UAB Basketball

When the Connecticut Huskies won the national championship last year, they became the first No. 7 seed to do so and were underdogs in their last five games en route to the title. The Huskies nearly lost their first game too, needing overtime to oust the 10th-seeded St. Joseph’s Hawks 89-81 and cover the spread as 5.5-point favorites.

The lowest seed to ever win the NCAA tournament remains the eighth-seeded Villanova Wildcats in 1985, but picking an upset candidate in the Big Dance does not mean that team needs to win it all. While picking a “sleeper” team or underdog that wins a game or two during March Madness could end up being the difference in helping you win your bracket contest or pool, it can also be profitable from a betting perspective.

One team that fits the sleeper role perfectly this year and may be capable of pulling off a straight-up upset in this year’s NCAA tournament is the 14th-seeded UAB Blazers, who will be facing third-seeded Iowa State in the South Region Thursday in Louisville, Kentucky. The Blazers have covered eight straight games as underdogs, winning five of six SU.

Also in the South, the 11th-seeded UCLA Bruins have covered five in a row as underdogs and meet sixth-seeded SMU Thursday in Louisville as well.

Looking for a No. 12 seed this year that could knock off a No. 5 in the round of 64? The 12th-seeded Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks have won 28 of their last 29 games and will be playing fifth-seeded Utah, who have gone 2-5 ATS in their past seven games as favorites and lost four times in that scenario.

Last year, the Lumberjacks upset the fifth-seeded VCU Rams 77-75 in overtime as a No. 12 seed and six-point underdogs before falling to the fourth-seeded UCLA Bruins in the following round.

Coincidentally, another team capable of pulling off an upset in its first game this year is VCU, a No. 7 seed but an underdog against 10th-seeded Ohio State. The Rams are 12-3 ATS in their last 15 NCAA tournament games and made it to the Final Four as a No. 11 seed in 2011 under head coach Shaka Smart.

In what can be best described as a surprise that very few saw coming, UAB Athletic Director Brian Mackin has hired Jerod Haase to replace Mike Davis.

Davis was fired on March 16 after six seasons that included three NIT appearances, one NCAA appearance and a Conference USA regular season championship. The Blazers finished with a disappointing 15-16 record (9-7 in Conference USA) this past season.

A few days ago I wrote an article of potential replacement candidates thinking that Mackin would go after either assistant coaches with ties to the Birmingham, Alabama area, big name assistant coaches, those with ties to the university or Division II head coaches at Alabama schools who possess impressive resumes.

Haase is not on that list. However, it does make sense of why he was hired.

He has been mentored and groomed by one of the best, Roy Williams. In fact, Haase spent 10 years coaching as an assistant on Williams' staffs at both UNC and Kansas. He even played three seasons for Williams at Kansas.

That is why Haase's hiring at UAB is kind of similar to Josh Pastner being selected to replace John Calipari at Memphis. Pastner both played for and coached under the legendary Lute Olson.

Pastner basically picked up where Calipari left off and kept the Tigers as a dominate team in Conference USA.

UAB is likely hoping to become what the Memphis Tigers (who are headed to the Big East) have been in the Conference USA for years, a constant top team and repeated conference championship winners. The upcoming Conference USA and Mountain West merger will be a perfect test.

To take your program to that highest level, Mackin needed a guy with Haase's experience and leadership ability. Plus, like Pastner, he is young (37). I suggested Orlando Antigua and Richard Pitino partly for those reasons. The other reason is name recognition that can draw fans back in.

Prior to his hiring at UAB, Haase coached the UNC Tar Heels junior varsity basketball team for three years.

Fans and supporters of UAB and college sports in general will be sad to hear that Gene Bartow has reportedly passed after a two-year battle with stomach cancer. 

The Birmingham News reports the man known as "The Father of UAB Athletics" died at the age of 81. His 34 years as basketball head coach managed to touch a great deal of people that will surely miss him. 

Bartow made the UAB athletic program what it is today. Any success that is afforded to it has been built on the hard work and enthusiasm of a man that loved to be around basketball. 

More than that, he loved to be around people, and that is what made him such a well-respected figure and friend to so many. 

Memphis head basketball coach Josh Pastner had a few words and paints a vivid picture with them via a report filed by Steve Irvine for The Birmingham News.

