12-22-2007, 09:45 AM
The Date
The Blazers are a mediocre 8-6 on this date. Maybe it is a case of wishing to be home for the holidays, but UAB is only 2-5 on the road on this date, against some very mediocre competition. Road losses on this date were to Nebraska, Hawaii, Georgia State, Lasalle and Southern Cal. The most common locale for games on this date (besides Birmingham) is Hawaii, where the UAB is 1-3. The Blazers have lost three of its last four games on this date.
UAB @ Nebraska – December 22, 1979
Perhaps the most significant game played on this date was the very first one in 1979. The Nebraska Cornhuskers had traveled to Birmingham to be UAB’s very first opponent in 1978. One year later, UAB traveled to Lincoln to return the game against the Cornhuskers.
Moe Iba was the interim coach at Nebraksa and the game was a matchup between two former Memphis State coaches. Iba had been the coach at Memphis State in the early 1970's and had been replaced by Gene Bartow. According to Wayne Martin, UAB's beat writer for the Birmingham News, the officials (one Sun Belt official, and one Lincoln prep official filling in for the Big 8) kept the Cornhuskers in the game early. In the first half, Nebraska went to the free throw line 18 times, hitting 16. The Blazers went to the line 3 times. Larry Spicer was quoted as saying "The officials just weren't very good."
This game is memorable also because it is the longest game ever played by UAB. The two teams played four overtime periods. At the end of regulation, Keith McCord hit a shot with 6 seconds left to put the game into the first overtime. At the end of the second overtime, with the score tied 70-70, UAB had two shots rim out at the end. In the third overtime, Spicer hit a shot with seven seconds left to put the game into the fourth overtime with the score 78-78. Unfortunately, in the 4th overtime, the Blazers, tired from a long road trip, had the bottom drop out. UAB got down three points early, and could not catch up. Nebraska won 92-84 in an unprecedented four overtimes. Larry Spicer led with 22 points.
UAB vs. Cal State Chico – December 22, 1981 – The Monster
On this date in 1981, UAB hosted Cal State – Chico, a Division 2 member of the NCAA. UAB needed an easy game because they had lost two of their last four games, to Georgia and tonight’s opponent, Wichita State. The Blazers had been ranked ranked as high as 9th in the AP poll, but had dropped to #19 after their two losses. Playing a Division 2 school, three days before Christmas was not good for attendance, and Coach Bartow was aware of this. He complained that the Birmingham Jefferson Civic Center was a “monster” and people do not feel the need to buy season tickets because the building was so large, which kills demand. He also complained “If this building was built for basketball alone, the guy who designed it should be put in jail.”
The announced crowd for the game was 3217. That number of people in the cavernous 17,000 seat Coliseum made for lots of elbow room. The crowd was so quiet, that Coach Bartow was able to shout instructions, make adjustments and point out mistakes to the team and be easily heard. The biggest cheer of the night was for the cheerleaders when they formed a Christmas tree.
The game was close in the first half, but the Cal State – Chico Wildcats only dressed eight players, so they tired quickly against the deeper Blazers. It was basically a glorified scrimmage, although the Wildcats could have made it a closer game had they hit their free throws. They were 10 of 23 for the game. UAB won 80-60. Oliver Robinson had 18 points in 25 minutes of play. Chris Giles had 14 points and Donnie Speer had 12 points.
UAB vs. San Diego State – December 22, 1989 – “I can’t shoot”
Many of the home games played on this date are games that were part of UAB’s holiday tournaments, the UAB Classic or the UAB Invitational. On this date in 1989, UAB was hosting the UAB Invitation which included San Diego State, Southwest Texas and Penn State. Normally, such a tournament would be set up so that the home team (UAB) and the best of the invitees (Penn State) would likely meet in the finals. However, ESPN was broadcasting the first round and had dictated that UAB and Penn State play in the first round. UAB had defeated Penn State 80-57 and San Diego State had beaten Southwest Texas 67-53. The two teams met on this date for the championship game.
