Coach Andy Mac

I was thinking so but now that you mention It does not sound definitive.

WAY TOO EARLY 2022 OUTLOOK Expecting 12-win seasons and conference championships isn’t fair to a program that is still in relative infancy. The Roadrunners should be a contender in C-USA in 2022, but they won’t be the overwhelming favorite unless they can replace McCormick on offense and Hicks on defense. The out-of-conference schedule will test Traylor’s program with a season-opener against Houston followed two weeks later with a trip to Austin to face the Longhorns. C-USA isn’t a top-tier conference, so that means the Roadrunners can win their division with another MVP season from Harris. Winning a championship is hard. Remaining a champion is much harder. UTSA will get every team’s best shot throughout the 2022 season. How will the Roadrunners respond to being the hunted rather than the hunter? read more: https://www.texasfootball.com/article/2022/01/10/utsa-2021-season-in-review-roadrunners-claim-c-usa-title-with-record-breaking-team?ref=article_preview_img

AP) — West Virginia has hired Graham Harrell as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach to try to bolster a unit that ranked near the bottom of the Big 12 in 2021. The Mountaineers are hoping the addition of Harrell can give them a spark after going 17-18 in coach Neal Brown's first three seasons. “Since the end of the season, I have spent time reflecting on the program, and take responsibility, knowing we have to be better offensively,” Brown said in a statement. read more: https://lancasteronline.com/sports/nfl/college/west-virginia-hires-graham-harrell-as-offensive-coordinator/article_4eb6eeec-c57d-55ff-997f-7a00a398c32f.html

Jennifer Cowley, provost and vice president of academic affairs at the University of North Texas, will be the sole finalist for next president of UT Arlington, the University of Texas System Board of Regents decided unanimously Friday. Cowley would be the first woman president of UTA if approved after the legally mandated 21-day waiting period the board of regents must observe before holding a final vote on her appointment. “Dr. Cowley is an accomplished leader in academia, research and industry partnerships, and her experiences align well with UT Arlington’s mission and growth aspirations,” Regents Chairman Kevin P. Eltife said in an emailed statement Friday. “Throughout her career, she has remained focused on student success, faculty collaborations, and external partnerships — all essential elements needed to advance a top public research university.” read more: https://news.google.com/articles/CAIiENSj1VUFaz1MFGb7CAitNIQqGQgEKhAIACoHCAowmtmECzC5yIEDMJf5gwY?uo=CAUiANIBAA&hl=en-US&gl=US&ceid=US%3Aen

The actor died on April 7 due to complications from Parkinson’s disease, according to multiple reports. He was 84. Hampton was best known for his roles in F Troop and Teen Wolf, as well as in The Longest Yard, for which he earned a Golden Globe nomination. He spent more than 50 years in the industry as an actor, director, writer and producer before retiring to his native Texas. The entertainer was born in Oklahoma City in 1936, but raised in Dallas. He attended the University of North Texas as a theater arts major and was drafted into the U.S. Army, joining the cavalry at Fort Knox before serving overseas. He later returned to acting, and landed a role in the hit series Gunsmoke. LINK: https://www.etonline.com/gallery/stars-weve-lost-in-2021-158512/dmx-83078

Chose ECU over North Texas: “They said it’s a fun defense to play in,” Powers said in an interview with Hoist The Colours prior to his decision. “I think it’s a promising program to play in for the future. The coaches have done a great job in recent years with the team. It’s going to be a fun defense to play in for the coming years.” ECU offered Powers just a week ago, but things moved quickly with the California native having to commit and enroll for the spring semester, which begins Monday, Jan. 10. He also had an offer from North Texas. Link: https://247sports.com/college/east-carolina/Article/Jack-Powers-Nevada-Transfer-Commits-to-ECU-Football-180011133/

