Jerod Haase admitted his mistake.

In UAB's conference opener on Sunday, the Blazers' basketball coach allowed his most versatile player to pick up his fourth foul mere moments after William Lee drew his third. The infraction came on a baseline-out-of bounds play for Middle Tennessee State just five minutes into the second half, and the coaching gaffe seemed to all but seal the fate of the Southside Dragons.

"It was a conscious decision on my part, which was absolutely the wrong decision," Haase said.

UAB seemed fated for a loss, but this team just doesn't seem to know how to lose in Birmingham.

Consider everything that went against the Blazers in its 78-67 victory at Bartow Arena to begin play in Conference USA:

--Lee, the Blazers' talented 6-9 power forward, played with four fouls through most of the second half, and didn't score a single point through the first 28 minutes of the game.

--Middle Tennessee State made nine three-pointers in the first half and shot 66.7 percent from the field to begin the game.

--The Blue Raiders' 42 points in the first half were the most for any UAB opponent this season.

--The Blazers' leading scorer, Chris Cokley, finished with four points and fouled out of the game with four minutes left.

All that and UAB not only won its eighth game in a row, but managed to extended its streak of double-digit victories to five. UAB (11-3, 1-0), which never lost at home in 2015, has now won 19 consecutive games in Birmingham. That streak includes 17 in a row at Bartow, or two shy of the school record.

No wonder it's so difficult to convince a decent out-of-conference foe to visit Birmingham these days.

Entering the meat of its conference schedule, the Blazers are growing up at just the right time, and it's fun to watch. In his fourth season in Birmingham, Haase has put together arguably UAB's best basketball team in the last decade. Always slow to the mobilize this time of year, the city is starting to take notice. Despite students still on winter break, Sunday's matinee crowd (4,279) was loud and engaged. The lower bowl stood and cheered for the final minutes, which included an 18-2 run.

The arena's concessioners apparently weren't ready for the spike in attendance, but athletic director Mark Ingram ensured fans on Twitter that everything would be sorted out for Thursday's 7 p.m. tipoff against Texas-San Antonio. Souvenir cups with ice would be a good start.

Appreciate u bringing the concessions issue 2 our attn. Saw lines @ HT & agree they r too long. We'll work w/ vendor b4 next gm. Go Blazers! — Mark Ingram (@UAB_AD) January 3, 2016

The way this team is playing, Bartow should prepare for a surge in attendance as league play begins.

Haase's Blazers were one of the youngest teams in the country last season, and it showed all the way until they found some momentum as the host team of the C-USA tournament. Last year's squad had trouble closing out games in the regular season, but a poised effort put away one of C-USA's most well-coached teams on Sunday.

Haase called coach Kermit Davis' Middle Tennessee "a team that has, in many ways, been the standard for the four years that I've been in the league."

It's a standard Haase should always exceed at UAB, and his teams are beginning to consistently reach that bar. UAB defeated Middle Tennessee State three times last season, including the championship game of the C-USA Tournament at Legacy Arena.

"So for us to start out in the league with a win is huge," Haase said. "It's just not a team that you can come out and do things halfway and do things without being extremely physical."

UAB trailed by 13 points less than three minutes into the second half, but rallied despite foul trouble for its two best players. Last week, UAB trailed Stephen F. Austin 31-13 before rallying for the win.

Middle Tennessee State was without star guard Giddy Potts, and that's going to devalue this conference opener a bit, but the Blazers' depth off the bench is that of a solid mid-major. C-USA's abysmal RPI (the league was ranked 21st entering Sunday) likely makes it a one-bid league, but UAB has the bones of a team that can make a run in the NCAA Tournament.

Start with the backups because that's the strength of this team. The bench had 32 points on Sunday with guard Dirk Williams leading all reserves with 11 points. Rangy and athletic at 6-5, Williams has the potential to be an elite defender. He would have a shot in Europe or possibly the D-League if he could develop into a lock-down perimeter stopper.

Lee, the versatile power forward who Haase and teammates call "Haha," has the most pro potential if he can further develop his game. Lee began the season as a starter, but has since made the transition to Sixth Man. The new role suits him given the skill sets of UAB's other forwards.

That Lee has gone from starter to role player without any fuss shouldn't go unnoticed. His attitude has helped set a positive tone for the team.

"It has a lot to do with Haha, and the type of person he is," said Robert Brown, the team's shooting guard and senior leader. "He's not one looking for the spotlight or anything, and it's all about the team and winning. Having him in the back line defensively, when he's in, it makes my job on the perimeter a lot easier if I get beat."

Lee is second in C-USA with 42 blocks this season. Entering Sunday he was ranked sixth nationally in total blocks and blocks per game (3.2). All 10 of his points against Middle Tennessee State came with four fouls.

"His role, candidly, is going to be what he wants his role to be," Haase said. "I want him to be a scorer, a shot blocker, an excellent defender, a high-level passer and an unbelievable rebounder.

"I had a candid conversation last week with him. My job is to push him as hard as possible, and make sure he is not comfortable with the status quo, and that he needs to get to another level."

So does UAB basketball, and it appears like Haase is beginning to point the Blazers in the right direction.