UAB Hoops Preview: UAB vs. Florida

Blazers to battle defending national champion Gators in Miami

CUSA-fans.com has a new staff of team correspondents this season to help bring you, the fan, more detailed Conference USA sports coverage. Today, our new UAB Correspondent Joe Schillaci, Jr. previews the basketball game between UAB and Florida.

Orange Bowl Classic

Saturday December 30, 2006 6:30 p.m. (EST)

UAB will face Billy Donovan’s No. 3 ranked Florida Gators on Saturday in the Orange Bowl Classic. The defending national champions are 10-2 with losses to Florida State and Kansas.

For UAB, this is the kind of signature win needed in order to hear their name called on Selection Sunday. Florida can be beat, but it is not likely to happen on Saturday. UAB has yet to find its shooting touch consistently on the road this season and they have yet to face a team as well coached on both ends of the court as Florida is this season.

Florida has reached the Final Four three times (1994, 2000 & 2006). Last season's Florida team defeated UCLA for the national championship. This season, the Gators (10-2) made Billy “The Kid” Donovan the school's winningest coach with victory No. 236. The 41-year-old Donovan broke Norm Sloan's record in 11 seasons. Sloan won 235 games in 15 years as Florida’s head coach.

Florida is coming off an 86-60 beat down of previously ranked #3 Ohio State last Saturday and has had a week to get everybody healthy and rested for the Orange Bowl Classic.

UAB has made its reputation by winning games like this and loves to play David vs. Goliath games. If the Blazers are going to beat Florida, they are going to have to get balanced scoring from their starters and the bench. 20 turnovers and ice cold shooting will not get it done. UAB has looked really bad on the road against VCU, Old Dominion and Western Kentucky this season.

Meanwhile the Gators are simply stacked at every position. They have the inside game from Al Horford and Joakim Noah, who are averaging a combined 25 points, 16 rebounds, and four blocks a game and the outside game in guards Taurean Green (23 of 52 on 3-pointers) and Lee Humphrey (27 of 66 on treys).

UAB vs. Florida Prediction:

UAB hangs tough but comes up short. Florida 88 - UAB 71