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GAME NOTES: Jockeying for position in the Conference USA standings continues tonight, as the UAB Blazers come calling on the Memphis Tigers.

UAB is a stellar 18-3 on the season, and its 6-1 conference mark has the team tied with two others for first place. The Blazers, who were recently removed from the national rankings, suffered that lone C-USA defeat in their most recent outing, falling at home to UTEP in double-overtime last Saturday, 74-65. The loss snapped a seven-game win streak for UAB, and the club will now play three of its next four on the road where it is 6-2 thus far, 8-2 when you factor in a pair of neutral-site affairs.

Memphis is 15-6 on the year, and its 5-2 league ledger has it just a game behind the Blazers and the two others currently sitting atop the C-USA standings. Like their counterpart tonight, the Tigers are coming off a loss as well, having dropped a 70-60 decision at SMU last Saturday. It was the team's second loss in the last four games. Following this clash, the Tigers will step out of conference to host nationally-ranked Gonzaga on Saturday afternoon.

Memphis owns a 28-10 lead in the all-time series with UAB, and the Tigers have won the last seven meetings. The Blazers have suffered defeats in their last 10 trips to Memphis, last winning there in January of 1999.

Elijah Milsap (16.2 ppg, 9.6 rpg) leads UAB in both scoring and rebounding, and actually his work on the boards paces Conference USA as well. He has 11 double-doubles to his credit this season, but he, Jamarr Sanders (10.7 ppg) and George Drake (7.8 ppg), three of the Blazers' top five scorers, were off the mark in the double-overtime loss to UTEP, going a combined 6-of-39 from the field and just 3-of-20 from three-point range. Kenneth Cooper was the Blazers' top performer in that game, notching a double-double with 18 points and 12 rebounds in 35 of action off the bench. UAB shot just 28.2 percent from the field, and was a dismal 4-of-27 from long range. For the season, the Blazers are shooting 42.5 percent from the floor, 30.5 percent from downtown and 70.5 percent from the free-throw line. UAB is out-rebounding its opponents by an average of 6.3 rpg, and the Blazers are the top defensive team in C-USA, allowing a mere 59.9 ppg.

Elliott Williams scored 19 points, Roburt Sallie added 17 and Doneal Mack chipped in 16, but those efforts went for naught as Memphis fell at SMU over the weekend. The Tigers, who are shooting a league-best 42.1 percent from beyond the arc in C-USA action, dropped 10-of-28 long-range attempts against the Mustangs and shot just 33.9 percent from the field overall. A 33-12 deficit in points from the foul line played an integral role in the loss, as did a 38-28 rebounding disadvantage. Williams is averaging 19.8 ppg on the strength of his 49.0 percent overall shooting and a 37.5 percent showing from three-point land. Sallie is among three others in double figures, checking in at 11.0 ppg. Memphis, is scoring 75.5 ppg while ranking third in the league in points allowed at 62.0 ppg on just 40.7 percent field goal efficiency. The Tigers have proven to be an opportunistic bunch as well, benefiting from more than 17 turnovers per outing.

Memphis is tough to beat at home, but UAB is enjoying a tremendous season and will ride Milsap to a rare win on the Tigers' home court.