12-29-2007, 10:37 AM
The Date
Games played the week after Christmas have traditionally been holiday tournament games. On this date, UAB has played games in Hawaii, Los Angeles, El Paso, Chattanooga, Oklahoma City, and Springfield, Massachusetts. Out of 13 games on this date, only 6 of them have been played at home, and five of those were in UAB’s own holiday tournament. Our last game played on this date in 2001 against Jackson State is the only game that was not a holiday tournament game.
The Blazers are 9-4 on this date and 5-1 at home on December 29. Our sole home loss occurred in 1982 against Murray State.
UAB vs. Murray State – December 29, 1982
It was 25 years ago today that the Blazers played Murray State in the finals of the UAB Classic. UAB had defeated Alaska-Anchorage in the first round and Murray State had defeated Fordham. This game would determine the champion of the UAB Classic. In an unfortunate piece of scheduling, the game was played at the exact same time that Bear Bryant was coaching his last football game in the Liberty Bowl. Still, there were 8,872 fans at the BJCC to watch the game. UAB entered the season, having won five of their last seven games after a 1-4 start. Murray State was 7-1.
Neither team could gain an advantage and the game saw 22 lead changes and 7 ties in the game. However, the Racers shot 58% from the field and pulled out an upset win 81-75, giving the Blazers their first defeat in their own holiday tournament. The Racer's Ricky Hood, a Mississippi State transfer from Montgomery led all scorers with 29 points, 22 of which came in the second half. Cliff Pruitt led the Blazers with 21 points, but was 6 of 16 from the field. Freshman Jerome Mincy had 15 points and seven rebounds, and went 7 of 10 from the field.
UAB vs. Illinois State – December 29, 1990
Also on this date, the Blazers played in the All-College tournament in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Coach Gene Bartow had hoped to play Oklahoma in the finals, but UAB had been beaten in the first round by the home team, Tulsa, coached by JD Barnett. UAB was playing in the consolation game against the winless Illinois State, coached by Bob Bender.
UAB was somewhat lackluster in the first half. The Blazers led 22-15 with 11:01 to play in the first half, but the Redbirds went on a 11-2 run and took a 26-24 lead. Andy Kennedy then scored seven straight points to put UAB back on top. Illinois State outscored the Blazers 9-3 in the final 3:11 in the half and the score was tied at 34 at halftime. Andy Kennedy scored 16 of UAB’s 34 first half points and Stanley Jackson had 9 first half rebounds.
The Blazers broke away from the half time tie and led the entire second half. Illinois State managed to cut the lead to six points with 4:04 left in the game, but hit just two field goals the rest of the way. UAB won the game 71-60. Kennedy had 33 points in the game on 11 of 17 from the field. He had 27 points in the first game against Tulsa, so the future head coach of Ole Miss scored 60 points in two games.
The Opponent
UAB is 15-9 against the Monarchs, our old rival from the Sun Belt Conference. Old Dominion entered the Sun Belt three years after UAB did when the Sun Belt expanded to eight teams by adding Old Dominion and Western Kentucky. The Monarchs provided pretty stiff competition and a very heated rivalry for the Blazers throughout the Sun Belt years. Old Dominion was the last team UAB played as a Sun Belt member in 1991.
The Blazers have always played Old Dominion well at home. Although they have an overall record of 15-9 against the Monarchs, UAB is 10-1 against Old Dominion at home, and are 4-0 at home against ODU. The only home loss to Old Dominion occurred on January 31, 1985, which we will look at today.
UAB vs. Old Dominion – January 31, 1985
UAB was 18-4 entering this game against Old Dominion and undefeated in conference play at 7-0. Old Dominion was 11-6 overall and 5-2 in the Sun Belt. The Blazers, ranked #20 in the nation, were on a ten game winning streak, which was the 6th longest in the nation. The Blazers were also sitting atop the conference standings with a comfortable two game lead.
