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UAB Blazers
UAB Blazers
	2024–25 UAB Blazers men's basketball team
University	University of Alabama at Birmingham
Head coach	Andy Kennedy (5th season)
Conference	The American
Location	Birmingham, Alabama
Arena	Bartow Arena ; (capacity: 8,508)
Nickname	Blazers
Colors	Forest green and old gold;
Uniforms
NCAA tournament champions
	2025
NCAA tournament Final Four
	2025
NCAA tournament Elite Eight
	1982 2025
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

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.

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.^[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

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

UAB head coaches

**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

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

NCAA tournament results

UAB has appeared in 17 NCAA Tournaments, with a combined record of 10–17.^[4]

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

NIT results

UAB has appeared in the National Invitation Tournament 13 times, with a combined record of 18–13.

Year	Round	Opponent	Result
1980	First Round	Southwestern Louisiana	L 74–72
1989	First Round Second Round Quarterfinals Semifinals Third Place Game	Georgia Southern Richmond Connecticut St. John's Michigan State	W 83–74 W 64–61 W 85–79 L 65–76 W 78–76
1991	First Round	Memphis State	L 76–82
1992	First Round	Tennessee	L 68–71
1993	First Round Second Round Quarterfinals Semifinals Third Place Game	Alabama Clemson SW Missouri State Georgetown Providence	W 58–56 W 65–64 W 61–52 L 41–45 W 55–52
1997	First Round	TCU	L 62–85
1998	First Round Second Round	Missouri Minnesota	W 93–86 L 66–79
2003	First Round Second Round Quarterfinals	Louisiana-Lafayette Siena St. John's	W 82–80 W 80–71 L 71–79
2008	First Round Second Round	VCU Virginia Tech	W 80–77 L 49–75
2009	First Round	Notre Dame	L 64–70
2010	First Round Second Round Quarterfinals	Coastal Carolina NC State North Carolina	W 65–49 W 72–52 L 55–60
2016	First Round	BYU	L 79–97
2023	First Round Second Round Quarterfinals Semifinals Final	Southern Miss Morehead State Vanderbilt Utah Valley North Texas	W 88–60 W 77–59 W 67–59 W 88–86^OT L 61–68

CBI Results

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

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

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

Conference Coach of the Year

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

Conference Player of the Year

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

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

Retired numbers

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]

No.	Player	Career	Ref.
UAB Blazers retired numbers
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

UAB has seen numerous players move on to professional careers in the NBA.^[10] 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
Robert Vaden (2nd Round/54th Overall) to the Charlotte Bobcats

Other former Blazers to play in the NBA are:

McKinley Singleton (New York Knicks – 1986–87)
Alan Ogg (Miami Heat – 1990–92; Milwaukee Bucks – 1992–93; Washington Bullets – 1992–93)
Stanley Jackson (Minnesota Timberwolves – 1993–94)
Donell Taylor (Washington Wizards – 2005–07)
Carldell "Squeaky" Johnson (New Orleans Hornets – 2011–12)
Elijah Millsap (Utah Jazz – 2015)
Jordan Walker (Dallas Mavericks 2023-Present
Trey Jemison (New Orleans Pelicans 2023) (Washington Wizards 2024)(Memphis Grizzlies 2024-Present

In international leagues

Paul Delaney (class of 2004), basketball player in the Israeli National League

UAB Basketball facilities

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]

**Top 10 Home Games at BJCC**
	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
^[13]

**Top 10 Home Games at Bartow Arena**
	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	Memphis (2009)	9,153
7	Memphis (2011)	9,119
8	Alcorn State (1989)	9,010
9	Arkansas (1990)	8,951
10	Cincinnati (1994)	8,907
^[13]

References

General

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

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

External links

Official website

[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.

[UAB118-4] 2010–11 UAB Basketball Information Guide, pp. 118–123

[UAB103-5] 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

[UAB115-10] 2010–11 UAB Basketball Information Guide, p. 115

[UAB60-11] 2010–11 UAB Basketball Information Guide, p. 60

[Rename-12] Scarbinsky, Kevin (January 26, 1997). "Bartows still on the go". The Birmingham News. p. B16.

[UAB62-13] 2010–11 UAB Basketball Information Guide, p. 62

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UAB Blazers men's basketball
Venues	BJCC Coliseum (1978–1988) Bartow Arena (1988–present)
Rivalries	Auburn Memphis
Culture & lore	Blaze
People	Head coaches Statistical leaders
Seasons	List of seasons 1978–79 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20 2020–21 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24 2024–25

American Athletic Conference men's basketball
Teams	Charlotte 49ers East Carolina Pirates Florida Atlantic Owls Memphis Tigers North Texas Mean Green Rice Owls South Florida Bulls Temple Owls Tulane Green Wave Tulsa Golden Hurricane UAB Blazers UTSA Roadrunners Wichita State Shockers
Championships & awards	Conference tournament Player of the Year Rookie of the Year Coach of the Year
Seasons	2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20 2020–21 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24