The best description I can give of Coach Bartow is he was as nice a human being and as good a human being as you'll find. It doesn't matter if you're the janitor or the president of the United States, he treated everyone the same. He was just a good person, an unbelievable soul. 

Those in Westwood would not let Bartow step in John Wooden's shoes, no matter how great a coach he was then and proved to be later. 

With that two-year stop over, Bartow moved onto smaller but better things at UAB. In his own words, Bartow was proud of his accomplishments, as we were to have had them. 

I'm proud of the fact that I've had two Final Four teams and I had three Final Eight teams. There are not very many in our profession that have had that. With that said, I wouldn't be there if it wasn't for the UAB story.

The college basketball ranks were forever changed thanks to Bartow's contributions. The sport lost a great man that molded so many fine athletes. 

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The University of Alabama-Birmingham was manhandled by the Clemson Tigers from the opening tip on Tuesday night, further cementing the notion that the Blazers had no place in this year's field of 68.

From the minute the brackets were released on Sunday night, UAB came under fire from many experts and analysts for being a team who received a bid without having any credential.

I mean, it's somewhat true, if you consider their body of work.

UAB started the game off taking an early 5-4 lead in the first two and a half minutes.

This would be their only lead of the game.

What would ensue, nobody could have predicted.

Clemson guard Demontez Stitt hit a jumper with 17:20 left in the first half. This bucket would spark a 21-2 run by the Tigers.

Before the blink of an eye, coach Mike Davis and his Blazers were down 25-7.

The Blazers were in disarray.

They accumulated more turnovers (eight) than points (seven) before Jamarr Sanders hit a three pointer following a UAB timeout with 9:30 left in the half.

The story would continue to get worse.

As the first half continued to progress the Blazers found themselves struggling to produce any offense. They couldn't get to the basket, easy jumpers weren't falling and they failed to get to the free throw line.

Much of these problems were due to the size of Clemson inside. Jerai Grant and Devin Booker combined for 32 points and 14 rebounds. Junior guard Tanner Smith added 10 points and four steals as well.

Clemson led at the break, 41-27.

The Blazers came out of the break with a bit of life, mounting a small 8-2 run to open up the second half.

From then on, it was three-point shot after three-point shot.

UAB finished the game shooting at a .500 clip from behind the arc. In total, half of their shots from the field (24 of 48) were of the three-point variety.

The pressure defense of the Clemson Tigers proved to be to much for the Conference-USA regular-season champions.

The Blazers ended the affair with a total 19 turnovers to only 10 assists.

They were overmatched in every facet of the game.

It became clear that the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee blatantly got this one wrong.

UAB (22-7, 12-4 C-USA); RPI:  28, SOS:  68

Missouri State (25-8, 15-3 MVC); RPI:  42, SOS:  127       

Common Opponents:  Tulsa (both lost)

*Since this article discusses at-large candidacy, assume that UAB does not win their conference tournament

Why UAB Gets In

UAB defeated East Carolina on Saturday to finish out the regular season.  The win ensured the Blazers of an outright Conference USA regular season championship, finishing one game ahead of UTEP and Tulsa.  Prior to that, UAB won an important road game at Southern Miss, who had been in contention for the league title prior to losing. 

In a league race that was back and forth throughout the season and had as many as five teams tied for first place at one point, UAB’s championship was hard fought and well deserved.  The emergence of teams like Tulsa, along with Southern Miss and even Marshall, helped to make Conference USA much more competitive than it has been in recent Memphis-dominated seasons.    

This depth of competitive teams helped put Conference USA at No. 8 in the conference RPI rankings, right behind the Pac-10 and just in front of the Atlantic 10.  The league finished the regular season with three teams in the RPI top 50—UAB, Memphis and Marshall—and three more between No. 51 and No. 61—Southern Miss, UTEP and Central Florida. 

UAB picked up three wins against the RPI top 50, including a win over a strong tournament candidate in VCU.  Overall, the Blazers were 3-4 against the top 50, with losses at Georgia—by only two— and Duke in their non-conference schedule.   

What was the biggest reason for UAB’s C-USA title?  A 6-2 road record in league games, capped off by the win at Southern Miss.  Overall, UAB had a very solid 9-5 record on the road this season.  That includes a win at Arkansas—a team that knocked off Alabama, Kentucky and Tennessee at home.

Why UAB is Left Out

While Conference USA has more good teams than in past years, there are certainly no great teams in this league, including Memphis.  As a whole, the league picked up just a couple excellent wins against big-name teams.  UCF beating Florida and Marshall over West Virginia were the two biggest headliners for the conference.