San Diego State was 6-3 entering the game, and UAB was 5-3. The game was never close. Barry Bearden hit four of six three pointers, including two in the first minute of the game. Prior to this game, Bearden had been in something of a shooting slump, hitting only 36% from the field. His emergence from the slump caught the Aztecs off guard. “We obviously didn’t have a good read on him” Aztec Jim Brandenburg said. After Bearden hit his first shot, the Aztec player covering him turned to his coach and said “You told me he couldn’t shoot.” Bearden stated after the game that he told the player, “I can’t shoot, just stay off me”
After Bearden’s two three pointers, Larry Rembert hit a short jumper. Andy Kennedy hit two free throws, and then Rembert stole the ball, drove down court for a one-handed slam and UAB led 12-1 with just over three minutes of the game played. The Blazers did not slow down. Elbert Rogers took over and sank a spinning jumper, hit a layup off a perfect pass from Bearden, added two free throws, and UAB was up 18-5. In the first half, all of San Diego State’s points came off layups, dunks and free throws. They were 1 for 15 from three point range. The highlight reel continued. With the score 21-9, Bearden drove the length of the court and converted an underhanded scoop layup between two Aztec defenders. The Blazers built their lead up to 23 points at halftime with the score 47-24. Much like the ancient Aztecs, these Aztecs never really figured what had hit them.
UAB extended their lead in the second half with spectacular play after play. However, the beautiful plays were somewhat costly when freshman George Wilkerson stole the ball and went in for a two handed dunk that brought the crowd to their feet. Unfortunately, Wilkerson dislocated his shoulder on the play. This would be the start of an injury prone career for the promising Wilkerson. Nevertheless, the Blazers doubled their lead in the second half and won the game 91-46. UAB was led by Andy Kennedy who had 27 points and was 11 for 11 from the free throw line. UAB as a team hit 23 of 26 free throws. Kennedy and Barry Bearden who had 18 points, combined for 8 of 14 three point shots. The 45 point win, in terms of margin of victory, was UAB’s fifth biggest win in Bartow Arena.
The Opponent
UAB is 0-2 against Wichita State. The two teams played a home and home against each other in 1981 and 1982. Let’s look at those games today.
UAB @ Wichita State – December 12, 1981
On December 12, 1981, the Blazers traveled to Wichita State to face the Shockers, 4-0 and ranked #4 in the nation. The Shockers were not the only ranked team in the match-up. UAB had achieved the highest ranking in the history of the program at #9 and was also undefeated at 3-0.
Wichita State was led by the “Bookend Forwards”, Cliff Levingston and Antoine Carr. The Shockers had shocked the nation the previous year, by advancing to the Final eight in the NCAA tournament with a one point upset of instate rival, Kansas. With most of the team back, plus highly touted freshmen, Greg Drieling and Xavier McDaniel, the Shockers were picked top 5 in most preseason polls.
The Birmingham Post Herald’s game day story gives us a look at how those early Blazers prepared for the big game. At 11:15am, the Post Herald reported that all of the players were in their hotel rooms, because there was not much to do in Wichita. Raymond Gause had just upset Donnie Speer in a game of backgammon, a game that Speer took everywhere he went. Next door, Jonath Nicholas and Craig Lane were asleep and Chris Giles and Oliver Robinson watched “Superman” on cable TV. The team then piled into five rental cars to go to the Levitt Arena for a shootaround.
Levitt Arena, which was refurbished and is now called Charles Koch Arena is and was a formidable place to play. It was opened in 1955 and seated just over 10,500. It was considered “futuristic” when it opened because it was round. Over the years, Wichita State was 502-183 in Levitt Arena. Unfortunately for the Blazers, this game was one of the 502 for the Shockers.
UAB jumped out to a 9-4 lead at the start of the game, but Wichita State came back with a 6-0 run to take an 11-10 lead. There were four lead changes in the first half, but then at the 9:36 point, UAB went five minutes without a field goal and missed the front end of three one and ones in the last seven minutes of the half. Wichita State led 40-27 at the half.
