| |
| School Name: | University of Alabama at Birmingham |
| Location: | Birmingham, Alabama |
| Arena: | Bartow Arena |
| Capacity: | 8,508 |
| Conference: | The American |
| Head coach: | Mike Davis |
The UAB Blazers basketball team represents the University of Alabama at Birmingham in NCAA Division I men's College basketball. The Blazers were affiliated with Conference USA from 1995 to 2023. The team has been in the American Athletic Conference since 2023.
History[]
The UAB Blazers started their athletics program with the creation of men's basketball in 1978. Setting high standards from the start, UAB was able to lure Gene Bartow away from his post as the head coach at UCLA to start the Blazer program. Known as the "Father of UAB athletics," Coach Bartow was able to guide the Blazers to early success by reaching the NCAA tournament in just their third season of existence. Since their inaugural season, the Blazers have made 17 appearances in the NCAA men's basketball tournament, and 13 appearances in the National Invitational Tournament. UAB has been productive in its NCAA tournament appearances, reaching the Elite Eight once, and the Sweet Sixteen 3 times. After 46 years of basketball, UAB has had 40 winning seasons, including 29 seasons with at least 20 wins. UAB's win percentage ranks 28th among NCAA Division I basketball programs with at least 40 seasons. UAB's basketball program has featured wins over many of basketball's most historic programs, including Kentucky, North Carolina, Indiana, Louisville, Kansas, Arizona, Michigan State, Virginia, Villanova, Connecticut and many others.
Conference affiliations[]
- 1978–79 – NCAA Division I Independent
- 1979–80 to 1990–91 – Sun Belt Conference
- 1991–92 to 1994–95 – Great Midwest Conference
- 1995–96 to 2022–23 – Conference USA
- 2023–24 to present – American Athletic Conference
Coaches[]
| Coach | Years | Wins-Losses |
|---|---|---|
| Gene Bartow | 1978-1996 | 365-204 (.641) |
| Murry Bartow | 1996-2002 | 103-83 (.554) |
| Mike Anderson | 2002-2006 | 89-41 (.685) |
| Mike Davis | 2006-Present | 38-27 (.585) |
| Overall | 595-355 (.626) |
Players[]
Retired Jerseys[]
| Retired Basketball Jerseys | ||
|---|---|---|
| Number | Player | Years |
| 14 | Steve Mitchell | 1982-1986 |
| 20 | Oliver Robinson | 1978-1982 |
| 40 | Jerome Mincy | 1982-1986 |
Since UAB established its basketball program, only 3 jerseys have been retired and now hang in the rafters of Bartow Arena. It was decided early on in UAB's basketball program that such an honor would only be bestowed on those players that earned AP All-American honors and graduated from UAB.
In the NBA[]
UAB has also seen a number of its players move on to a professional career in the NBA. Some of UAB's highest NBA draft picks include:
- Oliver Robinson (2nd Round/1st Pick/24th Overall) to the San Antonio Spurs
- Walter Sharpe (2nd Round/2nd Pick/32nd Overall) to the Seattle SuperSonics
- Steve Mitchell (2nd Round/12th Pick/36th Overall) to the Washington Bullets
- Reginald Turner (2nd Round/20th Pick/47th Overall) to the Denver Nuggets
Other former Blazers to move on to the NBA include:
- Larry Spicer
- Keith McCord
- Glenn Marcus
- Norm Anchrum
- Jerome Mincy
- Chris Giles
- Donnie Speer
- Cliff Pruitt
- Lex Drum
- McKinley Singleton
- Archie Johnson
- Alan Ogg
- Stanley Jackson
- Donell Taylor
Post-Season[]
NCAA tournament results[]
UAB has appeared in 17 NCAA Tournaments, with a combined record of 10–17.
| Year | Seed | Round | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | #7 | First Round Second Round Sweet Sixteen |
Western Kentucky Kentucky Indiana |
W 93–68 W 69–62 L 72–87 |
| 1982 | #4 | Second Round Sweet Sixteen Elite Eight |
Indiana Virginia Louisville |
W 80–70 W 68–66 L 68–75 |
| 1983 | #10 | First Round | Oklahoma | L 63–71 |
| 1984 | #9 | First Round | BYU | L 68–84 |
| 1985 | #7 | First Round Second Round |
Michigan State Memphis State |
W 67–55 L 66–67 (OT) |
| 1986 | #6 | First Round Second Round |
Missouri North Carolina |
W 66–64 L 59–77 |
| 1987 | #11 | First Round | Providence | L 68–90 |
| 1990 | #10 | First Round | UCLA | L 56–68 |
| 1994 | #7 | First Round | George Washington | L 46–51 |
| 1999 | #12 | First Round | Iowa | L 64–77 |
| 2004 | #9 | First Round Second Round Sweet Sixteen |
Washington Kentucky Kansas |
W 102–100 W 76–74 L 74–100 |
| 2005 | #11 | First Round Second Round |
LSU Arizona |
W 82–68 L 63–85 |
| 2006 | #9 | First Round | Kentucky | L 64–69 |
| 2011 | #12 | First Four | Clemson | L 52–70 |
| 2015 | #14 | Second Round Third Round |
Iowa State UCLA |
W 60–59 L 75–92 |
| 2022 | #12 | First Round | Houston | L 68–82 |
| 2024 | #12 | First Round | San Diego State | L 65–69 |
| Conference | Year |
|---|---|
| Sun Belt Conference | 1982 |
| Sun Belt Conference | 1983 |
| Sun Belt Conference | 1984 |
| Sun Belt Conference | 1987 |
| Conference USA | 2015 |
| Conference USA | 2022 |
| American Athletic Conference | 2024 |
Facilities[]
UAB initially played its games at the Birmingham Jefferson Civic Complex Arena, but moved its games to an on-campus facility beginning with the 1988-89 season. Originally known as UAB Arena, the name was officially changed to Bartow Arena on January 25, 1997. The 8,508-seat arena is named after Gene Bartow, the coach who largely built the school's men's basketball program from scratch over the last quarter of the 20th century.
Attendance records[]
| Opponent | Attendance | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | DePaul (1980) | 17,309 |
| 2 | DePaul (1985) | 17,222 |
| 3 | Auburn (1984) | 17,025 |
| 4 | Indiana (1997) | 16,982 |
| 5 | Virginia Commonwealth (1985) | 16,866 |
| 6 | Auburn (1986) | 16,815 |
| 7 | Auburn (1983) | 16,803 |
| 8 | Auburn (1982) | 16,797 |
| 9 | South Florida (1985) | 16,781 |
| 10T | Virginia (1982) | 16,754 |
| 10T | Louisville (1982) | 16,754 |
| Opponent | Attendance | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Memphis (2008) | 9,392 |
| 2 | Louisville (2005) | 9,354 |
| 3 | Cincinnati (2004) | 9,312 |
| 4 | Cincinnati (2000) | 9,279 |
| 5 | Cincinnati (1996) | 9,213 |
| 6 | Alcorn State (1989) | 9,010 |
| 7 | Arkansas (1990) | 8,951 |
| 8 | Cincinnati (1994) | 8,907 |
| 9 | Western Kentucky (1991) | 8,879 |
| 10 | Auburn (1990) | 8,879 |