As many teams did that year, Old Dominion played a gimmicky triangle and two defense to try to stop the fire power of Steve Mitchell and James Ponder, daring the other players to shoot. They were somewhat successful. Mitchell was the leading scorer with 15 points, but shot 6 of 21 from the field. Ponder was 4 of 16 for eight points. Neither team shot well in this game. UAB shot 38.8 % and Old Dominion shot 39.6%.
The Monarchs jumped out to a eleven point lead at 19-8 as the Blazers hit just four field goals in the first nine minutes of the game. Coach Gene Bartow brought Tracy Foster off the bench who sparked a 9-0 run. In the final eleven minutes of the half, UAB outscored Old Dominion 25-10 and led 33-29 at the half.
In the second half, the score seesawed back and forth as both teams went on runs. UAB led 43-35 with 13:23 left in the game, but the Monarchs scored eleven straight points to go ahead 46-43. UAB retook the lead at 50-48 at the 7:34 mark. The Blazers pushed the lead to five points with 2:20 left in the game and seem to have things under control with the score 58-53. With 47 seconds left in the game, Marvin Ray Johnson missed the front end of a one and one and James Ponder made the same mistake with 40 seconds left. Old Dominion’s Kenny Gattison scored with 29 seconds left to make it a three point game at 58-55.
As if things weren’t bad enough for the Blazers, the referees made a crucial mistake. With under 30 seconds to go, there was a mad scramble for the ball and Old Dominion’s Fred Smith ended up with the ball stretched out on the court. The TV replay showed that Smith had one foot clearly out of bounds as he lay on the court, but the referees did not notice it. Smith got the ball to Gattison, who scored and cut the lead to one. Old Dominion called timeout. On the inbounds pass, Marvin Ray Johnson threw the ball away trying to get it to Jerome Mincy.
Old Dominion got the ball back at midcourt and worked the ball to Gattison, who had the hot hand. Gattison shot with four seconds left on the clock. He missed, but unfortunately, he got his own rebound and scored the winning basket with one second left in the game. A midcourt shot by Ponder missed the mark and Kenny Gattison had scored the last eight points of the game to win the game for Old Dominion by the score of 59-58. He finished the game with 21 points and 10 rebounds. UAB’s win streak was over, as well as their national ranking and Old Dominion had their only win in Birmingham against UAB.
UAB vs. Old Dominion – February 4, 1989
One final game to look at in this series occurred on February 4, 1989 when Old Dominion played their very first game in Bartow Arena. The Monarchs had beaten UAB earlier in the season by the score of 101-89, so UAB was looking for revenge. Unfortunately the Blazers had lost three straight games and only had ten players dressing for games, three of which were freshmen. Both teams entered the game at 11-7 and had four losses in conference. Old Dominion was playing without Anthony Carver, who averaged 20.1 points per game and had a hurt foot.
The game got off to an odd start as ODU star, Chris Gatling was called for a foul just seven seconds into the game. ODU coach, Tom Young immediately started protesting and the referee promptly gave him a technical. Seven seconds into the game, and Andy Kennedy stepped to the foul line and hit four straight free throws. When UAB got the ball back, Kennedy hit a three pointer and UAB was up 7-0. ODU hit a basket at the other end and Kennedy scored another basket making the score 9-2. After figuring they had spotted the Blazers enough points, the Monarchs went on an 11-2 run and went ahead by two points. Reggie Turner then scored four straight and UAB was ahead 17-13. UAB maintained the lead and led 41-32 at the half.
In the second half, the Blazers came out hitting on all cylinders. The Blazers shot 70% and missed only three shots in the first ten minutes of the second half. Old Dominion never threatened in the second half and UAB won 92-73. Gatling led the Monarchs in scoring with 26 points. UAB had four players in double figures. Andy Kennedy led UAB with 20 points. Reginald Turner had 19 points and Alan Ogg had 17 points. Jack Kramer had 16 points.
