UAB and Auburn raise their games, lift the sport at the BHM JAM

Auburn beats MTSU in the second game of the BHM JAM at Legacy Arena in Birmingham on Dec. 16, 2017. (Thomas Coiner/KESG)

You knew it was going to be a good day at the office Saturday when the office was Legacy Arena at the BJCC and the first people you saw were Murry and Ruth Bartow.

They don't come any nicer than the first family of Birmingham basketball. The son and the widow of the late, great Gene Bartow have been a part of so many victories in this arena and this city, and they were there to support UAB and the sport.

It just felt right. Basketball in Birmingham wouldn't be the same without the Bartows.

Basketball in Birmingham is better when this state's major programs step out of their on-campus comfort zones to come together as UAB and Auburn did Saturday to visit Legacy Arena at the BJCC. The BHM JAM presented by Synovus and organized by Knight Eady was the kind of quality basketball event the Magic City has enjoyed for decades, from one-day holiday classics to classic March Madness weekends.

This time, the main attractions didn't disappoint.

UAB, a week after a close loss at Auburn, put together a dominant performance to defeat Alabama A&M 90-58. The Blazers shot 57 percent from the field and 67 percent from the arc as they continued to demonstrate their offensive prowess.

Guards Nate Darling and Zack Bryant combined to hit 11 of 14 field goals and 8 of 9 treys to finish with 34 points between them.

On a day the 7-4 Blazers shot the lights out, the event honored two former UAB stars in Mo Finley, the Kentucky slayer, and Robert Shannon. Fitting. If only more UAB fans had showed up to watch. The crowd for the first game was, to be polite, sparse. Have all the other UAB supporters already left for the Bahamas Bowl?

Speaking of polite, it was good to see new Alabama A&M head coach Donnie Marsh, who falls easily on the Bartow side of any Naughty or Nice Christmas list. As UAB coach Rob Ehsan graciously pointed out, Marsh made a lot of friends here as he helped UAB win a lot of games during the Mike Davis era.

Marsh is off to a rough 0-11 start with the Bulldogs, but he knows the blueprint for success in the SWAC, having helped Davis draw it up and execute it at Texas Southern.

In the nightcap, Auburn played its best half of basketball in ages to run out to a big lead against dangerous Middle Tennessee. Sparked by two technicals on Auburn's Malik Dunbar and his subsequent ejection, MTSU began a furious comeback, but the Tigers held on for a 76-70 victory that could be huge come postseason resume time.

Middle Tennessee began the day at No. 14 in the NCAA RPI, which makes this game one of the best RPI wins of the Bruce Pearl era. Auburn improved to 9-1 by snapping MTSU's five-game win streak over SEC opponents.

How good were the Tigers as they built a 25-point lead in the game's first 24 minutes? Let's just say if their fans had showed up the way the players did, the place would've been standing room only.

As it was, the official attendance led by enthusiastic Auburn supporters louder than their numbers was 7,209.

Any disappointment at the size of the crowd was overcome by the intensity of the play. On a day the event honored former Auburn point guard Doc Robinson and glue guy Bryant Smith from the school's 1999 SEC champions, current floor leader Jared Harper led the way with 16 points, seven assists, a handful of critical plays at critical times and multiple fouls drawn, including the fifth on MTSU star Giddy Potts from Athens.

In all, four Blue Raiders fouled out, but UAB fans can take no solace in the defeat of their Conference USA brothers. Kermit Davis Jr. has a veteran team fully capable of winning a third straight C-USA Tournament and an NCAA Tournament game for the third straight year.

There was a time when the tournament made regular stops in Birmingham, but the best the aging Legacy Arena can do these days is special events such as the BHM JAM. When the day was done, both Ehsan and Pearl paid tribute to the event and its organizers.

"There's so much history here in this building," Ehsan said. "We would love to keep an event like this going. Hopefully, this can grow next year and the year after and a lot of fans can come and see all the teams in the state."

Pearl seconded that notion.

"This was a first-class event, and I think our fans rallied late," he said. "I would've liked to have had this thing a little more full, but I thought it still looked pretty good on SEC TV. Auburn will be back if they'll have us."

Let's hope we have this event for years to come and the BHM JAM won't be a one-and-done.

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