Clash at Bartow Arena: Western Kentucky Hilltoppers Take on UAB Blazers

As the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers gear up to face the UAB Blazers at Bartow Arena, fans are buzzing with anticipation. The upcoming game, scheduled for January 12th, promises to be a thrilling encounter in Birmingham.

The Hilltoppers have been showing a mix of performances recently. On January 7th against UTSA Roadrunners, they secured a comfortable win with 74 points to their opponent's 64. Their defensive prowess was evident as they racked up an impressive seven blocks and nine steals. Offensively, they were efficient from the free-throw line with an accuracy of 83 percent and managed to score 15 fast break points.

However, it wasn't all smooth sailing for WKU in their previous games. Just one day before their victory over UTSA, on January 6th at E.A. Diddle Arena against North Texas Mean Green, the Hilltoppers fell short by four points in a close contest that ended with them scoring 66 points against Mean Green's 70. Despite shooting well from the free-throw line again at an identical rate of 83 percent and making more blocks than their opponents (six compared to four), turnovers and lower field goal percentage held them back.

Going further back to December 31st against Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders, WKU lost by five points in another tight game that ended with a scoreline of 60-65 in favor of MTU. The team showed resilience but struggled from beyond the arc and from the charity stripe where they only made four out of ten free throws.

The Blazers will not make things easy for WKU; they are known for their strong home-court advantage at Bartow Arena which could play into this matchup significantly.

Taking into account these recent performances by both teams and considering that nearly half (47 percent) of two-point attempts were successful for WKU against UTSA Roadrunners while maintaining solid defense throughout recent games suggests that if WKU can keep up its defensive intensity while improving ball security and shot selection especially from long range where they've been inconsistent recently - there is every chance that this game could swing in favor of Western Kentucky Hilltoppers despite playing away from home.

Fans should mark their calendars for what is set to be an exciting battle on January 12th starting at 9:00 PM ET (8:00 PM CT). The action will unfold live on CBS Sports Network channel number two hundred twenty-one – don't miss it!