UAB could not overcome the halftime deficit because of turnovers and poor free throw shooting. The Blazers had 21 turnovers and shot 57% from the free throw line. UAB managed to hit the last eight points of the game to make the score look slightly more respectable. Wichita State won by the score of 75-60. 7’1” freshman Greg Drieling was the leading scorer for the Shockers with 14 points. Oliver Robinson led the Blazers with 17 points and Donnie Speer had 14. Craig Lane, who had 23 points in a previous game against Ole Miss, was 0-7 against Wichita State.
UAB vs. Wichita State – December 11, 1982
One year later, Wichita State played UAB at the Birmingham Jefferson Civic Center, but both teams were mere shadows of the teams they had been the previous year. UAB had graduated most of the team that had taken the Blazers to the Elite 8 the previous year. Gone were Oliver Robinson, Chris Giles, Donnie Speer, Jonath Nicholas and Norman Anchrum. In their place, Gene Bartow had a young untested group of players and it was definitely a rebuilding year.
Wichita State was on NCAA probation because apparently, their success from the previous season had been illegally obtained. They had lost five players from the previous season, including Cliff Levingston who left early for the NBA and Greg Drieling who had transferred to Kansas. The Shockers still had Antoine Carr, but he was out of this game with a stress fracture. They also had a returning player who would go down as one of the greatest college basketball player of all time, Xavier McDaniel. McDaniel would become the first player to lead the NCAA in scoring and rebounding averages. At this point in his career, he was averaging 18.4 points per game.
This was the first Blazer game for UCLA transfer Cliff Pruitt. Pruitt had played for Larry Brown as a freshman and had participated in the NCAA title game against Louisville. He scored six points and had missed a game winning shot just before the buzzer. The following year, Pruitt was suspended by the NCAA for four games at the beginning of the season because he had participated in an unsanctioned summer league. When he returned, new UCLA coach Larry Farmer played Pruitt for only one game minute and Pruitt decided to transfer to UAB to play for Coach Gene Bartow. He only had one year of eligibility for the Blazers.
UAB entered the game 1-3 and Wichita State was 4-1. The Blazers started out extremely slow and Wichita State jumped out to a 36-15 lead at the 8:36 point of the first half. However, thanks to 22 first half turnovers by Wichita State, UAB came from 21 points down to tie the game at 45 at halftime.
The second half was much closer. With 4:28 to go in the game, UAB pulled out to a 78-74 lead, which was the biggest lead of the second half. Zarbo Durinsic for the Shockers hit three straight jumpers to keep Wichita State in the game. The two teams were tied as the game wound down to the end of regulation. Twice, near the end of regulation, UAB was working down for the last shot, and Cliff Pruitt shot the ball too soon. The game went to overtime.
In overtime, the game was tied at 88 with 28 seconds left. Pruitt shot and missed and the Shockers got the rebound and was fouled. Zarko Durinsic hit one of two free throws giving Wichita State a one point lead. UAB still had a chance to win. McKinley Singleton got the ball on the right wing with six seconds left. He started to shoot, but decided instead to pass the ball inside. The pass was intercepted and Wichita State won the game 89-88 despite turning the ball over 33 times in the game. Singleton led UAB with 24 points on 9 of 13 shooting.
The Place
The Blazers have never won in the state of Kansas. In addition to the Wichita State loss detailed above, UAB lost to Kansas in Lawrence in the 1989-90 season.
The Bench
Gregg Marshall is in his first season at Wichita State after a successful coaching stint at Winthrop. He has only faced UAB once in his coaching career. In 1994, he was an assistant coach at College of Charleston when they defeated UAB in the season opener at a tournament in Puerto Rico by the score of 66-55.
One of the assistant coaches on the Wichita State staff has coached many games as an assistant against UAB and has coaching roots back to Birmingham. Marty Gross, in his first year at Wichita State, has been an assistant coach at Rice for the past 15 years. He is 0-2 against UAB while at Rice. From 1981 until 1983 and from 1985 until 1992, he was an assistant coach at Jacksonville University, his alma mater, and faced UAB many times in the Sun Belt Conference. During the years he was an assistant coach. UAB was 15-5 against Jacksonville. Gross began his coaching career as an assistant at Birmingham Southern from 1977 to 1981. He received his masters degree from none other than UAB in 1979.
