Vanderbilt Exposes Plenty for UAB to Work On in Exhibition

By Steve Irvine

October 20, 2026 - NASHVILLE, TN

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – About the only good thing that came out of UAB’s visit to Nashville on Monday night was the Blazers found plenty of things to work on to get better.

“As I told the team, I’m disappointed not discouraged,” Andy Kennedy said after his team lost to Vanderbilt 90-57 in an exhibition game at Memorial Gymnasium. “Coming on the road to play a SEC team, a top 25 team in the preseason, you know you are going to have some disadvantages. I was just disappointed in our fight or lack there of out of certain guys. As a coach sometimes, two or three glaring things make you overlook some of the positives. I thought Deuce Jones looked like he belonged out there. I thought Aleks Alston gave us some quality minutes. I thought at times we looked like a coherent basketball team. But you get outrebounded by 18. We have 18 turnovers to only eight assists. You know me, that’s not our M.O. We were throwing the ball all around, missing plays. When you were shooting as poorly as we did, when you have opportunities to make plays you got to make them. Tonight we made very few on both ends.”

It wasn’t a pretty game early on but UAB was hanging around with the Commodores for the most part. Vanderbilt led 15-12 after Alston came off the bench and hit a 3-pointer. But things unraveled at that point. Vanderbilt used its pressure defense and dominated the boards to go on a 25-7 run that gave the Commodores a 40-19. UAB never had a chance afterward.

Jones, the team’s starting point guard, had a solid game despite turning the ball over four times. Jones finished with a team-high 18 points on 5-of-12 shooting from the field, 3-of-4 from outside the 3-point line and 5-of-8 from the line. His four-point play midway through the second half that was followed by a steal and layup gave UAB some life but they couldn’t maintain the momentum.

Jones was the lone Blazer to finish in double figures. Jeremy Elyzee had some good moments in the second half, finishing with nine points and four rebounds. Alston and Elijah Duval each had eight points. As a team, UAB was outrebounded, 48-31, with grabbing 16 offensive rebounds. Vanderbilt scored 24 points off the 18 UAB turnovers and the Commodores won points in the paint (42-20), points off the fastbreak (26-4) and points off the bench (39-18). UAB shot 30 percent from the field and 36.8 percent from 3-point territory.

“Humbling experience,” Kennedy said. “My hope this is humbling for the guys who can do something about it. We’ll get back, evaluate the tape (and) try to figure out who to do what and give this another shot against another SEC opponent (Ole Miss) next week.”

UAB played without KyeRon Lindsay-Martin, who is still fighting to get another year of eligibility. Lindsay-Martin was with the team on Monday but not in uniform.

“Without getting into a lot of details, there’s a court case (where) we’re waiting on a decision as it relates to step one (on the five years to play five seasons),” Kennedy said. “Then there is a NCAA appeal (on a hardship to get him a fifth year) that we have submitted some more information. We’re waiting on that as well.”

While his presence wouldn’t have changed the outcome on Monday, Kennedy said Lindsay-Martin is “vital to us.”

“He’s a 10 and 7 guy that’s been through this,” Kennedy said. “He’s big, he’s strong, he’s been through some wars for us. He’s vital for us.”