How much does a handful of wins over teams ranked higher than No. 50 of the RPI actually count for when discussing a team’s at-large merits?  While Memphis is still in the running for an at-large bid, the other teams who finished near the top of the league—UTEP, Tulsa and Southern Miss—are pretty much out of contention at this point.  Each needs to win the Conference USA tournament to make the dance.

UAB came up a bit short on some of their biggest opportunities to impress the selection committee.  The losses to Duke and Georgia aside, the Blazers were swept by Memphis this season.  Despite the fact Memphis is not what they were just a couple years ago, winning at least one of those games would have gone pretty far in making UAB a more credible at-large candidate.

Why Missouri State Gets In

Like UAB, Missouri State earned a conference championship outright.  The Bears won the Missouri Valley with a record of 15-3, beating Wichita State in the season finale to claim the title.  Missouri State came up a possession short of winning the MVC tournament as well, losing to upstart Indiana State on Sunday. 

En route to their MVC regular season title, Missouri State swept Wichita State and Creighton and also won at Northern Iowa (before spiraling down after losing Lucas O’Rear).  Throughout the season, the Bears proved they were the team to beat in a league which is competitive top to bottom. 

Missouri State survived numerous tough road tests in the Valley, finishing a 7-2 record on the road in league games.  Given the 10,000-plus arenas of Creighton, Northern Iowa and Wichita State, that is a very impressive feat. 

How many bubble teams from the Big Ten or Big 12 would have also won seven road games in this league?

Why Missouri State is Left Out

Notice there was no mention of non-conference games in the portion above.  That’s because Missouri State has absolutely nothing of value in that department to present to the selection committee.

Missouri State had a few opportunities in their non-conference schedule but came up short on all of them.  The Bears lost at Tennessee in the NIT Tip-Off, as well as coming up 0-for-Oklahoma with losses to Tulsa and Oklahoma State. 

To top it off, the Bears let Valparaiso run all over them in their BracketBuster matchup a couple weeks back.  That was the Bears’ last chance to prove something to the committee outside of their MVC success.  Losing by double-digits to NIT hopefuls outside the league may very well offset their conference title accomplishment.

Also, winning the Missouri Valley just isn’t quite as prestigious it was in the early to mid 2000’s.  In those days—led by Southern Illinois and Creighton—the league was usually around No. 7 or No. 8 in terms of conference RPI and regularly saw multiple teams make the NCAAs.  This year, the MVC was just No. 12 in conference RPI, behind the Horizon League and just ahead of the imbalanced WAC.

Who Gets In?

Again, this assumes UAB doesn’t go on to win the Conference USA tournament.  Given the number of teams who finished bunched together near the top of the league, UAB fans shouldn’t count on winning it. 

Despite each winning their conference regular season championships, neither has a win over a legitimate NCAA tournament team this season.  There is a bit of speculation involved with determining whether either team deserves to make the tournament.

Based on relative strength of conference, strong road record, more competitive non-conference showing, and lack of any really bad losses (though at Arizona St. may be questionable), UAB deserves a shot to dance.

UAB:  IN, Missouri State:  OUT

Recent Matchups:

Clemson-Saint Mary’s:  http://bleacherreport.com/articles/631612-clemson-vs-saint-marys-which-team-will-make-the-ncaa-tournament

VCU-Alabama:  http://bleacherreport.com/articles/630542-vcu-vs-alabama-which-team-will-make-the-ncaa-tournament

Boston College-Colorado State:  http://bleacherreport.com/articles/626211-boston-college-vs-colorado-state-which-team-will-make-the-ncaa-tournament

Michigan-Georgia:  http://bleacherreport.com/articles/624160-michigan-vs-georgia-which-team-will-make-the-ncaa-tournament

North Carolina is certainly not the best team ever visit Bartow Arena, but you can rest assured that the Tar Heels are the most recognizable.

The NIT match up between the Heels and Blazers will not be as entertaining as UTEP and UAB in two overtimes earlier this season. And certainly not when number ones Louisville and Memphis came to town in 2003 and 2008 respectively.

But the North Carolina Tar Heels will be the only team with a name big enough to sale out a basketball game in more than 24 hours before the contest in this football crazed state.

North Carolina is the defending national champion. North Carolina is where Dean Smith coached and Michael Jordan played.