The Blazers are a mediocre 8-6 on this date. Maybe it is a case of wishing to be home for the holidays, but UAB is only 2-5 on the road on this date, against some very mediocre competition. Road losses on this date were to Nebraska, Hawaii, Georgia State, Lasalle and Southern Cal. The most common locale for games on this date (besides Birmingham) is Hawaii, where the UAB is 1-3. The Blazers have lost three of its last four games on this date.
UAB @ Nebraska – December 22, 1979
Perhaps the most significant game played on this date was the very first one in 1979. The Nebraska Cornhuskers had traveled to Birmingham to be UAB’s very first opponent in 1978. One year later, UAB traveled to Lincoln to return the game against the Cornhuskers.
Moe Iba was the interim coach at Nebraksa and the game was a matchup between two former Memphis State coaches. Iba had been the coach at Memphis State in the early 1970's and had been replaced by Gene Bartow. According to Wayne Martin, UAB's beat writer for the Birmingham News, the officials (one Sun Belt official, and one Lincoln prep official filling in for the Big 8) kept the Cornhuskers in the game early. In the first half, Nebraska went to the free throw line 18 times, hitting 16. The Blazers went to the line 3 times. Larry Spicer was quoted as saying "The officials just weren't very good."
This game is memorable also because it is the longest game ever played by UAB. The two teams played four overtime periods. At the end of regulation, Keith McCord hit a shot with 6 seconds left to put the game into the first overtime. At the end of the second overtime, with the score tied 70-70, UAB had two shots rim out at the end. In the third overtime, Spicer hit a shot with seven seconds left to put the game into the fourth overtime with the score 78-78. Unfortunately, in the 4th overtime, the Blazers, tired from a long road trip, had the bottom drop out. UAB got down three points early, and could not catch up. Nebraska won 92-84 in an unprecedented four overtimes. Larry Spicer led with 22 points.
UAB vs. Cal State Chico – December 22, 1981 – The Monster
On this date in 1981, UAB hosted Cal State – Chico, a Division 2 member of the NCAA. UAB needed an easy game because they had lost two of their last four games, to Georgia and tonight’s opponent, Wichita State. The Blazers had been ranked ranked as high as 9th in the AP poll, but had dropped to #19 after their two losses. Playing a Division 2 school, three days before Christmas was not good for attendance, and Coach Bartow was aware of this. He complained that the Birmingham Jefferson Civic Center was a “monster” and people do not feel the need to buy season tickets because the building was so large, which kills demand. He also complained “If this building was built for basketball alone, the guy who designed it should be put in jail.”
The announced crowd for the game was 3217. That number of people in the cavernous 17,000 seat Coliseum made for lots of elbow room. The crowd was so quiet, that Coach Bartow was able to shout instructions, make adjustments and point out mistakes to the team and be easily heard. The biggest cheer of the night was for the cheerleaders when they formed a Christmas tree.
The game was close in the first half, but the Cal State – Chico Wildcats only dressed eight players, so they tired quickly against the deeper Blazers. It was basically a glorified scrimmage, although the Wildcats could have made it a closer game had they hit their free throws. They were 10 of 23 for the game. UAB won 80-60. Oliver Robinson had 18 points in 25 minutes of play. Chris Giles had 14 points and Donnie Speer had 12 points.
UAB vs. San Diego State – December 22, 1989 – “I can’t shoot”
Many of the home games played on this date are games that were part of UAB’s holiday tournaments, the UAB Classic or the UAB Invitational. On this date in 1989, UAB was hosting the UAB Invitation which included San Diego State, Southwest Texas and Penn State. Normally, such a tournament would be set up so that the home team (UAB) and the best of the invitees (Penn State) would likely meet in the finals. However, ESPN was broadcasting the first round and had dictated that UAB and Penn State play in the first round. UAB had defeated Penn State 80-57 and San Diego State had beaten Southwest Texas 67-53. The two teams met on this date for the championship game.
