Wednesday, March 19th, 7:00 p.m. (et)

FACTS & STATS: Site: Stuart C. Siegel Center (7,500) -- Richmond, Virginia. Television: ESPN2. NIT Record: UAB 11-8, VCU 2-4. Series Record: UAB leads, 20-16.

GAME NOTES: The UAB Blazers and Virginia Commonwealth Rams will try to keep their seasons alive tonight, as they tussle in the first round of the NIT at the Siegel Center. The winner of this game moves on to face Virginia Tech or Morgan State in the next round. The Blazers enter the game with a solid 22-10 overall mark, courtesy of wins in 10 of their last 14 outings. With that resume, UAB earned a spot in the NIT, where it has gone 11-8 in eight prior appearances. Included in that record is two Final Four showings in both 1989 and 1993. This is the program's first appearance in the NIT since 2003. As for VCU, it won the Colonial Athletic Association regular-season title with a 15-3 record and that earned it an automatic enter to the NIT. The Rams, who were upset in the CAA Tournament to end up here, are making their fifth appearance in the NIT. The team has won just twice in six all-time games in this event. In terms of the head-to-head series, UAB holds a 20-16 edge over VCU, although the Rams claimed a 53-44 victory in the most recent meeting in 2006.

The Blazers are draining 45.7 percent of their chances from the field and 38.1 percent from three-point range and that has led them to a scoring average of 74.1 ppg. Robert Vaden is an elite scorer and competitor and he heads UAB with a hardy 21.6 ppg on the strength of 41.2 percent shooting from beyond the arc. Lawrence Kinnard is a distant second at 11.2 ppg, but he trails nobody else on the roster in rebounding, with 6.8 rpg. Channing Toney rounds out the double- digit scorers with 11.1 ppg and he is shooting 38.9 percent from long distance. Aaron Johnson nets just 5.0 ppg for UAB, but that is because he has been busy setting up his teammates, distributing a club-high 4.1 apg.

The Rams have really suffocated opposing teams this season, holding their foes to a mere 58.1 ppg and a dismal 37.8 percent shooting from the field and 26.6 percent from three-point land. Offensively, VCU is turning in 67.1 ppg behind the duo of Eric Maynor and Jamal Shuler. Maynor is a well rounded player that is not only scoring a team-high 17.8 ppg, but also handing out a club-leading 5.4 apg. He is also dangerous from three-point range, hitting at a 40.5 percent clip. Shuler has provided a nice complement to Maynor with 15.4 ppg and 4.6 rpg, and he is also the team's top defender with 48 steals to his name.

VCU is clearly the better defensive club in this one, and with a stingy effort and the support of its fans, look for the Rams to earn the win tonight.

Predicted Outcome

Virginia Commonwealth 69, UAB 65