# 1981–82 UAB Blazers men's basketball team

The 1981–82 UAB Blazers men's basketball team represented the University of Alabama at Birmingham as a member of the Sun Belt Conference during the 1981–82 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. This was head coach Gene Bartow's fourth season at UAB, and the Blazers played their home games at BJCC Coliseum. They finished the season 25–6, 9–1 in Sun Belt play and won the Sun Belt tournament. They received an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament as No. 4 seed in the Mideast region. After beating No. 5 seed Indiana in the second round, UAB upset No. 1 seed Virginia to reach the Elite Eight. The Blazers fell to Louisville in the Mideast regional final, 75–68. As of 2021, that is the furthest a UAB men’s team has advanced in NCAA Tournament play.

## Schedule and results

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Regular season ||||||
| Nov 27, 1981* | No. 14 | Benedictine | W 100–63 | 1–0 | Birmingham-Jefferson Civic Center (5,055) Birmingham, Alabama |
| Nov 28, 1981* | No. 14 | Pittsburgh | W 78–62 | 2–0 | Birmingham-Jefferson Civic Center (6,053) Birmingham, Alabama |
| Dec 5, 1981* | No. 11 | Ole Miss | W 72–58 | 3–0 | Birmingham-Jefferson Civic Center (12,785) Birmingham, Alabama |
| Dec 12, 1981* | No. 9 | at No. 4 Wichita State | L 60–75 | 3–1 | Levitt Arena (10,666) Wichita, Kansas |
| Dec 14, 1981* | No. 16 | Roosevelt | W 86–40 | 4–1 | Birmingham-Jefferson Civic Center (2,891) Birmingham, Alabama |
| Dec 18, 1981* | No. 16 | vs. Southern Miss Cotton States Classic | W 71–56 | 5–1 | (7,162) Atlanta, Georgia |
| Dec 19, 1981* | No. 16 | vs. Georgia Cotton States Classic | L 72–76 | 5–2 | (7,450) Atlanta, Georgia |
| Dec 22, 1981* | No. 19 | Chico State | W 80–60 | 6–2 | Birmingham-Jefferson Civic Center (3,217) Birmingham, Alabama |
| Dec 27, 1981* | No. 19 | vs. No. 9 Missouri Winston Tire Classic | L 80–98 | 6–3 | (7,364) Los Angeles, California |
| Dec 28, 1981* | | vs. Michigan Winston Tire Classic | W 73–72 | 7–3 | (7,774) Los Angeles, California |
| Dec 30, 1981* | | Chattanooga | W 76–50 | 8–3 | Birmingham-Jefferson Civic Center (5,318) Birmingham, Alabama |
| Jan 2, 1982 | | VCU | L 54–55 | 8–4 (0–1) | Birmingham-Jefferson Civic Center (7,031) Birmingham, Alabama |
| Jan 4, 1982 | | Jacksonville | W 82–62 | 6–4 (1–1) | Birmingham-Jefferson Civic Center (6,092) Birmingham, Alabama |
| Jan 9, 1982 | | South Alabama | W 78–59 | 10–4 (2–1) | Birmingham-Jefferson Civic Center (10,019) Birmingham, Alabama |
| Jan 11, 1982 | | UNC Charlotte | W 85–81 | 11–4 (3–1) | Birmingham-Jefferson Civic Center (5,516) Birmingham, Alabama |
| Jan 13, 1982* | | Utica | W 73–44 | 12–4 | Birmingham-Jefferson Civic Center (489) Birmingham, Alabama |
| Jan 16, 1982 | | at South Florida | W 54–49 | 13–4 (4–1) | Sun Dome (8,106) Tampa, Florida |
| Jan 23, 1982* | | at No. 4 DePaul | L 68–79 | 13–5 | Rosemont Horizon (14,187) Rosemont, Illinois |
| Jan 29, 1982 | | South Florida | W 59–51 | 14–5 (5–1) | Birmingham-Jefferson Civic Center (8,491) Birmingham, Alabama |
| Feb 1, 1982 | | at Jacksonville | W 59–57 $^{OT}$ | 15–5 (6–1) | Birmingham-Jefferson Civic Center (3,497) Birmingham, Alabama |
| Feb 4, 1982* | | Mississippi Valley State | W 102–77 | 16–5 | Birmingham-Jefferson Civic Center (3,755) Birmingham, Alabama |
| Feb 7, 1982 | | at South Alabama | W 86–82 | 17–5 (7–1) | Jaguar Gym (7,512) Mobile, Alabama |
| Feb 11, 1982* | | at Saint Louis | W 79–63 | 18–5 | St. Louis Arena (1,222) St. Louis, Missouri |
| Feb 20, 1982 | | vs. VCU | W 56–55 | 19–5 (8–1) | Richmond Coliseum (5,600) Richmond, Virginia |
| Feb 21, 1982 | | at UNC Charlotte | W 78–73 | 20–5 (9–1) | Charlotte Coliseum (4,160) Charlotte, North Carolina |
| Feb 23, 1982* | | Samford | W 40–27 | 21–5 | Birmingham-Jefferson Civic Center (7,198) Birmingham, Alabama |
| Sun Belt tournament ||||||
| Feb 27, 1982* | (1) | (4) South Florida Semifinals | W 66–56 | 22–5 | Birmingham-Jefferson Civic Center (11,658) Birmingham, Alabama |
| Feb 28, 1982* | (1) | (2) VCU Championship Game | W 94–83 | 23–5 | Birmingham-Jefferson Civic Center (11,408) Birmingham, Alabama |
| NCAA tournament ||||||
| Mar 13, 1982* | (4 ME) No. 17 | vs. (5 ME) Indiana Second Round | W 80–70 | 24–5 | Memorial Gymnasium (14,761) Nashville, Tennessee |
| Mar 18, 1982* | (4 ME) No. 17 | vs. (1 ME) No. 3 Virginia Mideast Regional semifinal – Sweet Sixteen | W 68–66 | 25–5 | Birmingham-Jefferson Civic Center (16,754) Birmingham, Alabama |
| Mar 20, 1982* | (4 ME) No. 17 | vs. (3 ME) No. 20 Louisville Mideast Regional final – Elite Eight | L 68–75 | 25–6 | Birmingham-Jefferson Civic Center (16,754) Birmingham, Alabama |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. ME=Mideast. ||||||

## Awards and honors

* Oliver Robinson – Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year, Sun Belt tournament MVP
* Gene Bartow – Sun Belt Conference Coach of the Year

## NBA draft

| Round | Pick | Player | NBA Club |
| 2 | 24 | Oliver Robinson | San Antonio Spurs |