Who Is Mattress Mack? Jim McIngvale was born in Mississippi in 1951. He attended what is now the University of North Texas and participated in athletics, lettering in football. In 1981, McIngvale used $5,000 of his own money to jumpstart a furniture sales business, purchasing inventory and driving around Texas to sell it door-to-door. McIngvale used the profits from the door-to-door sales to purchase a storefront and named the store Gallery Furniture. The furniture business quickly picked up steam (largely as a result of McIngvale’s high-energy sales-pitch commercials), and soon, Gallery Furniture blossomed into one of the largest furniture retailers in Texas, raking in over $200 million in annual revenue. As his store grew, so did McIngvale’s net worth, which is estimated to currently hover north of $300 million. As a result of the success of Gallery Furniture and McIngvale’s high-energy appearances on the company’s commercials, McIngvale grew into a local celebrity in Texas. With plenty of money to play with and legal sports betting being regulated across the United States, McIngvale began to make headlines with his large sports betting wagers, which often amounted to several million dollars. McIngvale has placed high-profile wagers on a variety of events, including the World Series (particularly if the Houston Astros are involved), NFL Conference Championship Games, and the Super Bowl. However, what has turned Mattress Mack into a sports betting celebrity is not necessarily the size of his wagers, but the ingenious system he has devised to ensure he always comes out on top. LINK TO ARTICLE: https://www.legalsportsbetting.com/news/mattress-mack-bets-1-2-million-on-alabama-crimson-tide-ml/

LINK: https://nevadasportsnet.com/news/reporters/heres-how-nevada-basketball-was-compensated-for-its-game-last-week-at-kansas

A native of Dallas, Blood and Thunder marks the first time grappling before a hometown audience in Nduka's burgeoning career. He'll do so in a venue a short walk from where the Dallas Sportatorium once stood, a venue that became something of a wrestling mecca thanks to the Von Erich family. Brothers David, Kerry, Kevin, Mike and Chris Von Erich attracted capacity crowds to the Sportatorium on a weekly basis. Kevin's sons Marshall and Ross are members of the MLW roster alongside Nduka. "The Von Erichs are HUGE in Dallas," Nduka said. "Never in a million years did I think I’d be on a show with [members of the family]." The patriarch of the famed Von Erichs, Fritz Von Erich, was a lineman on the SMU football team under his birth name, Jack Adkisson. He was part of a long and proud tradition on which Nduka — and others — now put their signatures. And while Goldberg appeared in main events for WCW through the late 1990s, WWE counter-programmed with shows featuring "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, a former North Texas linebacker; and the man to whom Nduka credits for inspiring him, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. Read more: https://athlonsports.com/college-football/fcs-championship-major-league-wrestling-ej-nduka-continues-tradition

Jordan “Jelly” Walker was on a mission to give his team a late two-possession lead on the road and had a clean shot off the bounce following a timely rebound from Quan Jackson off a missed free-throw attempt. It didn’t fall but Trey Jemison, imposing his massive frame, grabbed the offensive board on the miss and fed it right back to Walker for a second chance. Jelly. Walker made good on his promise, hitting the shot and an additional three free throws in the final minute to lift the UAB basketball team to a critical road win against the defending conference tournament champion. Read more: https://www.al.com/uab/2022/01/jemison-and-walker-power-uab-to-crucial-c-usa-win-at-north-texas.html

