Louisville vs. UAB Preview

On Saturday afternoon at 4:00 p.m., the Cardinals return to Freedom Hall to face Alabama-Birmingham, coached by former Indiana head coach Mike Davis.

The Hoosier connection does not end there. Senior guard Robert Vaden spent two seasons at IU under Davis, where he started every game, and earned a spot on the All-Big Ten Freshman Team in 2005.

This season, Vaden leads the Blazers with 19.4 ppg, 14 stl, and 37.2 mpg, all team-highs. Senior forward Lawrence Kinnard has also started every game this year, and leads the team in rebounding with 9.1 rpg.

Saturday’s game will be the toughest home test thus far in the season. The Blazers are outscoring their opponents by 7.5 points per game, and have a signature win at Arizona in the regional final of the NIT Season Tipoff. Once at Madison Square Garden for the semifinals, UAB fell by 10 vs. Oklahoma and 6 vs. Boston College.

In both games at MSG, UAB led by at least 10 points late in the first half, before hitting a second half wall. That could be a problem for the Cardinals. UofL has fallen behind quickly in the toughest of their games so far. A slow start could lead to an all-out dogfight against the former Conference USA foe.

The most recent meeting between these two teams came in the nightcap of the 2005 Conference USA Semifinals, where Louisville rallied to hold off UAB, 74-67. Of course, we all remember the next morning, where Mr. Darius Washington pulled his best Shaquille O’Neal free throw imitation, leading to the following photo:

Don't walk off the FT line after making your first shot!

That shot never gets old. Anyways, hopefully Saturday’s clash won’t come down to free throws and the Cards can get back on form before the Runnin’ Rebs come into town on New Year’s Eve. Look for an in-depth recap only the Pinkie can provide following the game.