Fri, Nov 14 • Bartow Arena (Birmingham, AL)

📍 Series & Setting

Second-ever meeting; High Point won the first last season at the Qubein Center, 68–65. This time it’s HPU’s first true road test. Expect juice in the building: Andy Kennedy has never won fewer than 22 games at UAB, and Blazer fans want payback.

🔍 Overview

UAB is a near-total rebuild (14 newcomers, 0 returning starters). The results so far: 1–2 with a blowout win over MVSU, a road loss at NC State, and a gut-punch home loss to Alabama State. The shooting has cratered the last two: 4–25 from three vs NC State and 2–20 vs Alabama State (missed the first 17).
High Point rolls in 3–0 after a 21-point win over Jacksonville; all three games have been comfortable.

⚙️ Team Identity: Pressure, Pace & Boards

• Pressure/Versatility — Kennedy mixes man and multiple zones, presses situationally, and loves to scramble games.
• Pace with Shot Volume — Historically creates extra shots through offensive rebounding and low TOs (this group has been shakier with ball security).
• Guard-Driven Offense — Lots of off-screen action and dribble attacks for scoring guards.

🧩 Key Blazers

• Chance Westry (6’6” G, ~20.7 ppg) — Long point-forward type; mid-range craft, live dribble passing, confident late-clock shooter. P5 talent when healthy. Their own version of Cam Fletcher
• Jacob Meyer (6’2” G) — Scorer who can heat up quickly; buy-low candidate after DePaul.
• Ahmad Robinson (5’10” PG) — High-usage creator; playmaking juice but turnover-prone. Plays like a jitterbug similarly to Rob Martin. 
• KyeRon Lindsay (6’8” F) — Toolsy, bouncy forward; effort level swings but real upside.
• Daniel Rivera (6’7” F) — Plays with force; rebounding, rim contests, short-roll scoring.
• Evan Chatman (6’8” F) — JUCO stretch four; active on the glass.

📊 Tempo-Free Snapshot (early)

• UAB: ~Top-125 KenPom profile, but swingy; OR% strong, defense aims to force mistakes, 3PT% volatile/poor so far; turnover rate up vs Kennedy’s norm.
• HPU: ~Top-100; eFG% ~58, TO% low, live-ball TOs fueling breaks; depth across the wings; 3–0 with double-digit wins.

Recent leaders:

• HPU — Cam Fletcher pacing early; balanced scoring; bench punch from Martinez and Anderson units.
• UAB — Westry leading; Rivera/Lindsay/Chatman by committee on the glass.

🧠 Coaching Notes: Andy Kennedy (Year 6)

• Scheme: 65/35 man-to-zone blend, lots of off-screen actions on O.
• Points of emphasis: Shot volume (O-boards + low TOs), pressure looks to speed you up, punish soft glass.
• 2025–26 wrinkle: With so many newcomers, turnovers and spacing have lagged; their poor shooting has decided the last couple games but can’t count on that continuing.

🏀 Matchup Outlook vs High Point

• Pace Tug-of-War: UAB likes controlled chaos; HPU thrives when live-ball takeaways ignite the break.
• Glass Tax: Biggest UAB path is on the offensive boards—Panthers must finish stops which they haven’t done a great job so far this season. With Aquino at the five the Panthers can sometimes be undersized but won’t be against this Blazer squad. 
• Perimeter Size: HPU’s bigger guards/wings (Washington/Anderson/Brady/Fletcher) can smother Robinson/Meyer and contest Westry’s pull-ups without fouling.
• Zone Answers: Expect UAB to flash zone. Counters: nail touches (Aquino/Fletcher), short-corner seals, skip-3s for Brady/Washington/Johnston, and crash the weak side.
• Foul Math: Keep verticality at the rim; don’t gift UAB a free-throw game.

🗝️ Keys for HPU

1. Turnovers → Tempo: Target +4 to +6 in takeaways; run off misses/steals.
2. One-and-Done: Tag Rivera/Lindsay/Chatman on the weak side; no free tip-ins, can’t give them extra chances and possessions.
3. Hunt Small Guards: Involve Robinson/Meyer in repeated actions; make them guard multiple screens.
4. Paint to Spray: Collapse vs zone/soft closeouts, then spray to shooters; accept the extra pass.
5. Bench Burst (25–40): Martinez and Anderson units to spike pace; win the depth minutes decisively.

🔄 Reset, Rebound & Revenge

• Reset: First true road game; starters can’t start slow like they did against Jacksonville. UAB needs to reset after two brutal shooting performances. 
• Rebound: HPU faithful over the last couple seasons might remember a white board with the simple word REBOUND written across it. Since Huss departed so did the sign, but Clayman might want to break it out for this one. UAB’s best path is second chances. If the Panthers win the glass battle they should win the game.
• Revenge: Blazers want payback for last year and to stop the skid; expect an early surge from the team and the fans in the Bartow Arena.

🔮 Toothsayer’s Take

UAB’s toughness and Kennedy’s scheming keep this tight, but the creation/spacing edge and two-way depth lean HPU—if the Panthers close possessions and stay disciplined vs the zone/pressure. Shooting variance travels, defense always does.

Prediction: High Point 78, UAB 72.