Hidden Gems: Overlooked Classics in UAB-Memphis History
A thanks to Tim Stephens for helping with the research for this piece.
Andre Turner’s buzzer-beater to knock UAB out of the 1985 NCAA Tournament. UAB’s shocking 2006 upset of #3 Memphis. Lawrence Kinnard’s 2008 invalidated buzzer-beater. These nail-biters have gone down as the greatest games in UAB/Memphis history; in fact, we just published Steve Irvine’s magnificent retelling of the 2008 meeting.
But Memphis and UAB have met a grand total of 50 times – there are plenty of thrillers in the annals of this rivalry that don’t get mentioned as often as they should. Today, we’re going to take a look at six classic matchups between the Blazers and the Tigers, complete with quotes from the players and coaches who witnessed them firsthand.
January 16th, 1993 – UAB, Bartow record first win over Memphis State
By 1993, Gene Bartow was nearing the end of his storied career, having climbed nearly every mountain the coaching world had put in front of him. He had won titles, felled giants, built a basketball team from scratch, and instantly took them to the Elite Eight, a feat unprecedented before or since.
But one achievement still eluded the father of UAB athletics, an achievement that was deeply personal to Bartow: beating Memphis State. When the Blazers and the Tigers tipped off on January 16th, 1993, the legendary coach was winless against the school he’d coached to the 1972 national championship.
“We were 0-6 against Memphis going into that game,” recounts former UAB forward Frank Haywood. “That was always a special game for Bartow. Him and [Tigers coach Larry] Finch’s interactions were priceless!”
Standing in the Blazers’ way was Anfernee “Penny” Hardaway, an All-American amid one of the most impressive seasons in college basketball history. At the time of tipoff, the guard averaged a whopping 27 points per game. Four months after the end of the season, the Golden State Warriors would select Hardaway with the third overall pick in the NBA Draft.
On paper, it didn’t seem like this Blazer squad stood much of a chance against the Tigers’ offensive machine. UAB stumbled into the Pyramid on a five-game losing streak, a school record at the time. The Blazers had suffered embarrassing December defeats to Holy Cross and UC Santa Barbara and couldn’t guard a soul – UAB had given up 74 or more points in six consecutive games. Memphis entered the game favored by 11, a whopping spread that still stands as one of the largest lines in rivalry history.
But Coach Bartow had a plan: play slow, play physical, and focus all of UAB’s manpower on Hardaway. Memphis could score in droves; five days earlier, the Tigers had romped to 109 points in a blowout win over Southeastern Louisiana. However, they were vulnerable when they couldn’t push the pace. Minnesota had hammered them on New Year’s Eve, holding the vaunted Memphis offense to just 55 points.
Haywood was a fulcrum of UAB’s strategy, he recollects: “Bartow’s game plan to keep the game under 60 points worked in our favor… We used three defenders (George Wilkerson, Reginald Allen, and myself) to slow Penny down that day. He scored a game-high of 17 points.”
Memphis had trouble adjusting to UAB’s pace out of the gate and struggled to score; the Blazers took a 26-22 lead into the break, shocking the crowd of nearly 20,000. Predictably, the Tigers put up a fight after halftime. A flurry from Penny Hardaway, his lone flash of brilliance on the night, slingshotted Memphis into the lead with about ten minutes remaining in the game, but UAB’s Robert Shannon hit two crucial threes to stop the bleeding.
It was at that point the Blazers put their foot down. The much-maligned UAB defense, a liability for the previous month, suddenly became unbreakable – Memphis scored just two points in the final nine minutes. Execution in the clutch secured the win for the Green and Gold; a Stanley Jackson three, a Clarence Thrash dunk, and a late Corey Jackson free throw put the Tigers to rest. The game ended 50-47. A rock fight, just as Coach Bartow desired.
Frank Haywood was impeccable on both ends, finishing with 14 points and eight rebounds while containing Memphis’s superstar. “Frank Haywood did just a great job on Hardaway,” said Bartow after the game. “Frank is a fighter, and you just can’t say enough about how hard he plays.” The junior from Birmingham’s Parker High smothered Penny, holding him to a 33% field goal percentage.
