G 5'11" 170 RS Senior Port Washington, NY Tulane
Jamal Johnson 11 G 6'4" 195 RS Senior Birmingham, AL Auburn
AD Diedhiou 22 C 6'10" 240 Junior Dakar, Senegal Odessa College
Josh LeBlanc Sr. 23 F 6'7" 230 Senior Baton Rouge, LA LSU
Elijah Tate 24 G 6'3" 185 Sophomore Baton Rouge, LA Odessa College

Recruiting class of 2021

There were no incoming recruiting class of 2021.

Roster

2021–22 UAB Blazers men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown
G 0 Tyreke Locure 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 165 lb (75 kg) Jr South Alabama New Orleans, Louisiana
G 2 Michael Ertel 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 190 lb (86 kg) GS Louisiana–Monroe Indianapolis, Indiana
G 3 Tavin Lovan 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Sr Franklin-Simpson High School Franklin, Kentucky
G 4 Justin Brown 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 208 lb (94 kg) GS South Florida Atlanta, Georgia
F 5 KJ Buffen 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 230 lb (104 kg) Sr Ole Miss Gainesville, Georgia
G 10 Jordan Walker 5 ft 11 in (1.8 m) 170 lb (77 kg) RS Sr Tulane Port Washington, New York
G 11 Jamal Johnson 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 195 lb (88 kg) RS Sr Auburn Birmingham, Alabama
G 12 Tony Toney 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 195 lb (88 kg) So Mae Jeminson High School Huntsville, Alabama
G 13 Quan Jackson 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 190 lb (86 kg) GS Georgia Southern Tallahassee, Florida
G 21 Jon Coleman 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) 165 lb (75 kg) Jr Hall High School Little Rock, Arkansas
F 22 AD Diedhiou 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 240 lb (109 kg) Jr Odessa College Dakar, Senegal
F 23 Josh LeBlanc Sr. 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 230 lb (104 kg) Sr LSU Baton Rouge, Louisiana
G 24 Elijah Tate 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 185 lb (84 kg) So Odessa College Baton Rouge, Louisiana
F 25 Rongie Gordon 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 225 lb (102 kg) So Jefferson Davis High School Montgomery, Alabama
G 30 Ryan Donohoo (W) 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Fr Briarwood Christian School Birmingham, Alabama
C 55 Trey Jemison 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 260 lb (118 kg) Sr Clemson Birmingham, Alabama
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster

Schedule and results

Date
time, TV 		Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
city, state
Exhibition
November 1, 2021*
6:30 p.m. 		Auburn Montgomery W 101–70 
 19 – Brown   9 – LeBlanc   5 – Locure  Bartow Arena (1,655)
Birmingham, AL
Non-conference regular season
November 9, 2021*
6:30 p.m., CUSA.tv 		UNC Asheville W 102–77  1–0
  19 – 2 Tied   8 – Jemison   5 – Walker  Bartow Arena (2,923)
Birmingham, AL
November 12, 2021*
6:00 p.m., CUSA.tv 		Morehead State W 85–71  2–0
  23 – Walker   4 – Buffen   7 – Walker  Bartow Arena (2,829)
Birmingham, AL
November 14, 2021*
2:00 p.m., CUSA.tv 		Rhodes W 98–61  3–0
  20 – Ertel   12 – Jemison   4 – 2 Tied  Bartow Arena (2,575)
Birmingham, AL
November 18, 2021*
6:00 p.m., SECN+ 		at South Carolina L 63–66  3–1
  15 – Walker   8 – Jemison   3 – Walker  Colonial Life Arena (8,856)
Columbia, SC
November 21, 2021*
2:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		Alabama A&M W 86–41  4–1
  15 – Johnson   11 – Jemison   8 – Walker  Bartow Arena (2,918)
Birmingham, AL
November 25, 2021*
6:00 p.m., FS1 		vs. New Mexico
Las Vegas Invitational semifinals 		W 86–73  5–1
  26 – Walker   12 – Jemison   6 – Walker  Orleans Arena 
Paradise, NV
November 26, 2021*
10:30 p.m., FS1 		vs. San Francisco
Las Vegas Invitational finals 		L 61–63  5–2
  14 – Lovan   7 – Jemison   2 – Lovan  Orleans Arena 
Paradise, NV
December 1, 2021*
6:30 p.m., ESPN+ 		East Tennessee State W 70–56  6–2
  20 – Buffen   16 – Buffen   6 – Walker  Bartow Arena (2,695)
Birmingham, AL
December 4, 2021*
5:30 p.m., BSMW/ESPN+ 		at Saint Louis W 77–72  7–2
  18 – Walker   11 – Jemison   7 – Walker  Chaifetz Arena (5,743)
St. Louis, MO
December 12, 2021*
2:00 p.m., CUSA.tv 		Millsaps W 103–29  8–2
  16 – Buffen   11 – Buffen   4 – Walker  Bartow Arena (2,578)
Birmingham, AL
December 14, 2021*
6:30 p.m., ESPN+ 		Grambling State W 79–61  9–2
  22 – Walker   7 – LeBlanc   3 – Jackson  Bartow Arena (2,543)
Birmingham, AL
December 18, 2021*
4:00 p.m., CBSSN 		West Virginia L 59–65  9–3
  13 – Walker   12 – Jemison   4 – Walker  Legacy Arena (4,554)
Birmingham, AL
December 22, 2021*
6:30 p.m., CUSA.tv 		Mississippi Valley State W 100–58  10–3
  14 – Walker   10 – Buffen   4 – Walker  Bartow Arena (2,695)
Birmingham, AL
Conference USA regular season
December 30, 2022
6:30 p.m., CUSA.tv 		UTEP W 75–62  11–3
(1–0) 		 25 – Ertel   6 – Buffen   4 – Walker  Bartow Arena (2,795)
Birmingham, AL
January 1, 2022
2:00 p.m., CUSA.tv 		UTSA W 87–59  12–3
(2–0) 		 20 – Buffen   9 – Buffen   6 – Lovan  Bartow Arena (2,730)
Birmingham, AL
January 6, 2022
7:00 p.m., CBSSN 		at North Texas W 69–63  13–3
(3–0) 		 17 – Walker   8 – LeBlanc   4 – Lovan  UNT Coliseum (3,207)
Denton, TX
January 8, 2022
3:00 p.m. 		at Rice L 80–85  13–4
(3–1) 		 20 – Walker   6 – Jemison   7 – Walker  Tudor Fieldhouse (500)
Houston, TX
January 13, 2022
6:30 p.m., ESPN+ 		FIU W 84–56  14–4
(4–1) 		 20 – Walker   11 – Buffen   3 – Jemison  Bartow Arena (2,995)
Birmingham, AL
January 15, 2022
3:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		Florida Atlantic W 76–65  15–4
(5–1) 		 29 – Jackson   10 – Jemison   5 – Walker  Bartow Arena (3,456)
Birmingham, AL
January 22, 2022
3:00 p.m., Stadium 		at Louisiana Tech W 83–76  16–4
(6–1) 		 36 – Walker   13 – Buffen   2 – Tied  Thomas Assembly Center (4,071)
Ruston, LA
January 27, 2022
8:00 p.m., CBSSN 		at Western Kentucky W 68–65  17–4
(7–1) 		 21 – Walker   12 – Jemison   5 – Walker  E. A. Diddle Arena (4,136)
Bowling Green, KY
January 29, 2022
6:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		at Marshall L 81–84  17–5
(7–2) 		 23 – Walker   5 – Tied   8 – Walker  Cam Henderson Center (4,233)
Huntington, WV
February 5, 2022
3:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		Middle Tennessee W 97–75  18–5
(8–2) 		 42 – Walker   10 – Jackson   5 – Jackson  Bartow Arena (4,273)
Birmingham, AL
February 10, 2022
6:00 p.m., CBSSN 		Southern Miss W 84–63  19–5
(9–2) 		 25 – Walker   10 – Jackson   8 – Walker  Bartow Arena (3,638)
Birmingham, AL
February 13, 2022
1:00 p.m., ESPNU 		at Old Dominion L 72–81  19–6
(9–3) 		 20 – Walker   10 – Buffen   7 – Walker  Chartway Arena (3,777)
Norfolk, VA
February 17, 2022
7:00 p.m., Stadium 		Rice W 92–68  20–6
(10–3) 		 21 – Jackson   11 – Buffen   12 – Walker  Bartow Arena (2,643)
Birmingham, AL
February 19, 2022
3:00 p.m., Stadium 		North Texas L 57–58  20–7
(10–4) 		 17 – Walker   10 – Jackson   3 – Jackson  Bartow Arena (4,271)
Birmingham, AL
February 24, 2022
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		at UTSA W 68–56  21–7
(11–4) 		 16 – Buffen   12 – Jemison   3 – Walker  Convocation Center (805)
San Antonio, TX
February 26, 2022
8:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		at UTEP W 69–66  22–7
(12–4) 		 22 – Walker   12 – Jemison   7 – Walker  Don Haskins Center (6,100)
El Paso, TX
March 2, 2022
7:00 p.m., ESPN3/ESPN+ 		at Southern Miss W 81–68  23–7
(13–4) 		 21 – Walker   12 – Jemison   6 – Walker  Reed Green Coliseum (2,680)
Hattiesburg, MS
March 5, 2022
2:00 p.m., Stadium 		Louisiana Tech W 87–74  24–7
(14–4) 		 24 – Walker   9 – Jemison   7 – Walker  Bartow Arena (4,547)
Birmingham, AL
Conference USA tournament
March 10, 2022
8:30 pm, Stadium 		(W2) vs. (E3) Florida Atlantic
Quarterfinals 		W 80–66  25–7
  26 – Walker   14 – Jackson   3 – Tied  Ford Center at The Star 
Frisco, TX
March 11, 2022
2:00 pm, CBSSN 		(W2) vs. (E1) Middle Tennessee
Semifinals 		W 102–98 3OT 26–7
  40 – Walker   10 – Tied   3 – Walker  Ford Center at The Star 
Frisco, TX
March 12, 2022
7:30 pm, CBSSN 		(W2) vs. (W3) Louisiana Tech
Championship 		W 82–73  27–7
  27 – Walker   8 – Jemison   4 – Walker  Ford Center at The Star 
Frisco, TX
NCAA tournament
March 18, 2022
8:20 pm, TNT 		(12 S) vs. (5 S) No. 15 Houston
First Round 		L 68–82  27–8
  17 – Walker   11 – Buffen   5 – Walker  PPG Paints Arena (17,410)
Pittsburgh, PA
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Central.

Source[3]

See also

References

  1. ^ Dudley, Evan (July 30, 2021). "UAB releases 2021-2022 men's basketball schedule". The Birmingham News. Retrieved August 5, 2021.
  2. ^ "UAB Men's Basketball Releases 2021-22 Schedule". University of Alabama at Birmingham Department of Athletics. July 30, 2021. Retrieved August 5, 2021.
  3. ^ "Mens Basketball Schedule 2021-2022". UAB Athletics. Retrieved October 28, 2021.