UAB Blazers

UAB Blazers basketball plays at Bartow Arena in Birmingham, named for the coaching legend who built the program from scratch. Blessed with one of the fastest rises to national relevance in college basketball history, UAB has stacked up Sweet Sixteen runs and iconic upsets across its Sun Belt and Conference USA eras. The Blazers now compete in the American Athletic Conference.

UAB basketball began in 1978 when the school lured Gene Bartow away from UCLA to start the program. The Blazers reached the NCAA Tournament in just their third season (1981) and the Elite Eight in 1982, then won four straight Sun Belt tournament titles (1982-1985). UAB has made 17 NCAA Tournament appearances overall, including three Sweet Sixteens, most memorably a 2004 upset of top-seeded Kentucky.