Games played the week after Christmas have traditionally been holiday tournament games. On this date, UAB has played games in Hawaii, Los Angeles, El Paso, Chattanooga, Oklahoma City, and Springfield, Massachusetts. Out of 13 games on this date, only 6 of them have been played at home, and five of those were in UAB’s own holiday tournament. Our last game played on this date in 2001 against Jackson State is the only game that was not a holiday tournament game.
The Blazers are 9-4 on this date and 5-1 at home on December 29. Our sole home loss occurred in 1982 against Murray State.
UAB vs. Murray State – December 29, 1982
It was 25 years ago today that the Blazers played Murray State in the finals of the UAB Classic. UAB had defeated Alaska-Anchorage in the first round and Murray State had defeated Fordham. This game would determine the champion of the UAB Classic. In an unfortunate piece of scheduling, the game was played at the exact same time that Bear Bryant was coaching his last football game in the Liberty Bowl. Still, there were 8,872 fans at the BJCC to watch the game. UAB entered the season, having won five of their last seven games after a 1-4 start. Murray State was 7-1.
Neither team could gain an advantage and the game saw 22 lead changes and 7 ties in the game. However, the Racers shot 58% from the field and pulled out an upset win 81-75, giving the Blazers their first defeat in their own holiday tournament. The Racer's Ricky Hood, a Mississippi State transfer from Montgomery led all scorers with 29 points, 22 of which came in the second half. Cliff Pruitt led the Blazers with 21 points, but was 6 of 16 from the field. Freshman Jerome Mincy had 15 points and seven rebounds, and went 7 of 10 from the field.
UAB vs. Illinois State – December 29, 1990
Also on this date, the Blazers played in the All-College tournament in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Coach Gene Bartow had hoped to play Oklahoma in the finals, but UAB had been beaten in the first round by the home team, Tulsa, coached by JD Barnett. UAB was playing in the consolation game against the winless Illinois State, coached by Bob Bender.
UAB was somewhat lackluster in the first half. The Blazers led 22-15 with 11:01 to play in the first half, but the Redbirds went on a 11-2 run and took a 26-24 lead. Andy Kennedy then scored seven straight points to put UAB back on top. Illinois State outscored the Blazers 9-3 in the final 3:11 in the half and the score was tied at 34 at halftime. Andy Kennedy scored 16 of UAB’s 34 first half points and Stanley Jackson had 9 first half rebounds.
The Blazers broke away from the half time tie and led the entire second half. Illinois State managed to cut the lead to six points with 4:04 left in the game, but hit just two field goals the rest of the way. UAB won the game 71-60. Kennedy had 33 points in the game on 11 of 17 from the field. He had 27 points in the first game against Tulsa, so the future head coach of Ole Miss scored 60 points in two games.
The Opponent
UAB is 15-9 against the Monarchs, our old rival from the Sun Belt Conference. Old Dominion entered the Sun Belt three years after UAB did when the Sun Belt expanded to eight teams by adding Old Dominion and Western Kentucky. The Monarchs provided pretty stiff competition and a very heated rivalry for the Blazers throughout the Sun Belt years. Old Dominion was the last team UAB played as a Sun Belt member in 1991.
The Blazers have always played Old Dominion well at home. Although they have an overall record of 15-9 against the Monarchs, UAB is 10-1 against Old Dominion at home, and are 4-0 at home against ODU. The only home loss to Old Dominion occurred on January 31, 1985, which we will look at today.
UAB vs. Old Dominion – January 31, 1985
UAB was 18-4 entering this game against Old Dominion and undefeated in conference play at 7-0. Old Dominion was 11-6 overall and 5-2 in the Sun Belt. The Blazers, ranked #20 in the nation, were on a ten game winning streak, which was the 6th longest in the nation. The Blazers were also sitting atop the conference standings with a comfortable two game lead.