San Diego State was 6-3 entering the game, and UAB was 5-3. The game was never close. Barry Bearden hit four of six three pointers, including two in the first minute of the game. Prior to this game, Bearden had been in something of a shooting slump, hitting only 36% from the field. His emergence from the slump caught the Aztecs off guard. “We obviously didn’t have a good read on him” Aztec Jim Brandenburg said. After Bearden hit his first shot, the Aztec player covering him turned to his coach and said “You told me he couldn’t shoot.” Bearden stated after the game that he told the player, “I can’t shoot, just stay off me”
After Bearden’s two three pointers, Larry Rembert hit a short jumper. Andy Kennedy hit two free throws, and then Rembert stole the ball, drove down court for a one-handed slam and UAB led 12-1 with just over three minutes of the game played. The Blazers did not slow down. Elbert Rogers took over and sank a spinning jumper, hit a layup off a perfect pass from Bearden, added two free throws, and UAB was up 18-5. In the first half, all of San Diego State’s points came off layups, dunks and free throws. They were 1 for 15 from three point range. The highlight reel continued. With the score 21-9, Bearden drove the length of the court and converted an underhanded scoop layup between two Aztec defenders. The Blazers built their lead up to 23 points at halftime with the score 47-24. Much like the ancient Aztecs, these Aztecs never really figured what had hit them.
UAB extended their lead in the second half with spectacular play after play. However, the beautiful plays were somewhat costly when freshman George Wilkerson stole the ball and went in for a two handed dunk that brought the crowd to their feet. Unfortunately, Wilkerson dislocated his shoulder on the play. This would be the start of an injury prone career for the promising Wilkerson. Nevertheless, the Blazers doubled their lead in the second half and won the game 91-46. UAB was led by Andy Kennedy who had 27 points and was 11 for 11 from the free throw line. UAB as a team hit 23 of 26 free throws. Kennedy and Barry Bearden who had 18 points, combined for 8 of 14 three point shots. The 45 point win, in terms of margin of victory, was UAB’s fifth biggest win in Bartow Arena.
The Opponent
UAB is 0-2 against Wichita State. The two teams played a home and home against each other in 1981 and 1982. Let’s look at those games today.
UAB @ Wichita State – December 12, 1981
On December 12, 1981, the Blazers traveled to Wichita State to face the Shockers, 4-0 and ranked #4 in the nation. The Shockers were not the only ranked team in the match-up. UAB had achieved the highest ranking in the history of the program at #9 and was also undefeated at 3-0.
Wichita State was led by the “Bookend Forwards”, Cliff Levingston and Antoine Carr. The Shockers had shocked the nation the previous year, by advancing to the Final eight in the NCAA tournament with a one point upset of instate rival, Kansas. With most of the team back, plus highly touted freshmen, Greg Drieling and Xavier McDaniel, the Shockers were picked top 5 in most preseason polls.
The Birmingham Post Herald’s game day story gives us a look at how those early Blazers prepared for the big game. At 11:15am, the Post Herald reported that all of the players were in their hotel rooms, because there was not much to do in Wichita. Raymond Gause had just upset Donnie Speer in a game of backgammon, a game that Speer took everywhere he went. Next door, Jonath Nicholas and Craig Lane were asleep and Chris Giles and Oliver Robinson watched “Superman” on cable TV. The team then piled into five rental cars to go to the Levitt Arena for a shootaround.
Levitt Arena, which was refurbished and is now called Charles Koch Arena is and was a formidable place to play. It was opened in 1955 and seated just over 10,500. It was considered “futuristic” when it opened because it was round. Over the years, Wichita State was 502-183 in Levitt Arena. Unfortunately for the Blazers, this game was one of the 502 for the Shockers.
UAB jumped out to a 9-4 lead at the start of the game, but Wichita State came back with a 6-0 run to take an 11-10 lead. There were four lead changes in the first half, but then at the 9:36 point, UAB went five minutes without a field goal and missed the front end of three one and ones in the last seven minutes of the half. Wichita State led 40-27 at the half.
