at what now is called the 'legacy arena'...
This was posted on the Sun Belt board by a uab fan...
In honor of UAB's first tournament championship game since 2006, I decided to present a Today in Blazer History
UAB has played Middle Tennessee State for a championship before. They have even played Middle Tennessee State in the BJCC (none of this Legacy Arena for me). It was on December 30, 1986 and was the championship of the UAB Classic.
Sometimes even a master promoter like Gene Bartow has his plans fall apart. The UAB Classic was a four team holiday tournament UAB hosted every year in the 1980's. Usually it was two cupcakes and then a team a bit more challenging, but always designed so that UAB was favored to win the championship.
However, 1986 was different and the UAB Classic was going to be a bit more challenging. Bartow must have been very proud of his lineup for the 1986 UAB Classic Tournament. He had attracted Michigan with Glen Rice, Gary Grant and Antoine Joubert to play in the tournament. The Wolverines were 28-5 the previous season and were 7-2 coming into the tournament. Throw in two cupcakes for the first round, and the Blazers would be playing the Wolverines for the championship. That would get a good crowd to the BJCC.
Also coming to town for the supposed Blazer-Wolverine matchup was ESPN and Dick Vitale. However, no one expected Middle Tennessee State to throw off the cupcake mantle and become a giant killer. In the first round, Middle Tennessee State upset Michigan by the score of 85-83 as Glen Rice's three point shot rimmed out at the buzzer.
Bartow's dream matchup and full house fell short. The Blazers handled their first round opponent, Alaska Anchorage with ease, and prepared to take on the party-pooping Blue Raiders.
UAB led most of the night, however, hot shooting by MTSU from the new three point line, being used that year as an experiment, kept them close. UAB had a six point lead with 1:54 left in the game, but Middle Tennessee State hit a three pointer and a two pointer to cut it to one. The Blazers got it back to three on two free throws, but with 13 seconds left, the Blue Raiders tied the game at 77, sending the game to overtime.
In overtime, James Ponder took control, hitting 12 of the first 14 points, but again that newfangled three point shot kept MTSU in the game. From the final 1:42 of regulation until the end of overtime, they hit 5 out of 6 three pointers. "I didn't like the three point shot when the rules committee put it in," Bartow said after the game. "I like it even less now".
The game came down to a two point UAB lead with three seconds left and freshman Barry Bearden at the line. Bartow had sent his entire team to the other end to avoid a foul, so Bearden was surrounded by MTSU players at the line. He missed both free throws, but in a stroke of luck, the second miss came hard off the back of the rim, and the only Blazer in the area, Bearden got his own rebound.
The game was over and UAB had won 93-91 on national TV. Eddie Collins was the leading scorer with 27 points. James Ponder had 25 points.
This post was edited on 3/14 4:44 AM by SpaceRaider
This was posted on the Sun Belt board by a uab fan...
In honor of UAB's first tournament championship game since 2006, I decided to present a Today in Blazer History
UAB has played Middle Tennessee State for a championship before. They have even played Middle Tennessee State in the BJCC (none of this Legacy Arena for me). It was on December 30, 1986 and was the championship of the UAB Classic.
Sometimes even a master promoter like Gene Bartow has his plans fall apart. The UAB Classic was a four team holiday tournament UAB hosted every year in the 1980's. Usually it was two cupcakes and then a team a bit more challenging, but always designed so that UAB was favored to win the championship.
However, 1986 was different and the UAB Classic was going to be a bit more challenging. Bartow must have been very proud of his lineup for the 1986 UAB Classic Tournament. He had attracted Michigan with Glen Rice, Gary Grant and Antoine Joubert to play in the tournament. The Wolverines were 28-5 the previous season and were 7-2 coming into the tournament. Throw in two cupcakes for the first round, and the Blazers would be playing the Wolverines for the championship. That would get a good crowd to the BJCC.
Also coming to town for the supposed Blazer-Wolverine matchup was ESPN and Dick Vitale. However, no one expected Middle Tennessee State to throw off the cupcake mantle and become a giant killer. In the first round, Middle Tennessee State upset Michigan by the score of 85-83 as Glen Rice's three point shot rimmed out at the buzzer.
Bartow's dream matchup and full house fell short. The Blazers handled their first round opponent, Alaska Anchorage with ease, and prepared to take on the party-pooping Blue Raiders.
UAB led most of the night, however, hot shooting by MTSU from the new three point line, being used that year as an experiment, kept them close. UAB had a six point lead with 1:54 left in the game, but Middle Tennessee State hit a three pointer and a two pointer to cut it to one. The Blazers got it back to three on two free throws, but with 13 seconds left, the Blue Raiders tied the game at 77, sending the game to overtime.
In overtime, James Ponder took control, hitting 12 of the first 14 points, but again that newfangled three point shot kept MTSU in the game. From the final 1:42 of regulation until the end of overtime, they hit 5 out of 6 three pointers. "I didn't like the three point shot when the rules committee put it in," Bartow said after the game. "I like it even less now".
The game came down to a two point UAB lead with three seconds left and freshman Barry Bearden at the line. Bartow had sent his entire team to the other end to avoid a foul, so Bearden was surrounded by MTSU players at the line. He missed both free throws, but in a stroke of luck, the second miss came hard off the back of the rim, and the only Blazer in the area, Bearden got his own rebound.
The game was over and UAB had won 93-91 on national TV. Eddie Collins was the leading scorer with 27 points. James Ponder had 25 points.
This post was edited on 3/14 4:44 AM by SpaceRaider