As many teams did that year, Old Dominion played a gimmicky triangle and two defense to try to stop the fire power of Steve Mitchell and James Ponder, daring the other players to shoot. They were somewhat successful. Mitchell was the leading scorer with 15 points, but shot 6 of 21 from the field. Ponder was 4 of 16 for eight points. Neither team shot well in this game. UAB shot 38.8 % and Old Dominion shot 39.6%.
The Monarchs jumped out to a eleven point lead at 19-8 as the Blazers hit just four field goals in the first nine minutes of the game. Coach Gene Bartow brought Tracy Foster off the bench who sparked a 9-0 run. In the final eleven minutes of the half, UAB outscored Old Dominion 25-10 and led 33-29 at the half.
In the second half, the score seesawed back and forth as both teams went on runs. UAB led 43-35 with 13:23 left in the game, but the Monarchs scored eleven straight points to go ahead 46-43. UAB retook the lead at 50-48 at the 7:34 mark. The Blazers pushed the lead to five points with 2:20 left in the game and seem to have things under control with the score 58-53. With 47 seconds left in the game, Marvin Ray Johnson missed the front end of a one and one and James Ponder made the same mistake with 40 seconds left. Old Dominion’s Kenny Gattison scored with 29 seconds left to make it a three point game at 58-55.
As if things weren’t bad enough for the Blazers, the referees made a crucial mistake. With under 30 seconds to go, there was a mad scramble for the ball and Old Dominion’s Fred Smith ended up with the ball stretched out on the court. The TV replay showed that Smith had one foot clearly out of bounds as he lay on the court, but the referees did not notice it. Smith got the ball to Gattison, who scored and cut the lead to one. Old Dominion called timeout. On the inbounds pass, Marvin Ray Johnson threw the ball away trying to get it to Jerome Mincy.
Old Dominion got the ball back at midcourt and worked the ball to Gattison, who had the hot hand. Gattison shot with four seconds left on the clock. He missed, but unfortunately, he got his own rebound and scored the winning basket with one second left in the game. A midcourt shot by Ponder missed the mark and Kenny Gattison had scored the last eight points of the game to win the game for Old Dominion by the score of 59-58. He finished the game with 21 points and 10 rebounds. UAB’s win streak was over, as well as their national ranking and Old Dominion had their only win in Birmingham against UAB.
UAB vs. Old Dominion – February 4, 1989
One final game to look at in this series occurred on February 4, 1989 when Old Dominion played their very first game in Bartow Arena. The Monarchs had beaten UAB earlier in the season by the score of 101-89, so UAB was looking for revenge. Unfortunately the Blazers had lost three straight games and only had ten players dressing for games, three of which were freshmen. Both teams entered the game at 11-7 and had four losses in conference. Old Dominion was playing without Anthony Carver, who averaged 20.1 points per game and had a hurt foot.
The game got off to an odd start as ODU star, Chris Gatling was called for a foul just seven seconds into the game. ODU coach, Tom Young immediately started protesting and the referee promptly gave him a technical. Seven seconds into the game, and Andy Kennedy stepped to the foul line and hit four straight free throws. When UAB got the ball back, Kennedy hit a three pointer and UAB was up 7-0. ODU hit a basket at the other end and Kennedy scored another basket making the score 9-2. After figuring they had spotted the Blazers enough points, the Monarchs went on an 11-2 run and went ahead by two points. Reggie Turner then scored four straight and UAB was ahead 17-13. UAB maintained the lead and led 41-32 at the half.
In the second half, the Blazers came out hitting on all cylinders. The Blazers shot 70% and missed only three shots in the first ten minutes of the second half. Old Dominion never threatened in the second half and UAB won 92-73. Gatling led the Monarchs in scoring with 26 points. UAB had four players in double figures. Andy Kennedy led UAB with 20 points. Reginald Turner had 19 points and Alan Ogg had 17 points. Jack Kramer had 16 points.