GAME NOTES: The UAB Blazers try to bring an end to a three-game slide on Sunday afternoon, as they tangle with the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders in the Conference USA opener.

The Blazers last took the floor on Dec. 27, facing nationally-ranked North Carolina in Chapel Hill and were blown away by the Tar Heels in an 89-58 final. The defeat was the fourth in the last five outings for a UAB squad that has yet to win anywhere but home.

As for the Blue Raiders, they too came up short in their final game of 2014, falling hard to Auburn on the road, 64-48, on Dec. 29. The setback served to snap a brief two-game win streak for Middle Tennessee over the likes of Chattanooga and Tennessee State at home.

In a series that dates back close to two decades, UAB owns a 5-3 edge over the Blue Raiders. Even though the Blazers own the advantage, the team has lost three straight after winning the first five. Last March, the Blue Raiders posted a 55-53 win.

UAB fell behind right out of the chute against the Tar Heels and never recovered, making just nine field goals in both halves, en route to the lopsided road loss. Robert Brown was the lone starter in double figures for the Blazers with 11 points, shooting just 3-of-11 from the field, while C.J. Washington accounted for 12 points, seven rebounds and three steals in 21 minutes off the bench, although he hit only 3-of-13 from the floor. Chris Cokley tacked on 10 points in a reserve role as well.

The Blazers, who have already faced and fallen to four teams in the Top-25, are being outscored by 6.3 ppg due to the fact that they are hitting field goals at just 40.1 percent and 3-point attempts at 29.0 percent. Brown stands as the only double-digit scorer with his 13.4 ppg, but he too is part of the problem with a mere 29.2 percent accuracy out on the perimeter.

Like the Blazers, Middle Tennessee also fell behind in the most recent outing immediately and had little chance of making a real game of it as the Blue Raiders turned the ball over a staggering 24 times. Aside from Jaqawn Raymond who tallied 10 points on 4-of-6 shooting from the floor, the starters were largely irrelevant for the visitors to Auburn, as the others combined to hit on only 2-of-11 from the field. Jaquel Richmond totaled 11 points off the bench, but it did nothing to change the outcome.

On a unit that is scoring only 59.2 ppg, there isn't a single player averaging even 10 ppg for the Blue Raiders. Jacquez Rozier comes close with 9.3 ppg, which makes sense since he is also the only one to have started every game. Reggie Upshaw, a reserve in eight contests, checks in with another 9.2 ppg and a team-best 6.3 rpg, but having him on the floor might not always be a good thing seeing as how he is shooting under 58 percent at the free-throw line.

The Blue Raiders are far from an offensive juggernaut and even though they are enjoying the comforts of home this weekend, it will still be difficult to rise to the challenge and take out UAB.