UAB (12-3, 2-0) vs. North Texas (8-3, 1-0) The Super Pit, Denton, Texas; Thursday, 8 p.m. EST BOTTOM LINE: UAB looks for its fourth straight win over North Texas at The Super Pit. North Texas' last win at home against the Blazers came on Feb. 12, 2015. BIRMINGHAM – The UAB men's basketball team will head to Texas for its first road test since Dec. 4 when the Blazers battle defending Conference USA Tournament champion North Texas on Thursday night. Tipoff at The Super Pit in Denton, Texas, is set for 7 p.m. and will be carried live on CBS Sports Network. UAB (12-3) moved to a perfect 10-0 in Bartow Arena on Saturday behind its 10th double-digit victory in Birmingham this season, defeating UTSA 87-59. Head coach Andy Kennedy notched career victory No. 300 in the 28-point victory, completing an opening weekend sweep of UTEP and UTSA. The Blazers hold a 6-4 all-time record against North Texas and have won four straight in Denton dating back to 2017. North Texas (8-3) has won six straight games since opening the season 2-3 and defeated Rice 75-43 to open Conference USA play on Saturday. UAB LATELY After trailing 3-0 early on Saturday, the Blazers used a 9-0 run to take the lead for good in their dominant 87-59 victory over UTSA on New Year's Day. KJ Buffen (20), Jordan Walker (19) and Michael Ertel (12) all reached double figures to pace the UAB offense. The Blazers shot an efficient 47.6% (10-of-21) from behind the 3-point line and limited the Roadrunners to 13.3% shooting (2-of-15) from behind the arc in the victory. Quan Jackson and Tavin Lovan each put together complete games in the win, chipping in with eight points and five or more rebounds apiece. UAB's 28-point victory over the Roadrunners marked its largest margin of victory in C-USA play since the Blazers defeated WKU 101-73 on March 3, 2018, in Bartow Arena. NORTH TEXAS LATELY North Texas, who won the C-USA Tournament this past season and upset fourth-seeded Purdue in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament, is off to an 8-3 start in 2021-22. The Mean Green, who are ranked No. 50 in the NET and No. 75 in KenPom, have earned Division I victories of UT-Arlington, Drake, UMass, Sam Houston State and Wichita State. UNT's win at Wichita State came on the road in front of a crowd of 8,277. North Texas leading scorer Tylor Perry scored 23 of UNT's 62 points in the victory, going a perfect 10-of-10 from the free throw line. The Mean Green rank second nationally in scoring defense, allowing just 54.0 points per game. North Texas, however, ranks just 281st in the nation in scoring offense with 66.7 points per game. UNT's rank of No. 50 in the NET rankings is just seven spots behind UAB's ranking of No. 43, which is the best in the C-USA. COMMON OPPONENTS -- NORTH TEXAS The Blazers and Mean Green shared no common nonconference opponents. ALL 10 MATCHUPS IN THE SERIES 12/4/97_ North Texas__________________ W, 79-73 1/23/14_ at North Texas_________________ L, 65-76 2/12/15_ at North Texas_________________ L, 64-67 1/23/16_ North Texas__________________ W, 78-57 1/5/17__ at North Texas________________ W, 54-52 2/8/18__ North Texas___________________ L, 60-67 1/24/19_ at North Texas________________ W, 52-49 2/8/20__ North Texas___________________ L, 64-71 3/5/21__ at North Texas________________ W, 65-51 3/6/21__ at North Texas________________ W, 65-61 300 IN THE RECORD BOOKS After posting his 11th 20-win season in 2020-21, Andy Kennedy earned win No. 300 of his career when the Blazers opened 2022 with an 87-59 victory over UTSA in Bartow Arena. Kennedy joins UAB Athletics founder Gene Bartow as only the second Blazer head coach to notch career victory No. 300 while coaching the Green and Gold. NOTHING BUT "NET" UAB's victory at Saint Louis not only marked the Blazers' first true road victory of the season, but it also served as UAB's first Quadrant I NET win of the 2021-22 season. NET, or the NCAA Evaluation Tool, released its first rankings of the 2021-22 season on Monday, Dec. 6, which had the Blazers sitting at a then program-best No. 35. The Blazers' previous high in the ranking system came in Andy Kennedy's first season back in Birmingham when UAB reached No. 48 in the NET ratings. UAB has reached as high as No. 28 in the ranking system this season and currently sits at No. 43 in the most recent ratings. North Texas (No. 50) sits seven spots behind the Blazers to rank second in the rating system among C-USA foes. EXPECTATIONS WELCOMED In October, the league's coaches selected UAB as the favorite to win the Conference USA regular season championship. The Blazers, who won a league-best 13 C-USA games this past season, earned eight of the 14 first-place votes. AK'S REVIVAL In AK's first two seasons back in Birmingham, the Blazers have started 12-3 or better in their first 15 games. The last time UAB posted back-to-back seasons with at least 12 wins in their first 15 games was in 2004-05 and 2005-06. UAB made the NCAA Tournament in both 2004-05 and 2005-06. STACKING UP NICELY IN THE LEAGUE UAB ranked first among Conference USA programs in a number of different team statistical categories entering C-USA play on Dec. 30, including scoring offense (82.2 points per game), scoring margin (21.2), steals per game (12.4) and turnover margin (8.6). Entering the second weekend of C-USA play, UAB ranks first in the league in field-goal percentage defense (38.0%), scoring margin (21.1), scoring offense (82.1), steals per game (11.7), total assists (214), total rebounds (594), total steals (175), turnover margin (7.8) and turnovers forced per game (19.3). PICKING POCKETS With 23 steals in Nov. 14's win over Rhodes College, the Blazers tied a school record for steals in a single game. UAB tallied 15 of its 23 steals in the first half, helping the Blazers tie their single-game steals record for the first time since 2005. UAB has recorded double-digit steal tallies in nine of its 15 games so far this season, posting 12 or more eight times. The Blazers rank third nationally with 11.7 steals per game and first nationally with 175 total steals. MAGIC MIKE Graduate guard Mike Ertel, who leads the UAB roster with 1,924 career points, posted his best scoring performance of the season in this past Thursday's 75-62 win over UTEP. Ertel poured in a season-high 25 points, scoring 20 or more points for the 26th time in his collegiate career. Ertel tallied 14 of his 25 points in the first half and finished the game by shooting 52.6% (10-of-19) from the field and 40% (4-of-10) from behind the 3-point line. Ertel has now reached double figures in scoring in three straight games. RADIO Blazer men's basketball games are set to air on 100.5 ESPN JOX 2 with David Crane and Murry Bartow on the call. In addition, Crane will host Blazer Sportsline every Tuesday beginning Dec. 28. The show takes place live from Iron City Grill in downtown Birmingham and features men's basketball head coach Andy Kennedy and women's basketball head coach Randy Norton. The nine-episode show, airs from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Blazer Sportsline can be heard on 100.5 ESPN JOX 2 and fans will be encouraged to tweet questions to @UABLearfield. Fans may also follow the Blazers this season by downloading the free TuneIn Radio app, online through Blazers All-Access at UABSports.com, or on the UAB Gameday mobile app. WATCH Thursday's game will be carried live on CBS Sports Network. Chris Hassel and Avery Johnson will be on the call for Thursday's C-USA matchup. UP NEXT The Blazers will conclude their first C-USA road trip of the season when UAB faces Rice on Saturday at Tudor Fieldhouse. Tipoff in Houston is set for 3 p.m. and will be broadcasted live on Stadium. LINK: https://uabsports.com/news/2022/1/5/mens-basketball-uab-travels-to-north-texas-for-showdown-against-defending-c-usa-tournament-champions.aspx