January 25th, 1997 – UAB beats Memphis in first game in the renamed Bartow Arena
Despite his father’s name being put on UAB’s arena before the game, the Blazers’ 1997 victory over Memphis was a triumph for Murry Bartow as much as it was a triumph for Gene.
Gene Bartow had retired after the conclusion of the 1996 season, passing the reins of his program to his son. By January of the following season, the grace period generated by the new coach’s last name had already begun to fade. A season-opening win over Auburn impressed fans, but a mediocre non-conference slate and a horrific start to the new year quickly turned the season sour.
Entering the Memphis game, UAB was 1-4 against C-USA teams, having recently suffered an embarrassing drubbing at the hands of rival Southern Miss. A scathing student column in a January ‘97 edition of Kaleidoscope maligned the younger Bartow for his team’s “underachieving, inconsistent play throughout the first 18 games of the season.”
Memphis weren’t quite the world-beaters they had been in seasons prior, but the Tigers were still dangerous. They were coming off of a shocking road upset of #6 Louisville and boasted early-season wins over #4 Michigan and Oklahoma.
The game wasn’t pretty. If one watched it without knowing the score, it would be easy to assume Memphis was winning. UAB’s patented offensive issues flared up throughout the game; one stretch, lasting nearly 10 minutes, saw the Blazers refuse to score a single point.
The two teams combined to shoot 33% from the floor, and UAB’s final total of 51 points was their lowest of the season. However, the Green and Gold executed one facet of the game well – free throws. Several crucial trips to the charity stripe nailed down a 51-48 Blazer victory.
Memphis coach Larry Finch was irate in the presser, throwing shade at the referees for what he saw as preferential treatment: “Free throws: they got to the line when they needed to and we didn’t. Our guys felt like they were getting hacked and hit just like they were at their end, but we didn’t get the opportunity to get to the line.”
The upset bought Murry begrudging respect from the more disapproving sections of the fanbase. A Kaleidoscope column written after the victory admitted that “the Memphis game is a good indication that [Bartow] can actually coach (contrary to earlier reports), and that the Blazers have the potential to be among the better teams in a strong Conference-USA in years to come.”
“This is certainly a big win for us,” said Murry. An understatement, perhaps.
November 30th, 2017 – UAB beats Memphis 71-56, snapping 16-game losing streak
For much of the 21st century, the UAB-Memphis rivalry was a study in frustration. Every time the Blazers would get close to catching the roadrunner, they’d get hit with a proverbial anvil: an inexplicable late collapse, a crushing display of clutch shooting, or a waved-off buzzer beater.
UAB upset the #3-ranked Tigers on March 2nd, 2006, after which Memphis rattled off an unfathomable 16 consecutive victories against the Blazers. The final game in that streak, an excruciating 2016 loss in FedExForum, followed a familiar script. The Green and Gold played an excellent first 25 minutes of basketball, taking a nine-point lead coming out of the break. The Tigers fired off an 11-1 run midway through the second half, UAB couldn’t find a response, and the Blazers ended up losing by a final score of 62-55.
As Robert Ehsan led his team into Bartow on November 30th, 2017, it was apparent that ghosts of the past didn’t haunt the Green and Gold. UAB jumped on their opponents out of the gate, unleashing years of collective frustration on the overmatched Tigers. Four quick points from Chris Cokley and two subsequent threes from Nick Norton and Nate Darling set the tone, staking UAB to an early 12-1 lead. A lethargic Memphis had no response, hitting a singular three before allowing 13 more unanswered points. The Blazers cruised into halftime with a 40-21 advantage.
“We came out angry, really,” said Darling. “That’s what Coach Ehsan was telling us, playing with passion, play with anger and try to prove something tonight. We were ready to go from the jump.”
The tension in Bartow wouldn’t disperse until Memphis was vanquished for good – the anvil seemed like it was just about to fall. But the anticipated Tiger run never came, and UAB relentlessly steamrolled Memphis after the break. At one point, a Jalen Perry three stretched the Blazer advantage to 24. A late stretch of free throws made the score more aesthetically pleasing, but the game’s outcome was never in doubt. The Blazers claimed a 71-56 victory on the strength of a combined 32 from Cokley and Darling, beating the Tigers for the first time in 4,291 days.
“It was a special night,” said Ehsan. “Ruth [Bartow] came to the locker room. She told the guys, ‘Coach Bartow would be proud.’ That’s a very special moment for our team.”
