UAB, still in the running for the regular-season American Athletic Conference championship, will meet the conference’s hottest team when the Blazers visit Wichita State on Thursday.
Entering Thursday, UAB (18-9, 11-3) was tied for second in the AAC with North Texas, both trailing first-place Memphis, which improved to 13-2 after Wednesday’s win over Rice.
The Blazers have won three in a row following Sunday’s 80-64 home victory over Temple. Five players scored in double figures, led by well-traveled 6-foot-9 junior Bradley Ezewiro, who had 15 points. Prior to this season, Ezewiro played for LSU, Georgetown, and St. Louis.
UAB outrebounded Temple, 47-31, and had 11 more field goal attempts.
Wichita State (17-10, 7-7) has won six in a row following Sunday’s 78-67 home victory over Tulane. Included in the win streak was an 84-79 overtime home win over Memphis. The six-game win streak is Wichita State’s longest since winning eight in a row in 2021.
Against Tulane, 6-foot-2 senior Xavier Bell scored 23 points, the seventh time this year he has scored 20 or more points. Bell is averaging a team-best 15.1 points per game, while also leading the Shockers in three-point field goal percentage (.372).
UAB at Wichita State Odds
Wichita State is a 1.5-point college basketball betting favorite on BetMGM with the Over/Under at 154.5 points.
The moneyline for Wichita State is -135 while it is +110 for UAB.
UAB at Wichita State On TV
The game between UAB and Wichita State will be on ESPNU.
Tipoff is expected shortly after 9 p.m. ET.
UAB at Wichita State Prediction
I like UAB covering the points. While Wichita State is playing its best basketball of the season, UAB is also playing well, having won six of its last seven games.
According to teamrankings.com, Wichita State has covered the spread in five of the six games during its current win streak. UAB has covered just one of its past four games, but that was the most recent win over Temple when the Blazers won by 16 after being a 10-point favorite.
Both teams like to play at a fast pace. According to Kenpom.com, UAB has an adjusted tempo of 69.0, which is the number of possessions per 40 minutes. That was 94th nationally. Wichita State’s adjusted tempo is 68.6, which was 115th. UAB has done a better job in the transition game. The Blazers were sixth nationally in fast break points, averaging 16.52 per game. Wichita State was 128th at 10.81.
That helps explain why entering Wednesday, UAB was the AAC’s highest-scoring team and 12th nationally, averaging 83.6 PPG. Wichita State averages 74.8 points, which is eighth in the AAC.
UAB shoots .343 from three-point range, while Wichita State is last in the AAC in this department (.307). The Shockers’ defensive three-point percentage is .340, while it is .351 for UAB. The Blazers shoot .762 from the foul line while Wichita State is at .735. Wichita State is 11-4 at home, while UAB is 4-4 on the road.
Yaxel Lendeborg, a 6-foot-9 senior, leads UAB in scoring (17.8 PPG), rebounding (11.0), assists (4.2), blocked shots (1.8), and field goal percentage (.553). Christian Coleman, a 6-foot-8 senior, averages 11.2 points, while 6-foot-4 senior Alejandro Vasquez averages 11.1.
In addition to Bell, Wichita State’s second-leading scorer is 6-foot-5 junior Corey Washington (13.6 PPG).
