UAB TAkes To Road For Huge Game Against Red Hot Wichita State
By Steve Irvine
BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA - February 27, 2025
There was a time during American Athletic Conference play when playing Wichita State wasn’t necessarily a bothersome task. Those times have changed.
Wichita State is arguably the hottest team in The American. The Shockers own a six-game winning streak heading into Thursday’s critical AAC game against a UAB team that is trying to keep pace toward the top of the conference standings.
“We have to handle that Wichita State game for sure, but they're on a high right now,” UAB’s Yaxel Lendeborg said after Sunday’s win over Temple. “They just (recently) beat Memphis, they won another game. They're feeling really good about themselves. For us to be back in the (race for the regular season title) now, after Memphis took that loss, we need to take full advantage of it and put ourselves in position to win the championship. So, hopefully, we can stay locked in and do what we have to do against Wichita.”
To understand where Wichita State is today it’s probably important to look back. The Shockers won the first six games of the season with non-conference wins over Minnesota and Kansas State. The Shockers outscored Kansas State by 23 points in the second half of an 84-65 win. However, the struggles began in conference play when Wichita State lost seven of its first eight AAC games. Things turned with back-to-back road wins at Charlotte and USF and the six-game winning streak also includes an 84-79 overtime win over Memphis.
“In my opinion, they're one of the most storied programs in college basketball,” said UAB head coach Andy Kennedy takes his team into the Koch Center for Thursday’s game, which will tip at 8 p.m. CT on ESPNU. “Not top 20 storied, but top 50 storied. I mean they got a passionate fan base. Gregg Marshall took them to the Final Four not too long ago (2013). Basketball is their thing. We're going to catch them when the Koch Center is going to be rocking. And I like it. That's what you're here for, play for big moments.”
Kennedy said during his appearance on Blazers Sportsline Monday night that his team is at their best when they do well on the offensive glass and control the turnovers. UAB leads the AAC and is second in the country with 15.04 offensive rebounds per game and is second in the conference in turnovers per game (10.22). Lendeborg is first in the conference in offensive rebounds per game at 3.74 while Christian Coleman (3.15) is second and Bradley Ezewiro (2.07) is 13th. Wichita State is not far behind as a team. The Shockers are second in the AAC with 13.29 offensive rebounds per game.
Wichita State center Quincy Ballard, a 6-foot-11, 251-pound senior, is one of the top rebounders and the top shot blockers in the conference. He averages 8.8 rebounds per game, which trails only Lendeborg (10.96 rpg) in the AAC. Ballard leads the conference in blocked shots per game (1.88) while Lendeborg is just behind at 1.81 per game.
The Shockers are led offensively by senior guard Xavier Bell (15.1 points per game, 29 3-pointers) and junior forward Corey Washington (13.6 ppg).
No matter what happens in Wichita, the Blazers face a quick turnaround with Memphis coming to Bartow Arena on Sunday.