GAME NOTES: The UAB Blazers bring a three-game win streak into Thursday's battle against Florida Atlantic, and they can clinch a bye in the upcoming Conference USA Tournament with a win.

The Blazers are heavy favorites to win this mismatch, as FAU sports just one win in league play compared to UAB's 12. The Blazers can still earn a share of the regular-season conference crown with wins in its last two games and a loss by Louisiana Tech to Southern Miss on Thursday.

FAU is guaranteed to finish in the C-USA basement regardless of the outcomes from its final two games and it will not participate in next week's tourney. The Owls (1-15) dropped their 11th straight decision last Saturday in a 79-63 final at Marshall, which was the only team they had beaten in league play.

This is the only meeting of the season between these two teams. They have met just three times before, with UAB winning the first two, and FAU taking the lone contest last year at home.

It took three overtimes for UAB to secure an unbeaten home slate in C-USA play, as the Blazers outlasted Middle Tennessee in a 100-95 final last Saturday. They finished a perfect 9-0 at home against conference opponents.

William Lee nearly posted a triple-double, notching 16 points and 11 rebounds and he also blocking eight shots. Chris Cokley netted a team-high 20 points and added nine boards for the Blazers, who also saw Robert Brown (18 points, seven assists), Hakeem Baxter (16 points), Nick Norton (12 points, 7 assists) and Denzell Watts (11 points) all score in double figures as well.

With Middle Tennessee up one with 1:50 left in the third overtime, Baxter finished on a layup and was fouled, getting to the line to complete the deciding three-point play. Middle Tennessee did not make a field goal the rest of the way. UAB, the top free-throw shooting team in C-USA at 75.1 percent, connected on an impressive 26-of-31 from the stripe.

The Blazers rely on balanced scoring, as eight players average at least 6.4 points and more than 17 minutes per game. Brown leads the team at 13.3 ppg, and no one else is putting up more than 8.0 ppg. Lee, the team's leading rebounder (5.9 rpg), has turned it on of late, recording a double-double in four of his last five games.

Florida Atlantic actually gave Marshall another scare last Saturday, but ultimately wilted in the second half en route to the double-digit defeat. They were outscored by 20 in the second half as the Thunder Herd connected on a sizzling 70.8 percent of their shots. FAU was limited to 32 percent efficiency after the break. Marquan Botley led the Owls with 19 points, C.J. Turman chipped in with 12 points and six rebounds, and Solomon Poole netted 10 points in the losing effort.

Botley has been one of the few bright spots for an FAU squad that is averaging just 62.9 ppg this season. The sophomore guard leads the team in scoring (13.8 ppg) and assists (103), and nearly boasts a 2:1 assist-to-turnover ratio. Poole and Jackson Trapp are also scoring in double figures at 12.5 and 10.2 ppg, respectively.

FAU is only playing for pride at this point, while UAB is still trying to secure something rather important in a first-round bye next week. The Blazers should have no problem doing so.