UAB Loses At Tulane To End Regular Season, Turns Focus To AAC Tournament
By Steve Irvine
BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA - March 10, 2025
On paper, the UAB men’s basketball team had nothing to play for, at least when it came to postseason seeding, in their American Athletic Conference regular season finale at Tulane. Unfortunately for Andy Kennedy and his team they played like that.
The Blazers looked flat when the game began and collapsed in the second half of a 85-68 loss to a Tulane team that began the day thinking that a win would clinch a double bye in the tournament.
“Yeah, that was bad,” UAB head coach Andy Kennedy said on his postgame appearance on Blazer Sports Network from Learfield. “You know, I was fearful of coming in because we weren't playing for anything other than trying to win the game, which is obviously a little more important to me than some. We turned it over seven times early in the game and we just weren't making the plays that we needed to make. But then we hung in there, you know, Tyren got going, made some shots. We were able to fight our way back into the game. They shot 50% but at a moment in the first half, I think they were around 65. We got to the half with a lead. And then the second half, our inability, our lack of will, our lack of trying, cost us.”
After Sunday’s games, UAB’s path in the AAC Tournament was clear. The Blazers, who clinched the No. 3 seed this past Thursday, will begin next Friday against the winner of Thursday’s game between No. 6 seed East Carolina and No. 11 seed UTSA. Sunday’s game in New Orleans certainly didn’t offer a blueprint of success moving forward, even though Kennedy hoped it would.
“Well, I don't have an answer, Steve, I don't have an answer, man,” Kennedy said to UAB color analyst Steve Mitchell. “I'm begging fifth year seniors to play. Just play, man. Play. Take advantage of the opportunity. God only gives you so many games in your life. Don't look back and say, ‘Man, I wish I had that game over.’ I actually told them, I probably won't use this again on Friday. But I said ‘Listen, guys, we're the three seed. We've beaten Tulane X number of times in a row. They’re a good basketball team. They’re playing for something. They’re playing with an edge.’ The next time we lose our season is over. I wanted our guys to try to have the mental maturity to approach this game as if it was next Sunday. And this is how we respond?’ Man, it’s frustrating for me.”
Very little went right for the Blazers on Sunday. Yaxel Lendeborg took just five shots from the field and finished with six points on 3-for-11 shooting from the field and veterans Alejandro Vasquez, Efrem “Butta” Johnson and Tony Toney were combined 2-for-12 from the field. UAB had 12 turnovers, which was the most they’ve had in the past 11 games, and Tulane scored 15 points off those turnovers.
But the biggest problems UAB had came on the defensive end. Tulane shot 54 percent from the field and made 13-of-27 from outside the 3-point arc. Freshman Kam Williams, who had three points in the first meeting with UAB, was 9-of-12 from the field and 6-of-8 on 3-pointers. Tulane outscored UAB, 38-22, in the paint and won the second half, 48-30.
“Guys, I know our fans watch it and even a novice basketball person can say, ‘What in the world is going on with them defensively?’” Kennedy said. “Guys, it has been addressed and addressed. We got eight guys. Typically I'm gonna play eight guys. I'm gonna play guys Friday night at eight o'clock in that quarterfinal of the tournament. I hope they play better.”
Perhaps the only good news coming out of Sunday’s game was the continued outstanding play by junior point guard Ja’Borri McGhee and the first half offense of Moore. McGhee scored 25 points, marking his third successive game with at least 22 points, and added two rebounds, an assist and a steal. He had 19 points after halftime. Overall, he was 10-of-17 from the field, 3-of-8 from 3-point and 2-of-4 from the free throw line. Moore hit three 3-pointers in the first half and scored 11 of his 14 points in the first 20 minutes.
“(McGhee) was playing with force, made some plays for us,” Kennedy said. “I thought he was really, really good as we trying to just hang in the game. They’re knocking down 3s left and right, we can’t come up with a loose ball. Ja’Borri was driving the ball hard to the basket, making some plays, knocked down a couple of 3s. Tyren in the first half and then Ja’Borri throughout the game were the bright spots.”