BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Dezayne Mingo scored a game-high 35 points to lead No. 5 Charlotte past No. 4 UAB, 83–78, in the quarterfinals of the 2026 American Men’s Basketball Championship on Friday afternoon at Legacy Arena at the BJCC in Birmingham, Alabama.
 
With the win, the 49ers (17–16) advance to face No. 1 South Florida in Saturday’s semifinals at 3 p.m. ET / 2 p.m. CT on ESPN2. It marks Charlotte’s first appearance in the American Conference Championship semifinals.
 
UAB used a 13–1 run over a five-minute stretch to take a 16–11 lead, capped by a layup from Quaran McPherson. Charlotte worked its way back before halftime, tying the game at 31 before the Blazers hit two free throws to take a two-point lead into the break, despite shooting just 1-for-9 from behind the arc.
 
Midway through the second half, the 49ers made 14 straight field goals, with Mingo accounting for five of them and scoring 17 points during the stretch as Charlotte built a 76–69 lead. UAB responded by making eight of its next ten shots as part of an 8–0 run to cut the deficit to one with 2:08 remaining. The 49ers then converted back-to-back fast-break layups to seal the win in the closing seconds.
 
Mingo connected on a tournament-record eight three-pointers, shooting 72.7 percent from beyond the arc. Ben Bradford added 17 points and seven rebounds.
 
Chance Westry dished out 15 assists for UAB, the most in an American Conference Championship game. The Blazers finished with 24 team assists, tying the single-game tournament record. Daniel Rivera led UAB with 20 points on 8-of-12 shooting.