The UAB Blazers men's basketball team represents the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) in NCAA Division I men's college basketball, with the 2023–24 season being the Blazers' first as members of the American Athletic Conference. The Blazers play home games at Bartow Arena and are coached by Andy Kennedy. UAB has appeared 17 times in the NCAA men's basketball tournament and most recently appeared in 2024.

UAB Blazers
2024–25 UAB Blazers men's basketball team
UniversityUniversity of Alabama at Birmingham
Head coachAndy Kennedy (5th season)
ConferenceThe American
LocationBirmingham, Alabama
ArenaBartow Arena
(capacity: 8,508)
NicknameBlazers
ColorsForest green and old gold[1]
   
Uniforms
Home jersey
Team colours
Home
Away jersey
Team colours
Away
Alternate jersey
Team colours
Alternate
NCAA tournament Elite Eight
1982
NCAA tournament Sweet Sixteen
1981, 1982, 2004
NCAA tournament round of 32
1981, 1982, 1985, 1986, 2004, 2005, 2015
NCAA tournament appearances
1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1990, 1994, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2011, 2015, 2022, 2024
Conference tournament champions
1982, 1983, 1984, 1987, 2015, 2022, 2024
Conference regular season champions
1981, 1982, 1990, 2004, 2011, 2016

History

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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.[2][3] 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.[4] 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.[4]

Conference affiliations

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UAB head coaches

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UAB men's basketball coaches
Coach Years Wins–losses NCAA tournament appearances
Gene Bartow 1978–1996 366–203 (.643) 9
Murry Bartow 1996–2002 103–83 (.554) 1
Mike Anderson 2002–2006 89–41 (.685) 3
Mike Davis 2006–2012 122–73 (.626) 1
Jerod Haase 2012– 2016 80–53 (.602) 1
Rob Ehsan 2016–2020 76–57 (.571) 0
Andy Kennedy 2020–present 101-37 (.732) 2
Overall 44 seasons 937-546 (.632) 17

UAB Season-By-Season Records

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Statistics overview
Season Coach Overall Conference Standing Postseason
UAB (Independent) (1978–1979)
1978–79 Gene Bartow 15–11
UAB (Sun Belt Conference) (1979–1991)
1979–80 Gene Bartow 18–12 10–4 T–2nd NIT 1st Round
1980–81 Gene Bartow 23–9 9–3 T–1st NCAA Sweet 16
1981–82 Gene Bartow 25–6 9–1 1st NCAA Elite 8
1982–83 Gene Bartow 19–14 9–5 3rd NCAA 1st Round
1983–84 Gene Bartow 23–11 8–6 5th NCAA 1st Round
1984–85 Gene Bartow 25–9 11–3 2nd NCAA 2nd Round
1985–86 Gene Bartow 25–11 9–5 T–3rd NCAA 2nd Round
1986–87 Gene Bartow 21–11 10–4 3rd NCAA 1st Round
1987–88 Gene Bartow 16–15 7–7 5th
1988–89 Gene Bartow 22–12 8–6 4th NIT Final Four
1989–90 Gene Bartow 22–9 12–2 1st NCAA 1st Round
1990–91 Gene Bartow 18–13 9–5 2nd NIT 1st Round
UAB (Great Midwest Conference) (1991–1995)
1991–92 Gene Bartow 20–9 4–6 5th NIT 1st Round
1992–93 Gene Bartow 21–14 5–5 4th NIT Final Four
1993–94 Gene Bartow 22–8 8–4 T–2nd NCAA 1st Round
1994–95 Gene Bartow 15–15 5–7 6th
UAB (Conference USA) (1995–2023)
1995–96 Gene Bartow 16–14 6–8 2nd (Red)
1996–97 Murry Bartow 18–14 7–7 2nd (Red) NIT 1st Round
1997–98 Murry Bartow 21–12 10–6 2nd (National) NIT 2nd Round
1998–99 Murry Bartow 20–12 10–6 1st (National) NCAA 1st Round
1999–2000 Murry Bartow 14–14 7–9 T–3rd (National)
2000–01 Murry Bartow 17–14 8–8 4th (National)
2001–02 Murry Bartow 13–17 6–10 T–4th (National)
2002–03 Mike Anderson 21–13 8–8 T–2nd (National) NIT Quarterfinals
2003–04 Mike Anderson 22–10 12–4 T–1st NCAA Sweet 16
2004–05 Mike Anderson 22–11 10–6 T–4th NCAA 2nd Round
2005–06 Mike Anderson 24–7 12–2 2nd NCAA 1st Round
2006–07 Mike Davis 15–16 7–9 T–8th
2007–08 Mike Davis 23–11 12–4 2nd NIT 2nd Round
2008–09 Mike Davis 22–12 11–5 3rd NIT 1st Round
2009–10 Mike Davis 25–9 11–5 T–3rd NIT Quarterfinals
2010–11 Mike Davis 22–9 12–4 1st NCAA First Four
2011–12 Mike Davis 15–16 9–7 T–5th
2012–13 Jerod Haase 16–17 7–9 T–7th
2013–14 Jerod Haase 18–13 7–9 T–8th
2014–15 Jerod Haase 20–16 12–6 T–4th NCAA 2nd Round
2015–16 Jerod Haase 26–7 16–2 1st NIT 1st Round
2016–17 Rob Ehsan 17–16 9–9 7th
2017–18 Rob Ehsan 20–13 10–8 6th
2018–19 Rob Ehsan 20–15 10–8 5th CBI first round
2019–20 Rob Ehsan 19–13 9–9 7th
2020–21 Andy Kennedy 22–7 13–5 2nd (West)
2021–22 Andy Kennedy 27–8 14–4 2nd (West) NCAA First Round
2022-23 Andy Kennedy 29–10 14–6 3rd NIT Runner–up
UAB (American Athletic Conference) (2023–present)
2023–24 Andy Kennedy 23-12 12-6 4th NCAA First Round
Total: 937-546