February 4th, 1984 – Two schools meet for the first time, Memphis squeaks out a win
The inaugural meeting between UAB and #9 Memphis State, played in February 1984 at Memphis’s Mid-South Coliseum, was significant for various reasons. It was a battle between two of the Southeast’s eminent programs; it was the first time Gene Bartow had returned to Memphis since he left the school; it was nationally televised on CBS. But above all else, it was a game played for hometown pride.
UAB, looking to start a basketball team from scratch in 1978, needed an influx of players, fast. Using the connections he made during his time at MSU, Gene Bartow relied heavily on a Memphis high school pipeline in the program’s early years. That team-building strategy continued to see great use throughout the 80s; by 1984, a plurality of Blazers hailed from the city. In fact, UAB could have fielded a starting lineup of Memphians – Steve Mitchell, Anthony Gordon, Archie Johnson, Jerome Mincy, and McKinley Singleton were all natives of the Bluff City.
Obviously, MSU’s roster was also filled to the brim with Memphis kids, many of whom knew Blazer players well; star Tiger guard Andre Turner had played many games with star Blazer guard Steve Mitchell. When the game tipped off, eight of the ten starters were from Memphis; of the 24 players that dressed out, 50% hailed from the city. UAB’s Singleton said that they’d like to show that the best Memphis team “was the one that left Memphis.”
The game itself was a thriller, foreshadowing epic clashes of the future. The two teams were nearly evenly matched; per an old post from UAB historian Steve Rutherford, the lead was exchanged 12 times and the halftime score was deadlocked at 27. As the clock ticked down, Memphis State finally pulled ahead, taking an eight-point lead with just under six minutes remaining. To the horror of their home crowd, the Tigers proceeded to go stone-cold – they wouldn’t score again in regulation. UAB’s Luellen Foster cut into the Memphis lead with three consecutive buckets, tying the game. MSU’s Andre Turner had an opportunity to win it at the buzzer but lost the ball out of bounds; the budding rivals entered overtime, the scoreboard reading 51-51.
1984 was the last year college basketball would be played without a shot clock. Holding the ball for minutes at a time was a viable, even expected, strategy. Overtimes, in particular, often consisted of long stalling periods, and this one was no different. With a little over three minutes remaining and the score dead even, Steve Mitchell began dribbling around the logo in an attempt to run down the clock, but Memphis’s Bobby Parks ambushed him and stole the ball.
MSU gave the Blazers a taste of their own medicine, holding the ball until the clock read six seconds. The Tigers’ Keith Lee attempted a layup, was fouled by McKinley Singleton, and made two free throws, giving his team a two-point lead. It was the first time Memphis had scored since the 5:53 mark of the second half.
Steve Mitchell heaved up a shot that rattled out, and the emotional Blazers, inches short of a ranked win, walked off the court in utter disbelief.
“We battled and we feel like we played with a lot of class and dignity. But we never like to lose,” said a stunned Gene Bartow.
January 22nd, 2011 – Memphis holds off UAB in overtime
With 15.6 remaining on the game clock, Aaron Johnson took the sideline inbounds pass and dribbled to his right, crossing over the halfcourt logo. He hesitated, considered his options, and changed courses, darting toward the left side of the key before making a headstrong move to the rim. He missed the layup, but a whistle pierced the air, sending the C-USA Player of the Year to the line. 8.7 seconds left. Memphis 68, UAB 67.
This was perhaps the Blazers’ best chance to snap what was at the time a nine-game losing streak to Memphis – it was certainly the closest they had been since 2008. Johnson, one of the conference’s better free-throw shooters, stood at the line. He swished the first shot without hesitation, the Bartow crowd cheering him on. Tie game. AJ collected himself, got back into his stance, and launched the potential game-winner…
Johnson’s second free throw clanked off the heel of the basket, bouncing directly into the hands of the Tigers. Memphis whirled up the court, enough time on the clock to make something happen, but Tiger guard Will Barton immediately traveled. UAB got the ball back on the sideline and launched a desperation heave that was rudely denied by the rim. Overtime.
