BACK AT HOME: The 25th-ranked UAH men's basketball team returns to Kelly Court at Spragins Hall for the first time in 2017, welcoming Union on Saturday at 4 p.m. before turning around to host Christian Brothers on Monday at 3 p.m. The Chargers enter the weekend at 8-3 overall and 4-1 in the Gulf South Conference.
TIME CHANGE: Monday's game against Christian Brothers is now a special matinee contest with the tip-off slated for 3 p.m. in Huntsville.
GSC UPDATE: There are six teams in the league currently with just one or two losses in conference play with league-leading Christian Brothers owning a 5-1 mark, a half-game up on UAH and West Georgia who are both tied for second at 4-1. Shorter, Delta State, and Valdosta State are all tied for third with records of 3-2.
LAST TIME OUT: The Chargers pushed their winning streak out to three with a key road sweep of West Florida and Valdosta State. UAH was a 76-67 winner in Pensacola before traveling to Valdosta for an 82-72 victory.
AT THE STRIPE: UAH presently ranks second in the GSC in free throw percentage with a success rate of 74.2 percent, and that mark is made even more important by the fact that UAH is converting on its free throws while its opposition is not: UAH's opponents are second-worst in the league at 64.1 percent on the year. Though they do not have enough attempts to factor in the GSC's individual rankings,
Kip Owens at 90.9 percent and
Troy Saxton at 85.7 percent pace the Chargers.
THE RIGHT DIRECTION: After seeing his scoring average dip to a season-low 8.7 points per game following the West Florida game, key reserve
Justin Ward bounced back and scored 10 points in UAH's second-half comeback at VSU, and he was rewarded with 20 minutes of playing time – his most since logging 25 against Bellarmine on Nov. 18.
ABOUT UNION: The Bulldogs are 8-4 overall and 3-3 in conference play, and the team visits the Rocket City with a 2-1 mark away from Jackson, Tennessee. Four different players are scoring in double figures for Union, led by Tray Boyd's 14.4 points per game scoring average, while the team is paced on the glass by the defending GSC Player of the Week Jarad Scott who grabs 8.4 boards per contest.
SERIES HISTORY: The Chargers hold an 8-1 advantage all-time against Saturday's opponent after the programs split the season series a year ago. In Huntsville,
Collin Langley earned a key steal and then assisted on a game-tying 3-pointer by
Brandon Roberts at the end of regulation in what ended up being a 105-101 win by UAH in double overtime.
ABOUT CHRISTIAN BROTHERS: CBU enters play this weekend at 8-4 and 5-1 in the GSC ahead of its Saturday contest at North Alabama. Jeff Larkin is scoring 15.8 points per contest and Adam Dieball adds 14.9 per game, and both are averaging 4.5 assists on the season.
SERIES HISTORY: UAH is 21-7 all-time against the Buccaneers, and the Chargers swept both meetings last year including an 82-73 win at home.