      National champion         Postseason invitational champion  
      Conference regular season champion         Conference regular season and conference tournament champion
      Division regular season champion       Division regular season and conference tournament champion
      Conference tournament champion

Postseason Results

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CBI Results

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The Blazers have appeared in the College Basketball Invitational (CBI) one time. Their record is 0–1

Year Round Opponent Result
2019 First Round Brown L 78–83

Highest Seeds Beaten in NCAA tournament

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Year Seed Opponent Result/Score
2004 1 Kentucky W 76–74
1982 1 Virginia W 68–66
1981 2 Kentucky W 69–62
2015 3 Iowa State W 60–59

UAB Rivalry Games

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Rivalry Games
Rival First meeting Last meeting Overall record
Auburn 1982 2018 Auburn leads 11-10
Charlotte 1980 2024 UAB leads 34-20
Western Kentucky 1981 2023 UAB leads 27-18
Old Dominion 1983 2022 UAB leads 23-16
South Alabama 1978 2022 UAB leads 31-14
Memphis 1984 2024 Memphis leads 40-12
Middle Tennessee 1986 2023 UAB leads 19-10
Southern Mississippi 1979 2023 UAB leads 37-20
South Florida 1978 2024 UAB leads 40-20

Awards

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Conference Coach of the Year

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Year Conference Coach
2004 Conference USA Mike Anderson
2011 Conference USA Mike Davis
2016 Conference USA Jerod Haase

Conference Player of the Year

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Year Conference Position Player
1982 Sun Belt SG Oliver Robinson
2011 Conference USA PG Aaron Johnson
2022 Conference USA PG Jordan Walker

All--Conference Players Since 2012

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Year Conference Team Position Player
2012 Conference USA 1st Forward Cameron Moore
2013 Conference USA 2nd Forward Rod Rucker
2014 Conference USA 1st Guard Chad Frazier
2015 Conference USA 3rd Guard Robert Brown
2016 Conference USA 2nd Forward Chris Cokley
2016 Conference USA 3rd Guard Nick Norton
2016 Conference USA 1st Guard Robert Brown
2016 Conference USA 3rd Forward William Lee
2017 Conference USA 2nd Forward William Lee
2018 Conference USA 1st Forward Chris Cokley
2019 Conference USA 3rd Guard Zack Bryant
2021 Conference USA 2nd Guard Tavin Lovan
2022 Conference USA 1st Guard Jordan Walker
2022 Conference USA 3rd Guard Quan Jackson
2023 Conference USA 1st Guard Jordan Walker
2023 Conference USA 3rd Center Trey Jemison
2024 American 1st Forward Yaxel Lendeborg

Blazers of Note

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Retired numbers

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UAB has retired four jersey numbers since its inception and they now hang from the rafters of Bartow Arena. This honor is bestowed only on players who earn AP All-America honors and who complete their degree at UAB.[5]

UAB Blazers retired numbers
No. Player Career Ref.
1 Aaron Johnson 2007–2011 [6]
14 Steve Mitchell 1982–1986 [7]
20 Oliver Robinson 1978–1982 [8]
40 Jerome Mincy 1982–1986 [9]

In the NBA

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UAB has seen numerous players move on to professional careers in the NBA.[10] Some of UAB's highest NBA draft picks include:

Other former Blazers to play in the NBA are:

In international leagues

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UAB Basketball facilities

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UAB vs Tulsa at Bartow Arena

UAB initially played their home games at the BJCC Coliseum, but moved their home games to an on-campus facility starting with the 1988–89 season.[11] Originally known as UAB Arena, the name was officially changed to Bartow Arena on January 25, 1997.[12] The 8,508-seat arena is named after Coach Gene Bartow, the man who built UAB's men's basketball program from scratch starting in 1978.[11][12]

References

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General

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  • 2010–11 UAB Basketball Information Guide. Birmingham, Alabama: UAB Athletic Media Relations Office. 2010. Archived from the original on January 21, 2013. Retrieved March 20, 2011.

Specific

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  1. ^ University of Alabama at Birmingham Style Guide (PDF). March 11, 2020. Retrieved April 12, 2021.
  2. ^ Florence, Mal (June 14, 1977). "Bartow takes job and heads South". Los Angeles Times. p. D1.
  3. ^ "It's official: Bartow leaves UCLA for Birmingham post". The Herald-Journal. Associated Press. June 15, 1977. p. D1. Retrieved March 20, 2011.
  4. ^ a b c 2010–11 UAB Basketball Information Guide, pp. 118–123
  5. ^ 2010–11 UAB Basketball Information Guide, p. 103
  6. ^ UAB Set to Retire Aaron Johnson’s Jersey, 15 Jan 2020
  7. ^ Steve Mitchell is IN. Are you? at UAB Alumni
  8. ^ UAB should leave Oliver Robinson's retired jersey right where it is at Alabama.com, Jun. 27, 2017
  9. ^ Will Aaron Johnson's jersey number be retired by UAB?, Alabama.com, Mar. 17, 2011
  10. ^ 2010–11 UAB Basketball Information Guide, p. 115
  11. ^ a b 2010–11 UAB Basketball Information Guide, p. 60
  12. ^ a b Scarbinsky, Kevin (January 26, 1997). "Bartows still on the go". The Birmingham News. p. B16.
  13. ^ a b 2010–11 UAB Basketball Information Guide, p. 62
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