Clash at Bartow Arena: UAB Blazers and Drake Bulldogs Ready for Basketball Showdown

As the University of Alabama at Birmingham Blazers prepare to host the Drake Bulldogs at Bartow Arena, fans are eager to see if the home team can continue their dynamic play. The Blazers have shown a strong offensive presence in recent games, with a notable performance that included scoring 93 points against Alabama A&M. Their ability to capitalize on fast breaks, evidenced by their 25 fast break points in that game, along with a solid two-point field goal percentage of 48 percent, has been a key factor in their success.

Defensively, the Blazers have also held their own. They managed nine steals and three blocks against Alabama A&M, which contributed to an impressive 21 points off turnovers. This defensive pressure will be crucial as they face the Bulldogs.

However, consistency is an area for potential improvement. In their last three games, UAB has experienced fluctuating performances from beyond the arc and at the free-throw line. Their three-point shooting ranged from an excellent 57 percent against Alabama A&M to a lower 25 percent versus Arkansas State. Similarly, free throw percentages have varied from around 66 percent up to nearly 70 percent.

Rebounding has been another strong suit for UAB; they pulled down an impressive total of 42 rebounds in one of their recent outings but will need to maintain this level of effort on both ends of the court.

Playing at home should give UAB an edge as they've shown they can feed off the energy within Bartow Arena — where attendance figures like those seen during Southern Miss's visit (over 3300 fans) help boost team morale and performance.

The upcoming game is scheduled for December 22nd at Bartow Arena in Birmingham with tip-off set for 8 PM local time (20:00 UTC). Fans unable to attend can catch all the action live on ESPN+ internet broadcast networks.