Game Info: Wednesday, March 19, 2025 - 7:00 p.m.
Location: Hagan Arena - Hawk Hill, Philadelphia
Tickets | TV: ESPN+ | Listen: sjuhawks.com | Live Stats: sjuhawks.com | Saint Joseph's Game Notes | UAB Game Notes | Atlantic 10 Notes

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Opening Tip
The Saint Joseph's men's basketball team sees its season continue as it hosts the UAB Blazers in the First Round of the NIT on Wednesday, March 19. Tipoff from Hagan Arena is at 7:00 p.m. with the game on ESPN+.

Hawks In The NIT    
Saint Joseph's is competing in the oldest college basketball postseason tournament in the nation for the second consecutive season and 18th time overall. The Hawks' best finish is a runner-up placement in 1996 and 2005. St. Joe's also turned in a third place finish in its first ever NIT appearance in 1956. SJU is 16-17 all-time in the NIT. 

The Buck Stops Here    
One thing the Hawks have done well this season is not let losing streaks build. St. Joe's is 10-1 after a loss this season with its only two-game skid coming at the beginning of the calendar year. In the game after a setback SJU averages 80.9 points per game, is shooting 48.8 percent and blocking 6.1 shots a contest. It has held the opposition to under 40 percent from the floor and is surrendering just 66.5 PPG

X Factor    
For as good as he was all season, earning Atlantic 10 First Team honors, Xzayvier Brown turned it up another notch in the conference tournament. The sophomore averaged 22.3 points per game with 6.7 rebounds a contest in the three games in Washington, D.C. In the semifinals against George Mason, he poured in 26 points and connected on a season-high five three pointers. For his efforts, Brown was named to the All-Championship Team.

Supporting Cast    
While a team needs its stars to be stars, the Hawks got some fantastic contributions from its role players during the A-10 championship. Anthony Finkley averaged 10.7 points, 5.0 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 2.7 steals per game in the conference tournament. Dasear Haskins posted 7.7 PPG and was 9-for-13 from the floor. Overall, the SJU bench averaged 13.7 points, 8.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.0 steals an outing in the three games.

Get Us To 70    
With all the different metrics, outrebounding opponents, shooting better than opponents, time of day, etc, there has been one constant for the Hawks this season. Saint Joseph's is 22-4 this season when scoring 70 or more points, but 0-8 when it doesn't reach that mark. SJU is 13-1 at home this season when tallying 70+.

Home Sweet Hagan    
Playing at home has been a positive thing for St Joe's throughout the building's history with a .634 winning percentage. The last two seasons have been particularly good, going 27-7 (.794). The 27 victories are the most in a two-year stretch since the building was renovated and renamed Hagan Arena in 2009. The Hawks also went 8-1 in A-10 games at home this season. The eight conference wins at home are the most in a season since 2004-05 and the most ever in Hagan Arena/Alumni Fieldhouse. In 1985-86, 2003-04 and 2004-05, SJU went undefeated at home in the A-10, but at least two home games in each of those seasons were played at the Palestra.

20-20 Vision    
The victory against Rhode Island on March 5 was the 20th of the season for the Hawks. It is the 24th time in program history Saint Joseph's has won 20 or more games in a season. Combined with a 21-14 record last year, St. Joe's has hit the mark in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 2003-04 and 2004-05 when the team collected 30 and 24 victories, respectively. It is the eighth time that SJU has earned 20+ wins in back-to-back years.

Not So Familiar    
While matchups between A-10 and AAC schools aren't that unfamiliar – the respectively conference members played each other 11 times in 2024-25 – its a bit of a different story for Saint Joseph's and UAB. The Blazers have not played an Atlantic 10 team since December 4, 2021 when they downed Saint Louis. 77-72. Outside of Big 5 rival Temple, the Hawks haven't played a team from The American since taking on South Florida in the Sunshine Slam on November 22, 2022. The game against USF came up as a part of a tournament. SJU has to go back to November 13, 2019 to find a scheduled game against an AAC foe that isn't Temple as it downed UConn, 96-87 in just the third game of the Billy Lange era.

Turning The Tide    
By earning a bid into the 2025 NIT, the Hawks continue the team's ascent during the last three seasons. Saint Joseph's is competing in a national postseason tournament in back-to-back years for the first time since 2013 and 2014 when it competed in the NIT and NCAA Tournament, respectively. SJU also advanced to the A-10 semifinals for the second consecutive year and is 6-3 in the conference championship in the last three seasons.

Scouting Report    
UAB enters play 22-12 overall and went 13-5 in the America Athletic Conference. The Blazers advanced to the AAC final for a second consecutive season, this time falling to No. 16 Memphis, 84-72 on Sunday.

Leading the offense for UAB is First Team All-AAC performer Yaxel Lendeborg who is one of four players averaging double figures at 17.7 points per game. Ja'Borri McGhee and Alejandro Vazquez each score 11.1 a night while Butta Johnson tallies 10.9 a contest. Lendeborg is a triple threat, leading the team in rebounding at 11.0 a game and also assists with 143.

It's not just on the offensive end where Lendeborg excels. The American Defensive Player of the Year, he led the conference in blocks with 62 and was third in steals at 57.
As a team, the Blazers can score, averaging 81.2 points per game, the top mark in the AAC and 15th nationally. They also fight on the glass, ranking second in NCAA Division I at 14.71 offensive rebounds a contest and will get out on the run, netting 15.32 fastbreak points a game.

The defensive side of the ball is somewhat of an issue for UAB, which is 292nd nationally, giving up 76.2 points an outing. They struggle to contain teams beyond the arc, surrendering 35.1 percent shooting on threes.

1991 alumnus Andy Kennedy is in his fifth season as the head coach of his alma mater with a record of 123-49 in Birmingham. Overall in 18 years as a collegiate head coach he is 389-218 and has led his teams to the NCAA Tournament on four occasions.

All-Time Series    
Wednesday is the second ever matchup between UAB ans Saint Joseph's in men's basketball. The only other game between the schools was a 72-58 win for the Blazers at the Puerto Rico Holiday Classic in 1998.

Up Next    
The winner between Saint Joseph's and UAB takes on the victor between No. 2 Santa Clara and UC Riverside on either March 22 or 23. The location of the game will be at the highest remaining seed between the four teams, pending arena availability with the time to be determined.