UAB could not overcome the halftime deficit because of turnovers and poor free throw shooting. The Blazers had 21 turnovers and shot 57% from the free throw line. UAB managed to hit the last eight points of the game to make the score look slightly more respectable. Wichita State won by the score of 75-60. 7’1” freshman Greg Drieling was the leading scorer for the Shockers with 14 points. Oliver Robinson led the Blazers with 17 points and Donnie Speer had 14. Craig Lane, who had 23 points in a previous game against Ole Miss, was 0-7 against Wichita State.
UAB vs. Wichita State – December 11, 1982
One year later, Wichita State played UAB at the Birmingham Jefferson Civic Center, but both teams were mere shadows of the teams they had been the previous year. UAB had graduated most of the team that had taken the Blazers to the Elite 8 the previous year. Gone were Oliver Robinson, Chris Giles, Donnie Speer, Jonath Nicholas and Norman Anchrum. In their place, Gene Bartow had a young untested group of players and it was definitely a rebuilding year.
Wichita State was on NCAA probation because apparently, their success from the previous season had been illegally obtained. They had lost five players from the previous season, including Cliff Levingston who left early for the NBA and Greg Drieling who had transferred to Kansas. The Shockers still had Antoine Carr, but he was out of this game with a stress fracture. They also had a returning player who would go down as one of the greatest college basketball player of all time, Xavier McDaniel. McDaniel would become the first player to lead the NCAA in scoring and rebounding averages. At this point in his career, he was averaging 18.4 points per game.
This was the first Blazer game for UCLA transfer Cliff Pruitt. Pruitt had played for Larry Brown as a freshman and had participated in the NCAA title game against Louisville. He scored six points and had missed a game winning shot just before the buzzer. The following year, Pruitt was suspended by the NCAA for four games at the beginning of the season because he had participated in an unsanctioned summer league. When he returned, new UCLA coach Larry Farmer played Pruitt for only one game minute and Pruitt decided to transfer to UAB to play for Coach Gene Bartow. He only had one year of eligibility for the Blazers.
UAB entered the game 1-3 and Wichita State was 4-1. The Blazers started out extremely slow and Wichita State jumped out to a 36-15 lead at the 8:36 point of the first half. However, thanks to 22 first half turnovers by Wichita State, UAB came from 21 points down to tie the game at 45 at halftime.
The second half was much closer. With 4:28 to go in the game, UAB pulled out to a 78-74 lead, which was the biggest lead of the second half. Zarbo Durinsic for the Shockers hit three straight jumpers to keep Wichita State in the game. The two teams were tied as the game wound down to the end of regulation. Twice, near the end of regulation, UAB was working down for the last shot, and Cliff Pruitt shot the ball too soon. The game went to overtime.
In overtime, the game was tied at 88 with 28 seconds left. Pruitt shot and missed and the Shockers got the rebound and was fouled. Zarko Durinsic hit one of two free throws giving Wichita State a one point lead. UAB still had a chance to win. McKinley Singleton got the ball on the right wing with six seconds left. He started to shoot, but decided instead to pass the ball inside. The pass was intercepted and Wichita State won the game 89-88 despite turning the ball over 33 times in the game. Singleton led UAB with 24 points on 9 of 13 shooting.
The Place
The Blazers have never won in the state of Kansas. In addition to the Wichita State loss detailed above, UAB lost to Kansas in Lawrence in the 1989-90 season.
The Bench
Gregg Marshall is in his first season at Wichita State after a successful coaching stint at Winthrop. He has only faced UAB once in his coaching career. In 1994, he was an assistant coach at College of Charleston when they defeated UAB in the season opener at a tournament in Puerto Rico by the score of 66-55.
One of the assistant coaches on the Wichita State staff has coached many games as an assistant against UAB and has coaching roots back to Birmingham. Marty Gross, in his first year at Wichita State, has been an assistant coach at Rice for the past 15 years. He is 0-2 against UAB while at Rice. From 1981 until 1983 and from 1985 until 1992, he was an assistant coach at Jacksonville University, his alma mater, and faced UAB many times in the Sun Belt Conference. During the years he was an assistant coach. UAB was 15-5 against Jacksonville. Gross began his coaching career as an assistant at Birmingham Southern from 1977 to 1981. He received his masters degree from none other than UAB in 1979.