When East Carolina and Alabama-Birmingham last met for a men’s basketball game, the Pirates were flying high, having won four of their previous five games during the 2010-11 season, including their first-ever victory over Memphis and a blowout win over Central Florida to open the Conference USA tournament.

On the heels of that triumph against UCF — the first C-USA tourney win in school history — ECU went on to upset UAB in the second round for its 18th win of the season, assuring the Pirates of their first winning record since the 1996-97 campaign.

The Pirates face the Blazers tonight under much different circumstances.

For the complete article, please pick up a copy of The Daily Reflector. Current home delivery and electronic edition subscribers may log in to access this article at no charge. To become a subscriber, please click here or contact Customer Service at (252) 329-9505.