Karomo Collins - RB - Plainview Texas Tech involved? Tech has yet to offer, but coaches to follow Karomo on Twitter include Emmett Jones, Kirk Bryant and James Blanchard. Other schools? Karomo is still looking for his first offer. He took a visit to North Texas in late November. 2021 stats: Karomo finished with 492 rushing yards, 811 receiving yards and 14 touchdowns. In addition, he was named District 3-5A first team WR. LINK: https://alabama.rivals.com/news/2023-and-beyond-west-texas-recruits-to-keep-an-eye-on

Texas Tech involved? Tech has yet to offer, but coaches to follow Karomo on Twitter include Emmett Jones, Kirk Bryant and James Blanchard. Other schools? Karomo is still looking for his first offer. He took a visit to North Texas in late November. 2021 stats: Karomo finished with 492 rushing yards, 811 receiving yards and 14 touchdowns. In addition, he was named District 3-5A first team WR. Link: https://alabama.rivals.com/news/2023-and-beyond-west-texas-recruits-to-keep-an-eye-on

Updated Odds: Thursday’s College Basketball Best Bets - Action Network North Texas is 1-7-1 to the over this season and also plays at the second-slowest adjusted tempo in college basketball, per KenPom. It utilizes, on average, 21.1 seconds per possession on offense and forces opponents to use up an average of 17.3 seconds of their shot clock. The Mean Green also shoot only 31.5% from 3-point range and 47.4% from inside the arc. Since they have a top-40 defense, all of these signal under. In addition, UAB holds opponents to an average of 17.5 seconds per possession on defense. This basically says the North Texas possessions will be sluggish. Now, the Blazers do shoot 37.2% from distance. However, the Mean Green defend the arc extremely well with JJ Murray and Tylor Perry. They allow an average of only 28.1% from 3-point land. North Texas launches a ton of 3s, so if they don’t fall, it will not be in a strong position for much offense. UAB doesn’t shoot much from downtown, so expect this game to go under the total — as most Mean Green games have. The market has not quite caught up, so there’s still plenty of value in these unders. Pick: Under 124 (Under 121)