UAB? Not so much.

But the tradition on the Southside is not absolutely non-existent.

The Blazers are a good basketball team and they have been to the show. They've been to the quarterfinals of the NCAA tournament. They've beaten top 25 teams. They've given the people of Alabama a decent basketball option.

But North Carolina has their own shade of blue!

North Carolina, despite having to come to Bartow Arena, is Goliath in this game.

North Carolina is the third team from the Carolinas to visit UAB in the NIT, Coastal Carolina and North Carolina State have been victims of the Blazers and it wasn't even close.

But the Tar Heels and Roy Williams will certainly have something the other two schools didn't have.

A raucous, sold-out crowd in their ears rooting for the hometown team.

And I will be there rooting, too.

Go Blazers!

Mike Davis and the University of Alabama at Birmingham Blazers were not supposed to be the team everyone was gunning for this season.

Not that the Blazers are the team to beat going into the Conference USA Tournament today, but UAB is an important foe for everyone in C-USA.

Davis and his Blazers are 23-7 on the year and looking to make the NCAA tournament field for the first time in his coaching tenure on the Southside.

To do so, the Blazers will need to make a strong showing in the C-USA Tournament, starting today at 2:30 PM CST against the Southern Miss Golden Eagles on the CBS College Sports Network.

UAB has already beaten USM both times this season. Beating such a scrappy team could be difficult, but the Blazers will have to do so in order to stay on the bubble watch.

UAB has beaten the Eagles 57-56 and 59-54 this season already, and are far from a lock in the semifinals.

The Golden Eagles and Blazers have only met once before in the C-USA Tournament. The two teams combined for a thrilling game in last season's quarterfinals, where UAB came out victorious thanks to a buzzer-beating shot to win 74-73.

Overall, though, the teams have met 33 previous times, with UAB holding a commanding 22-11 edge in the series. Davis is 6-3 against the Golden Eagles.

If the Blazers can pull out a win, the most likely scenario would see them in the semifinals against Memphis, who takes on Houston today at noon CST.

A semifinals matchup with Memphis would be a huge factor in deciding whether the Blazers get into the NCAA tournament or if they will have to settle for the NIT for another season.

Davis is certainly looking to get the next two wins as he is currently two wins shy of 200 in his short 10-year career at Indiana and UAB.

That 200th win, by most accounts, would put the Blazers into the NCAA tournament field with no question.

The question is, can they get the 199th win first?

If so, UAB could be on their way to the Big Dance.

Alabama is a football-crazed state, in case you were not aware.

Half of the state is living and dying right now awaiting the Jan. 7 date in Pasadena with the Texas Longhorns.

Take notice, however, football fanatics. The state of Alabama might just be becoming a basketball state!

Last night saw two of the state's elite basketball teams upend two of the nation's elite basketball teams.

Does that mean that the state's elite belong among the nations elite? In a word, yes.

UAB and South Alabama have pulled some big wins out of their hats already this season. UAB has knocked off Cincinnati and now Butler at Bartow Arena this season.

South Alabama went to the O-Dome and handed Florida its first home loss in December since 2004 when the Louisville Cardinals gained a win over Billy Donovan's crew.

The Jaguars have now beaten two SEC teams this season. USA also knocked off Arkansas on the road earlier this season.

The Blazers and Jaguars have been doing it all season long. UAB has a way of gaining notice from the rest of the country with its upsets of bigger foes.

South Alabama has not been known as much for its upsets of ranked opponents, but you will find them regularly in the NCAA field of 65.

This season's lone blemish on the UAB schedule is a seven-point setback at Kent State in the team's second game.

Since then, the Blazers have won nine in a row, including wins over Georgia, Cincinnati, Butler, and South Alabama.

Mike Davis and crew have not ventured outside the friendly confines of Bartow Arena but three times this season, however. And a meeting with ACC foe Virginia will be a major factor in where the Blazers stand.

Other state teams are playing good basketball as well. Alabama took Purdue to the wire as well as beating Baylor and Michigan and playing Florida State close this season.

Samford has been to the NCAA tournament numerous times and Jacksonville State has kept their team respectable this season, losing five of their six games (excluding the loss to UAB) by a total of 21 points.

Alabama, the football team, may be playing for a national championship this coming January, but if the state would take notice of the emerging basketball prowess, maybe Alabama, the state, could celebrate a championship in early April one day.