In its entire 44 years of existence, the UAB basketball program has made 13 appearances in the NIT but never advanced to the finals at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

Two semifinal trips. Two third-place finishes.

Following a three-decade absence and cross-country change of venue, the Blazers are feeling well-prepared and a bit lucky as they face off against Utah Valley in today’s NIT semifinal at Orleans Arena in Las Vegas.

Tipoff is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. CT on ESPN2.

UAB enters the final four of the NIT at 28-9 overall — winning 15 of its last 17 games and setting the program record for wins in a season — after plowing through the first two rounds and earning a hard-fought quarterfinal win at Vanderbilt last week.

“We’re excited to be here,” UAB head coach Andy Kennedy said. “We’re glad to be playing — one of only eight teams still in college basketball to have an opportunity to continue to play. Our guys have earned that. We’re looking forward to doing one thing that has never been done in the storied history of UAB basketball and that is capturing an NIT Championship.”

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The Blazers were picked to win C-USA in the league’s preseason coaches poll but finished third in the regular-season standings behind FAU and North Texas, both of whom are also still playing entering the final week of the college basketball postseason. The Owls defeated UAB in the C-USA tournament title game, advancing to the Final Four of the 2023 NCAA tournament this past weekend, and the Mean Green are currently positioned on the opposite side of the NIT semifinal bracket.

“It has been a long journey and one that has certainly been full of peaks and valleys,” Kennedy said. “I’m proud that these guys got up off the mat and continued to move forward. The most valuable lesson that I can impart to them as a coach is persevere — continue to persevere and continue to stay the course. We are pursuing something that hasn’t happened at UAB before, and that’s an opportunity to capture an NIT Championship and that’s where our focus is.”

Since the inception of the NIT, the semifinals and title game were held at Madison Square Garden until after the COVID-19 pandemic when it was moved to Frisco, Texas for the 2021 season. The event returned to Madison Square Garden last season but is now on a rotating basis beginning with Las Vegas’ Orleans Arena this year and Butler’s Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis for the 2024 edition.

UAB’s Jordan “Jelly” Walker, a New York native and the nation’s fourth-leading scorer (22.5 ppg), would have preferred to finish out his career on the east coast but has no qualms about making a return to Orleans Arena following an appearance in the Las Vegas Invitational early in the 2021-2022 season.

“I wish it was in Madison Square Garden,” Walker said. “To end my college career in New York, around family and friends, it would have been the best thing in the world and something only I could dream of.”

“But Vegas is Vegas,” he added. “Being from New York, then coming to Vegas, it’s beautiful out here and I love it. We played in this arena last year so I don’t mind it being here at all.”

It will be no walk in the park as Utah Valley is 28-8 overall and one of the top defensive teams in the nation. The Wolverines earn their living inside-out and rank first in blocks (6.6 bpg), second in defensive rebounding (29.97 rpg) and sixth in total rebounds (40.1 rpg) and fifth in field-goal defense (39 percent) and 23rd in 3-point field-goal defense (30.4 percent).

The guard trio of Justin Harmon, Le’Tre Darthard and Trey Woodbury are lethal from beyond range — all three shooting at least 35 percent — and sophomore center Aziz Bandaogo is a load inside the paint.

Harmon leads the Wolverines in scoring with an average of 13.9 points, shooting 45.7 percent overall and adding 3.8 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.3 steals, followed by Darthard with 13.8 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.3 steals. Woodbury rounds out the group with 13.7 points, 5.8 rebounds and 4.7 assists and produced an 11-11-11 triple-double against Stephen F. Austin.

Bandaogo averages 11.5 points and 10.2 rebounds, adding 2.9 blocks, and ranks 10th in the nation with 16 double-doubles this season. Cam Alford has been out since the SFA game but Tim Fuller and Tahj Small, along with Tim Ceaser and Blaze Nield, have picked up the slack in helping create a deep and balanced unit.

“We are prepared, as prepared as you can be for somebody that you’ve never played before,” Kennedy said. “Great respect for what (Utah Valley head coach) Mark (Madsen) has done, and man, they are really good. When I watched the tape, the team that I can most equate to who we are familiar with is FAU. They spread you, they play fast, they have multiple guys that can beat you off the bounce, they have got rim protection and they have got depth.”

The Blazers, through trial and error, also manufactured depth this season and found contributions from a 10-deep rotation that ranks as the 10th-best scoring offense (81.1 ppg) and second-best rebounding unit (41.0 rpg) in the nation. Additionally, UAB ranks fifth in offensive rebounding (13.5 rpg) and 18th in rebounding margin (plus-6).

Walker’s offerings aside, Trey “The Mayor” Jemison has been the most consistent player on the team — averaging 9.3 points, 8.5 rebounds and 1.9 blocks — and leads C-USA with 11 double-doubles this season. KJ Buffen has the ability to be the most formidable player on the court when not in foul trouble, averaging 10.8 points and 6.7 rebounds, and Eric Gaines, when maintaining possession, stacks the line with an average of 11.6 points, 3.5 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 1.9 steals.

The Brewer Brothers, Ty and Ledarrius, have produced similar numbers this season and the former has been on a tear in recent weeks, averaging 7.4 points and 4.1 rebounds on the season. Javian Davis provides quality frontcourt depth behind Jemison and Buffen and Tavin Lovan is a ticking time bomb waiting to explode to the basket. Tony Toney has played exceptional defense during his limited time on the court and true freshman Efrem “Butta” Johnson continues to develop at a satisfying pace.

“Being able to be one of eight teams still playing this late in the year is an absolute blessing,” Walker said. “We have six seniors on our team and we know that basketball at college is coming to an end.”

“A lot of our goals are to play professionally at the next level and we have an opportunity where everyone can see us play and see our ability,” he added. “See how great of a team we are and individually how great of players we are. It definitely is amazing that we’re still able to play right now.”

Despite the statistical differences, both teams match up fairly even as each advantage has the potential to cancel out the other.

The Blazers are one of the best rebounding teams in the nation, primarily on the offensive glass, and score with a high level of efficiency when conditions are favorable. Meanwhile, Utah Valley dominates the defense board and suffocates shooters with lockdown on-ball defense and sure-handed blocking.

If Walker and company hope to continue playing for an NIT championship, they will need to accentuate their strengths over that of the Wolverines.

“There’s going to be a lot of eyes on the platform which the NIT presents tomorrow and we’ll be the only game playing in the country as it relates to college basketball,” Kennedy said. “Our guys are excited about that. They know the opportunity in front of them. They know the challenge. We have completely engrossed ourselves in Utah Valley and know the challenge they present.”