Men’s Basketball Treks to UAB Sunday in AAC Championship Rematch on ESPNU

Game Info: Sunday, February 23 - 2:00 p.m. ET
Location: Bartow Arena – Birmingham, Ala.
TV: ESPNU | Listen: OwlSports.com/listen | Live Stats: Stat Broadcast | Temple Game Notes

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Opening Tip

Following a 78-72 overtime loss at Charlotte on Wednesday, the Temple University men's basketball team looks to get back on track at UAB on Sunday at 2:00 p.m. ET on ESPNU.
Wednesday matinee between the Owls and 49ers featured 15 lead changes and 11 tied scores, neither team held a second half lead larger than a single possession. After Charlotte forced overtime with a game-tying dunk with 30 seconds to go in regulation, the 49ers outscored Temple, 10-4, in the overtime period to secure the win.
Sophomore guard Zion Stanford provided a career-high of 26 points. The West Catholic graduate knocked down 9-of-5 attempts from the field and all eight of his shots from the free-throw line to lead the game in scoring.
The nation's second leading scorer – Jamal Mashburn Jr. (22.0 ppg) – was missing from the Owls' lineup against Charlote and has not appeared for the fourth time over the past five games with a lower-body injury. His status remains day-to-day.
The Owls and Blazers meet for the first time this season, with the two squads last going head-to-head in the AAC title game last season on March 17. UAB earned an 85-69 triumph in the conference championship game at Dickies Arena over the Owls, halting Temple's magical four wins in four days surge in the conference tournament.
The all-time series is split evenly between Temple and UAB at 3-3, with each team earning going 1-1 in home, away and neutral site contests. The Owls take flight to Birmingham for the third time in program history and for the first time in AAC action. The Cherry and White earned a 67-60 victory in the first-ever meeting between programs on the Blazers' home floor on Jan. 24, 1984, but fell in the most recent contest in the Magical City on Feb. 2, 1993 (68-55).

Scouting UAB

The Blazers (17-9, 10-3 AAC) enter Sunday's contest tied for second place in the league with consecutive wins against South Florida and Rice.
It will be a meeting of two of the top three offenses in terms of points in the conference, with UAB leading the AAC with 88.3 points per game and the Owls ranked third with an average of 80.2 points per contest.
UAB features a high-tempo offense that ranks 11th in the country in points per game and fifth nationally in fastbreak points, along with crashing the glass as the top rebounding team in the AAC with 40.2 boards per contest. The Blazers rank fourth nationally in offensive rebounding and 20th in rebounding margin.
Senior Yaxel Lendeborg is a Blazer to watch. The Pennsauken, N.J. product ranks sixth in the conference and scoring and is a top 10 rebounder nationally. Along with leading the AAC in all rebounding categories, the 6-9 forwards ranks first in field goal percentage and blocks, ranks second in blocks per game, fifth in assists per game, and seventh in steals. Only two players in NCAA Division I have more double-doubles than Lendebord (18).