The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB Earns NCAA Basketball Tournament Berth
3/14/2004 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
March 14, 2004
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. ----- The Blazers are dancing again!
The UAB men's basketball team was one of 65 teams named Sunday to the field for the 2004 NCAA Division I Basketball Championship.
Head coach Mike Anderson's Blazers (20-9), who shared the Conference USA regular season championship with four other schools this season, are seeded ninth and will take on No. 8 seed Washington in the opening round of the tournament this Friday, March 19 at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio. Gametimes for all tournament games will be announced on Monday.
This will be UAB's first NCAA Tournament appearance since the 1999 season and the 11th tourney trip for the Blazers overall.
"I am excited, I know our guys are happy," said Anderson, who has guided the Blazers to a record of 41-22 and a pair of postseason tournament appearances in his two seasons at the helm. "To see it all come together and have the opportunity to go to 'the Big Dance', that's exciting for us. To get to the tournament in only two years, it's amazing.
"When I took the job, I promised that we would work extremely hard. Seeing the things that are taking place because of the hard work is satisfying. This is great for our players and a great way for our seniors to end their careers."
The Blazers' best finish in the NCAA Tournament was in 1982 when they advanced to the Elite 8 after beating Indiana and Virginia.
UAB and Washington will be meeting for the first time when they play Friday. The Huskies enter the tournament with a record of 19-11 and winners of nine of their last 11 games. Washington lost to Stanford Saturday in the championship game of the Pac 10 Tournament.
Tickets for the Columbus regional are priced at $50.00 per session. Tickets may be purchased online through the UAB athletics website (www.uabsports.com). Additional information can be obtained by calling the UAB Ticket Office at (205) 975-UAB1.