The Tigers dominated the extra period, holding the Blazers scoreless until 37 seconds remained on the clock; somehow, hope was still alive. Dexter Fields rattled home a crucial three with 20 seconds left in the game, cutting the Memphis lead to 76-73. The Tigers missed a subsequent free throw, giving the ball back to UAB with a chance to tie it; an attempt at a corner three didn’t even scrape the rim. The Green and Gold had to resort to fouling once more, the game clock reading just 5.5. Unfathomably, two more Memphis free throws fell short. The Blazers, once again, had a chance to tie it.
Memphis 76, UAB 73.
“We kind of settled for just shooting 3-point shots. We did not need to shoot three-pointers. We needed to take the ball to the basket, and Memphis did a good job of that. I am very disappointed in our lack of focus down the stretch of the game,” said coach Mike Davis in the postgame presser.
Davis’s quote painted an accurate picture of the game: UAB, a team that shot 36% from deep on the season, simply couldn’t get their triples to fall. The Blazers made two of their 23 attempts from beyond the arc, a mindblowing 8%.
In a cruel twist of fate, Memphis missed five free throws in the last 25 seconds of overtime, but the Blazers’ singular missed free throw at the end of regulation would decide the game.
This game was perhaps the most heartbreaking and dramatic chapter of the rivalry from the 2010s, made even more bitter by the fact that UAB wouldn’t get that close to beating Memphis for six more years.
January 22nd, 2005 – UAB wins thriller in Bartow
The 2005 meeting between UAB and Memphis was perhaps the teams’ most evenly matched game of this century. They were near dead equals in KenPom, they were both high in the C-USA table, and both teams were coming off of NCAA Tournament runs; the Tigers had made it to the round of 32 while the Blazers had upset Kentucky to make the Sweet 16.
UAB sported a veteran team led by head coach Mike Anderson, Squeaky Johnson, Ronell and Donell Taylor, and Demario Eddins. Memphis, approaching the heyday of the Calipari years, featured several prominent freshmen, most notably star guard Darius Washington.
The Blazers built a sizable lead in the first half; UAB went into the break with an 11-point advantage and led by as much as 14 at the beginning of the second period. Of course, the Tigers stormed back in classic Memphis fashion, quieting the home crowd of nearly 8,000. Washington hit shot after shot, getting to the rim with reckless abandon while his teammates rained down threes on the Blazers.
By the five minute mark, the Tigers had taken the lead. The two teams battled back and forth, UAB’s Ronell Taylor and Demario Eddins going head to head with Memphis’s Washington and Rodney Carney. After seven lead changes, Taylor put his foot down.
The AP summary of the game describes its hectic conclusion better than I could:
“Ronell Taylor grabbed a loose ball and hit a layup to give UAB the lead and the Blazers survived three 3-point attempts by Memphis in the final 14 seconds to defeat the Tigers 73-70 on Saturday.
Taylor’s follow shot came with 1:31 left to play and gave UAB a 71-70 lead. Memphis guard Darius Washington missed a spinning drive in the lane and Demario Eddins hit two free throws to give UAB a 73-70 lead. That set up a frantic finish.
Memphis called time out with 14.6 seconds left to set up a try for a game-tying three. The Tigers got plenty of chances.
Anthony Rice missed on a 3-point try but Memphis rebounded and Rodney Carney missed on another 3-attempt.
The Tigers’ Duane Erwin grabbed the loose rebound, dribbled behind the 3-point line and fired a quick shot. It went part way down and spun out as the buzzer sounded.”
The potential game-winning factor for UAB? An advantage in experience. The Green and Gold managed the game with much more composure than their opponents, finishing with 14 turnovers to the Tigers’ 26. “Our freshman in the first half kind of got us out of whack,” said Memphis coach John Calipari.
Although Memphis was able to hold UAB point guard Squeaky Johnson to just two points and two assists, the rest of the Blazers picked up the slack. Ronell Taylor scored 14 points, grabbed five rebounds, and recorded four steals, while Memphis native Marvett McDonald made four of eight triples and led the Green and Gold in scoring with 16 points. None of the Tigers’ players were particularly efficient other than Washington, who scored 26 points on an impressive 81.2% field goal percentage.
“This really was a character game today,” said Mike Anderson. “It took everything we had to hold them off and I am proud of our guys because I saw the energy and heart and will to win today.”