UAB basketball starts a new season Monday night with a roster that looks almost nothing like the one that reached another 20-win finish a year ago. The Blazers open the 2026-27 campaign against McNeese at the Rock Hill Sports & Event Center in Rock Hill, S.C., with tipoff set for 5:30 p.m. ET as part of the Field of 68 Opening Day Marathon.
For Andy Kennedy, it is the beginning of his seventh season leading his alma mater, and the matchup arrives with the kind of early test that can tell a lot about where a program stands. UAB has won six straight seasons with at least 20 victories, but it enters this one with only one returning player: sophomore guard Salim London.
London appeared in all 32 games last season and made 12 starts, giving UAB at least one holdover who knows the speed and physical demands of Kennedy’s system. He averaged 4.9 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.5 assists as a freshman, modest numbers that still make him the lone familiar piece on a team otherwise rebuilt almost from scratch.
The additions are the story around him. Justyn Fernandez comes in after averaging 16.6 points and 4.6 rebounds at Delaware, while Deuce Jones brings 15.8 points per game from Saint Joseph's and an Atlantic 10 Freshman of the Year award. Jeremy Elyzee averaged 10.9 points and 4.8 rebounds over two seasons at Southeastern Louisiana, T.J. Caldwell scored 9.4 points a night at Arkansas State, and Antallah Sandlin-El arrives after putting up 12.7 points and five rebounds at South Plains College while shooting 50% from the field and 43% from beyond the arc.
Elijah Duval led Southern Utah with 15.3 points and 3.6 assists per game and was the WAC Freshman of the Year, Matt Mbole posted 10.0 points, 12.2 rebounds and 2.6 blocks at South Georgia Tech, and Aleks Alston joins from Maryland after appearing in 25 games for the Terrapins. That mix gives UAB a much different look, but it also means Monday is less about continuity than discovery.
The opponent is no softer landing. McNeese enters as the three-time defending Southland Conference champion after going 28-6 overall and 19-3 in league play last season, earning the conference’s automatic NCAA Tournament bid. The Cowboys also averaged 79.7 points per game while allowing 66.8, and Bill Armstrong is back for his second season in charge.
The game will stream live on YouTube via the Field of 68, giving the opener a national stage even if the Blazers are still figuring out how the pieces fit together. UAB does not have the luxury of easing into the schedule; it has to show immediately whether a program that has been steady for years can stay that way with almost an entirely new cast.
That is what makes Monday more than just another season opener. It is the first real answer to whether Kennedy’s track record can carry over to a roster with one returning player, and the first chance to see whether London can anchor a team trying to keep its winning streak of seasons alive.
